Success With Flowering Shrubs

It’s been a rough winter and most of us are anxiously anticipating the glorious blooms of the coming seasons. Don’t be disappointed. Implementing good gardening practices is the first step in promoting blooms. If your soil pH is incorrect or if you receive less than adequate sunlight your plant may not flower.

Start your flowering shrubs out on the right foot by fertilizing this spring. Use a balanced fertilizer with higher phosphorus to promote blooms. Be certain to use a product recommended for acid loving plants to fertilize your Rhododendrons, Azaleas and Pieris. Mulch the soil around your shrubs to help retain soil moisture during dry periods and discourage weeds.

To keep shrubs healthy and blooming prolifically, it is important to know which plants to prune and when. If pruned at the wrong time, you will not receive many, if any, of the blooms that you have waited so patiently for.

When caring for the plant correctly, if you’re having difficulty getting a particular shrub to flower, remember, sometimes it just takes patience. Some plants like wisteria can take up to seven years to produce flowers.

SHRUBS TO PRUNE DORMANT
These shrubs produce flowers on new wood and should be pruned in early spring to allow time for the wood to grow and set new buds.

Beautyberry

SHRUBS TO PRUNE AFTER BLOOMING
These shrubs bloom on year-old wood and need to be pruned just after blooms fade. This allows enough time for the new branches to grow and form next year’s buds.

Hard to Prune, Hard to Bloom Shrubs
Special Care Pruning Plants

CLEMATIS: Prune back to 12” the first and second spring. After that the following pruning practices should be followed:

TYPE 1, EARLY FLOWERING CLEMATIS (and macropetala, alpina and Montana types): Prune within a month after flowering in the spring. Thin out weak or dead branches; lightly prune side branches to 1 or 2 buds. Leave main branch alone.

TYPE 2, EARLY LARGE-FLOWERING CLEMATIS: Cut back one-half of the previous summer’s growth in late winter before new growth begins. Completely remove dead or damaged stems and cut back all other shoots to where leaf-axis buds are clearly visible. Immediately after flowering, cut main shoots to within a foot or so of the base of the plant.

TYPE 3, LATE SMALL – AND LARGE- FLOWERING CLEMATIS: Cut these types back hard to the lowest pair of strong buds on each stem, usually about two feet, in early spring as the leaves begin to open.

DEUTIZIA: Prune before flowers are completely gone so that new growth will start faster. Prune heavily for bushy growth. Prune off any suckers that come up from the roots.

HYDRANGEA (large leaf varieties): Prune out any dead wood in early spring. Cut off the flowers right after they have bloomed, or enjoy them until fall. Never top this plant as it forms its bud the year before.

LILAC: Prune to remove fading flowers and suckers right after blooming. For major pruning, select several of the strong, younger trunks to remain. These will become your new bush. Cut off all the rest. Make all cuts close to the ground. Fertilize and scatter 2-3 cups of garden lime in a circle a foot away from the trunk.

WEIGELA: Needs heavy pruning in the spring after blooming to get rid of deadwood and winter injury.

WISTERIA: In summer, to encourage bushy growth, cut back horizontal-growing stems to about half their length. Main branches can also be shortened but more substantial pruning of this type is best done in late winter. Cut back all shoots to 4-5 buds and remove any suckers. Don’t fertilize with nitrogen as this leads to lush foliage at the expense of flowers. If your wisteria still does not bloom after years of this procedure, consider root pruning.

• Excellent for small spaces and containers.
• Limited size makes pruning, spraying and picking easy.
• Prolific bearers of full-size fruits
• Bear 2-3 years earlier than standard fruit trees.

• Neutral Soil pH
• Full Sun
• Good Drainage