Pruning spirea after flowering: how to properly prune spring-flowering white and other spirea? Do I need to cut her

Step-by-step instruction

Spirea will have a beautiful decorative appearance if the pruning is done correctly

For novice florists doing this procedure for the first time, it is important to know the sequence of its implementation. Beginners should follow the step-by-step scheme for forming the skeleton of a summer-flowering spirea shrub and follow these steps

1 year after disembarkation. All branches should be cut half-length and removed from below damaged, weak, incorrectly growing - curves directed inward to the crown and breaking symmetry. The main processes are shortened by 2.5-5 cm for well-developed outward buds. As a result, at the end of August - September, powerful shoots are formed from the upper buds of last year's shoots. They will bloom in the summer next year.

2 years. At the bush, last year's shoots are cut off by half the length to an external powerful bud, and all thin and underdeveloped branches are removed. In the summer, as the spirea fades, dry inflorescences are gradually cut off.
3rd and subsequent years. All last year's processes are cut into 1-2 buds.

For information on how to trim a spirea, see the next video.

In the spring, after the snow melts, sanitary pruning is carried out in stages:

first, all dry, diseased and frozen processes are removed;
then remove thin extra branches thickening the bush;
healthy powerful branches are shortened to a height of 20-25 cm.

In summer, pruning consists of:

in cutting off the plant at the end of the flowering of dry inflorescences, in order to avoid the formation of seeds, otherwise the shrub may stop growing;
in the regular inspection of the shrub and the removal of all dry, broken or with signs of disease branches.

Pruning spring-flowering spirea is as follows:

in the fall, you need to remove all underdeveloped shoots and cut off a quarter of all shoots to the ground;
to activate tillering and flowering, it is necessary to cut off only a third of the one-year-old shoots;
dry inflorescences can be cut in the summer after flowering, but this is usually done in the fall;
non-branching branches are cut to 1/2 the length, and in branched branches, 1/3 of the length of the process is removed from the branch.

When pruning, you need to adhere to the following rules:

the cuts must be made even and smooth, avoiding splitting of the stumps;
if the branch is cut without leaving a hemp, then the cut must be done at an angle of 45 degrees;
pruning must be done carefully, without damaging adjacent branches.
thick sections must be lubricated with garden var.

It is possible to form a bush with a beautiful decorative appearance only within a few years. Formative pruning is carried out in the following sequence:

in a 3-year-old bush, 5 or 6 of the strongest young shoots are determined;
other branches are cut off entirely;
at the end of flowering, cut off weak and thin processes;
subsequently, every 2-3 years, all aged branches are cut off.

Spirea lends itself well to formation. Usually, the formative pruning is done in the form of a ball to give the spirea a beautiful appearance. However, it can be given any other shape - pyramids, squares or otherwise. Curly trimming of the spirea should be regular. Shape adjustments can be made throughout the season.

Spirea is often planted to create a hedge. Spirea should be trimmed in it from 2 years of growth. This must be done in the fall - in September-October. Annual shoots are cut to 1/3 of their length. After 4 years, the shoots are already cut off half the length. In the future, hedges from young spirea are cut 1-2 times per season, and from adults - up to 3-4 times. The first haircut is carried out in the spring, and the subsequent ones - as the silhouette is disturbed.

After such a haircut, not only the aeration of the plants improves, it also contributes to the decorative effect, density and compactness of the shrub.

Certain varieties of spirea have their own pruning characteristics. Spirea "Douglas" and "Boomald" can be cut for the first time only for 4 years of growth. Dwarf varieties (Golden Carpet, Magic Carpet, Candlelight) are cut into 2-3 powerful buds, and the length of the cut off shoots can be from 10 to 15 cm.

How to properly trim a weigela

Thanks to decorative colorful inflorescences, gardeners grow weigelu on their personal plot. During flowering in summer, the shrub is simply strewn with fragrant flowers. As a rule, flowers appear on last year's branches. By spring, the shoots turn into even rods, along the entire length of which fascinating inflorescences appear. On old branches, buds can appear only on the tops of the growth. It is better to remove these branches so that the crown is not so dense.

Weigela is a very hardy plant, therefore, it treats the thinning of the bush in the same way as lilacs. The crop can be cut during the entire growing season. The procedure does not provoke diseases of the blooming weigela, pruning only activates the appearance of new shoots. The gardener conducts a bush trimming at a convenient time for himself.

Recommended timing

In the summer season, the ornamental shrub is covered with dense foliage. Therefore, it is difficult to decide which branches should be cut completely and which should only be shortened.

In principle, crown cleaning can be carried out both in spring and summer. The culture is extremely mold resistant. In September-October, only sanitary pruning of branches is carried out. In winter, it is not recommended to cut the bush, it can lead to freezing or illness.

For the correct calculation of the weigela pruning time, it is necessary to know exactly the age of the ornamental crop, its varietal characteristics. For example, dwarf species are not customary to shorten too much, their branches are not long anyway. It will be enough to apply the usual sanitary pruning. In the video you can see how the weigela is trimmed:

Preparation of tools and materials

Garden vegetation requires proper attention and care. If you do not follow the garden, do not cut the crown in time, do not remove broken or diseased branches, then soon it can turn into an impenetrable jungle.

Periodically, shrubs or fruit trees are pruned. For this, gardeners use special tools and devices. One delimber or file will not be enough. Today the market presents many options for the necessary garden tools.

For full-fledged work on a personal plot, it is recommended to purchase frequently used household appliances, such as a hedge cutter, garden shears, pruning shears or saws.

How to properly prune a weigela in spring

The crown is easier to form from young, one-year-old shoots. Of these, it will be easiest to create a shrub of any geometric shape, for example, in the form of a pyramid, ball, cube.

