can a severe pruning kill a weigela shrub

Hi, Deborah: Thanks for this excellent question. This article has been viewed 88,355 times. Last Updated: September 6, 2019 Keep reading to learn more about how to prune weigela shrubs. Saw the stems as close to the ground as you can. thick or bigger. Because weigela is considered a deciduous plant, they will drop their leaves in the fall. Ocotillo Fouquieria splendens Do not prune. Rejuvenation pruning is the removal of old, overgrown limbs so that the plant can grow new, vigorous branches in their place. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. If you need to remove a lot of growth, do it gradually over the course of several seasons. Weigela look … As a result, large, overgrown specimens are often leggy and unattractive. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. Additionally, if your shrubs are in poor health, are plagued by pests, or are suffering from drought conditions, rejuvenation pruning is not recommended. If your weigelas ever start withering during the growing season, clip off the largest, oldest stems to promote new, healthy growth. To find out more about when to prune your weigela plant, keep reading! Keep it well watered (especially in hot, dry weather) The proper time to prune deciduous shrubs is determined by the plant's growth habit, bloom time, and health or condition. It is best to prune weigela shrubs in the late spring after they have finished blooming. ", However, they are wispy and look like octopus arms. Thanks.". This will improve a plant's shape and encourage flowers and fruits. Maggie Moran is a Professional Gardener in Pennsylvania. Can Yews Regenerate After Being Severely Pruned?. Try not to hack it right back in one go though, as doing this could kill it. It is best to prune weigela shrubs in the late spring after they have finished blooming. You can also remove any broken or damaged branches at the end of winter, but a weigela has its heaviest flowering in spring on the previous season's growth, so it's best you don't prune heavily in winter to preserve flower buds. How do I know if my weigelas are being overwatered? Cutting away old buds will promote the growth of new, stronger buds which will lead to more robust blooms the next year. Frosted leaves will shrivel and drop, but new leaves will follow. Weigela should not be pruned after mid-July. blossoms may seem like a distant memory. Trees and shrubs planted outdoors also benefit from root pruning, especially if you're planning on transplanting them to a new location. Deciduous Shrubs . Cutting secondary stems will give you a fuller weigela plant. Sign up to get all the latest gardening tips! At least half of the stems are cut down to the ground. This will take about 2 years for a new shrub to grow. Pruning weigelas helps keep them looking healthy and beautiful. Touch up trimming can be done all spring and summer. Young shrubs can be pinched to help maintain shape, choosing the most attractive, upright stem and pinching side shoots as needed for appearance. Home gardeners can choose between two different pruning methods. In this case, 93% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. In this case, you can try trimming the weigela back to the ground. It is best controlled on mature plants by pruning for air flow and keeping the fallen leaves raked up. A light pruning will create a cleaner looking shrub and also encourage a thicker branching habit. Do not cut more than 1/2 of the branches full length. Shrubs need trimming every few years. Otherwise avoid pruning. Make the cut straight, right above a flowering bud. This process is called rejuvenation. Why prune shrubs. thick and has very little blooms in the spring. Look for damaged or dead shoots on older branches and clip them off at the point where they connect to the main stem. If you are pruning weigela bushes for rejuvenation, find the branches of the bush that are old and woody. With this method of pruning weigela bushes, get a mental picture of how you would like the weigela to look like when you are done. Don’t prune plums and related species during winter – it can lead to the spread of silver-leaf disease. This will divert the plant's energy to the main stem and new growth, which will promote stronger blooms. Severe pruning is a method used to prune multi-stem shrubs, including barberry. Spring-flowering shrubs, such as lilac and forsythia, bloom in spring on the growth of the previous season. Maggie Moran is a Professional Gardener in Pennsylvania. Those that don’t get the regular maintenance pruning they need become leggy and overgrown. A yew (Taxus spp.) Most deciduous shrubs that respond well to renewal pruning can also take hard pruning, as will a handful of broadleaf evergreens, such as privet. If the soil around the plant gets really dry, it is best to soak the plant. I planted a weigela bush in the spring. This means that it is a good idea to remove old wood every few years. above the soil line. But, be aware that weigelas trimmed with hedge clippers will not be as full as those that are hand pruned. Remove branches that rub together. "But if you miss the ideal time to prune, you can always wait until the shrub's flowers brown out," says This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook. If your shears are breaking or snapping the branches rather than cutting straight through, purchase new ones. Pruning a weigela plant will help it maintain its shape, promotes healthy growth, and improves flowering. