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This is When to Prune Spirea – 5 Tips

Some people claim that spring is the best time to prune spirea. Others say during summer. Which is true? When to prune spirea exactly?

Spirea is a type of shrub that comes in different variants. There are spirea shrubs that bloom flowers during spring. The other varieties blossom every early summer. That fact basically suggests the different times of pruning the plant depending on the type.

Some of the popular spireas are spiraea arguta, billardii, bumalda, goldflame, golden princess, japonica anthony waterer, japonica shirobana, little princes, snowmound, and thunbergii.

Many of these produce flowers right after pruning. The flowers of Japanese (japonica spirea) ones occur after trimming during late winter.

​Despite that, spirea easily grows in most climates. It can tolerate hardiness zones from 5 through 9 according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

A flowering foliage like spirea creates a welcoming environment on the front yard and sides of a residential home. Its clusters of small flowers can add vibe to your garden or landscape.

Since this is a shrub, it easily spreads and pruning is certainly a necessity from time to time. It’s not only to control their growth but also remove unwanted sections, such as the dead leaves or cracked stems. The big question we’re trying to answer is when to prune spirea.

When to Prune Spirea?

When to Prune Spirea

Most of the varieties of spirea can be pruned after their blossoms. It is seldom to trim them during the spring season, but there are some that should be strictly pruned at that time only.

The ones mentioned above are examples of this shrub that require pruning on or before the month of June ends. In other words, you are most likely going to start cutting between mid or late spring and the beginning of summer.

>> Read More about Spirea:

The Rejuvenation Pruning

This method can be applied if the shrub becomes overgrown or too woody. The process is not a simple trim of a small section, but rather the removal of the entire bush, which must be back to ground level.

And this is usually recommended to do during the last weeks of the winter or after frost. But this isn’t the end of the pruning. You also have to trim during summer but only half of the new grown canes. There may be also a need to shorten some canes.

As suggested, we’re also going to discuss the proper ways to trim this shrub. Now that we’ve shared when to prune spirea, the execution is the most crucial part. You need to do the pruning right or else your plant can be damaged, uprooted, etc.

The Proper Ways to Prune

1. Prepare Materials

Don’t just go trimming your spirea shrubs with your own bare hands. This is not only safe for your fingers and palms but also unhealthy to the plant. It may be a foliage with thin stems but need some sharp tool for cutting.

Therefore, grab a pair of shears, gardening snip or scissors. Experts even suggest cleaning both the sides of the blades with a dishwashing liquid or rubbing alcohol. This is to make sure there’s no transfer of diseases or pests that can potentially harm your plant.

2. Cut the Tips

Start at the tips of your spirea when pruning by trimming it back to the leaf bud on the top. You also check of damaged or dead leaves and stems and cut them off.

3. Maintain the Good Shape

As you cut sections of the shrub, be sure that you maintain the shape. That means there is a need to adjust on some parts when pruning. If you want to keep it round, then have the control.

Additional Tip and Reminder

Remember that you must be alert when to prune spirea. If you have other plants in your garden, it may not be too simple to track of which ones need cutting immediately or a bit later. Having that said, it’s best if you come up with a list or reminder.

You may write on your small, greenhouse board the schedule of pruning. If you have a more advanced device, such as your smartphone or tablet, you can add to your calendar with an alarm. Regardless, it shold help remind you when to prune spirea shrubs along with other plants.

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