It is important to keep the shrub healthy. Every spring it is carefully examined, and if branches that are frozen or damaged by the disease are visible, then these shoots are cut off

Even if you have to cut a lot of branches, over the summer the shrub will have time to branch out and take its usual shape.

How to prune a weigela in the summer after flowering

Adult weigela shrubs require an annual modeling haircut to maintain their chosen shape. It can be spherical, pyramidal or square. As a rule, formative pruning of the shrub is carried out in the summer, when the weigela is about to bloom a second time.

Shoot pruning is done at 1/3 of the length. It is necessary that the plant has time to grow more young shoots, on which flowering will repeat abundantly. After the haircut, the weigelu is fed with fertilizer. It can be potassium sulfate. It will not be superfluous to mulch the trunk circle.

Important! Before a new wave of buds appear, it is useful to add a liquid mullein under the plant in a ratio of 1:10.

How to form a weigela bush annually

The crown of the shrub is quite large in size. To maintain it in a neat shape, it is required to follow the cutting scheme: remove damaged and old pagons in a timely manner, cut new growth.

Gardeners recommend cutting the crown twice during the entire growing season.

Primary pruning in spring before foliage appears. Remove dead, frozen or dried shoots.
Secondary pruning is done after flowering to give the shrub some rest. You can remove branches 2-3 years old to rejuvenate the weigela.

Preparing spirea for winter

Autumn care for spirea necessarily includes preparation for a dormant period. Youngsters are wrapped up for the winter to avoid freezing. To do this, the twigs are loosely pulled together with twine and wrapped with covering material. In harsh climates, it is better to build an air-dry shelter.

The root system of the spirea lies close to the surface of the soil, so it is better to insulate even adult bushes. Cover the root collar with a layer of leaf or peat mulch 10-15 cm thick.

With proper care, including systematic pruning and rejuvenation, the ornamental spirea shrub will adorn the garden for 20-25 years. Since spring work takes up a lot of gardeners' time, it is convenient to postpone the care of lush bushes until autumn.

Spireas are gradually conquering places in our hearts and in suburban areas. Given their huge variety, these undemanding plants can be used to decorate any garden so that flowering will last all summer.

Spirey Bumald. Photo by the author

The group of summer flowering includes spireas, the inflorescences of which end the shoots of the current year. Here are their main types:

Japanese spirea (‘Little Princess’, ’Genpei (‘ Shirobana ’)’, ‘Golden Princess’, ‘Macrophylla’, ‘Goldflame’, ‘Golden Carpet’ and others);
spiraea Bumald - a hybrid between Japanese spirea and white-flowered spirea (‘Anthony Waterer’, ‘Crispa’, ‘Dart’s Ded’ and others);
birch spirea;
Billard's spirea - a hybrid between Douglas spirea and willow spire;
spirea Douglas;
spiraea willow;
white-flowered spirea;
spirea felt.

Knowing the basic rules for pruning, it is not at all difficult to get harmonious plants on your site, blooming profusely until the very cold weather. You need to prune these types of spirits in early spring. You can start working with them immediately after the snow melts.

First of all, old shoots are removed, strongly deviated to the ground, drying out, as well as damaged and frozen branches. Then the bush must be cleaned of thin thickening twigs. Small nondescript inflorescences are subsequently formed on them, while the plant spends part of its energy on them. The remaining healthy strong shoots are cut at a height of 20-25 cm.

Trimming the spirea. Photo by the author

These are general guidelines for all summer blooming spireas. There are also nuances that take into account the peculiarities of the development of different species.

Spireas Douglas and Boomald are first pruned in the fourth year of life.
Miniature spireas, such as ‘Golden Carpet’, ‘Magic Carpet’, ‘Candlelight’, in which the height of an adult plant does not exceed 30-40 cm, are cut into 2-3 healthy buds. The length of the shoots left may be 10-15 cm.

Trimming a miniature spirea. Photo by the author

In varieties of spirea Bumald, splitting of signs often appears at 4-6 years of age, which can be seen by the appearance of shoots with variegated foliage or completely white leaves. This does not mean that the bush is sick, but such shoots should be cut.

Golden-leaved varieties of Japanese spirea often they release shoots with bright green leaves, which stand out strongly against the background of yellow foliage. Such shoots, as in the case of the white-leaved in the Boomald spirea, should be cut out. However, it also happens that the appearance of one green branch in a birch-leaved spirea-gold gives a special charm to the plant. Here you have to act as your soul tells you.

After the first wave of flowering has passed, seeds begin to form. If you do not plan to seed reproduction, then it is advisable to cut off the drying inflorescences at this time. This will provoke the regrowth of new shoots and after 10-14 days the bush will again be covered with flowers.

Spirea bumald. Pruning dried inflorescences. Photo by the author

With a small number of bushes that need pruning, attention is paid to each shoot. If you are the lucky owner of a spire hedge, then you can carry out massive formative pruning - most species of this shrub respond well to it

For the harmonious development of plants and abundant re-flowering immediately after trimming the spirea, it is advisable to feed it with mullein infusion or complex mineral fertilizer.

In the next video, you will see the pruning of several varieties of summer-flowering spirits.

These wonderful shrubs are distinguished by excellent winter hardiness and unpretentiousness, they practically do not get sick. However, spring pruning for them is a vital event that cannot be neglected.

Spirea pruning is an important point of caring for a flowering shrub.

Since there are many spirits, there are different types and varieties, it is important for the gardener to determine which bush is growing on the site. According to the group, spring- or summer-flowering, pruning is carried out

Pruning spirea in the fall: a diagram. spirea care in autumn