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. For these shrubs, some experts recommend a very severe form of pruning, known as rejuvenation pruning. "This is my first experience with weigela. Should I cover it with a rose cone if I live in Northwest Illinois? is a most forgiving shrub. Avoid pruning in early fall into early winter. FWIW, what you describe sounds less like pruning and more like tree work necessary for the sake of safety.Be that as it may, most deciduous plants are dormant during winter and perfectly OK to actually prune to get rid of dead wood and encourage new growth in spring. A. If you follow the proper guidelines when pruning a weigela plant, you can help it to grow healthy and strong! You may need to take drastic measures to bring the plant back. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This is because weigela bloom on wood that it is a year old. This article was co-authored by Maggie Moran. Remove all branches to about 4 inches (10 cm.) Major pruning should be done in the late winter to early spring. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. The shrub will be little more than an unattractive clump of stems for a short while, but it quickly restores itself to a new, improved shape. Find more gardening information on Gardening Know How: Keep up to date with all that's happening in and around the garden. This can be seen on many types of shrub and is the result of vigorous summer growth. Plants that require rejuvenation can be hard pruned or pruned gradually. Your explanation did the trick. With its lushly-pigmented, trumpet-shaped flowers, the weigela has enjoyed a recent resurgence in popularity. Do weigela plants lose their leaves in winter? Neglected shrubs may call for a more drastic approach: hard pruning. In the early winter or late fall, prune your weigelas to remove any dead wood. Yes, you can prune hard or trim boxwood shrubs to the desired height depending on the time of year. Then, you can trim off branches as needed to create that shape. instructions with pictures very helpful and it gave me the confidence to tackle the job.I look forward to seeing a much improved looking weigela. About 1/3 but this is best done well before frost. The wood that grows this year will bloom next year. Weigela plants are shrubs that have beautiful red and pink flowers and can grow to be up to 6 feet (1.8 m) tall. Pruning wounds often lead to pest infestations. You can cut back any one branch of the weigela by one-third each season if you are looking to control size. % of people told us that this article helped them. Needed tips on pruning them. They tend to develop a dead zone in the center. Diseased branches should be pruned out to maintain the health of many trees and shrubs, removing any dead, dying or diseased branches. These stems look like they’re sticking out of the top of an otherwise nicely shaped shrub, and often the growth habit does not match the rest of the shrub. Shrubs create the structure in a garden so it's important to keep them in good condition with regular pruning. Plant in an area that will accommodate mature size. Trimming weigela bushes right after they bloom will keep you from inadvertently pruning off next year’s flowers. If your shrub is older and overgrown, you can stimulate its growth by pruning off a few large branches at the end of winter. Hard pruning involves cutting the shrub off to a height of 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30.5 cm.) While it’s a beautiful plant that certainly adds panache to your garden, it’s also a vigorous grower that requires occasional pruning. But it can be a little confusing when trying to figure out how and when to trim weigela shrubs. Prune to promote plant health Remove dead or dying branches injured by disease, severe insect infestation, animals, storms, or other adverse mechanical damage. Locate 2-3 branches that are growing next to the main stem and use a hand-held pruning saw to cut the stems upward at a 45-degree angle. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/3\/34\/Prune-Weigela-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Prune-Weigela-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/34\/Prune-Weigela-Step-1.jpg\/aid10052746-v4-728px-Prune-Weigela-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"