Here’s a quick lesson on how to easily prune Tango Weigela and other flowering shrubs. I’ve also included a crash-course on how to make softwood cuttings.
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The video below shows how nicely these Weigela responded after my very harsh pruning.
Questions, comments, mean things to say? Post them below and I’ll respond.
We have a very tall Rose of Sharon bush, over 10 years old. We used to trim it, but it has gotten so tall, it can no longer be done. We were always afraid to harm it. Is there anything to be done now? Do the same rules apply to this as other shrubs? If so, which?
Thanks so much!
Trim that Rose of Sharon all you want but do it now while still dormant. If you prune hard while dormant you won’t hurt it and it will fill out.
Hi Mike, my weigela (Bristol Ruby) is about 9ft and has never been pruned (shame on me) but I intend a hard pruning in the dormant season, when you refer to pruning to ground level do literally cut it down that far, seems a bit brutal but just need it reaffirming before I carry it out.
Ian,
I wouldn’t go that far. If you cut it to about 18″ while it’s dormant it should come back nicely. But . . . I can’t make any promises. Plants are living things. All I can do is tell you what I would do.
Hi! I think I missed my pruning opportunity for my Dark Horse Weigela, and now it has dark green leaves at the top with signs of stress. Little holes throughout. I only has one branch with three blooms. Is it too late for me to lop off the top to get rid of the diseased looking leaves? I live in Ottawa, Canada, thank you in advance! Mona
Mona,
Now is a fine time to prune it, just make sure you leave some leaves.
Hello, Purchased home with 3 very overgrown, towering weilega “trees” – pruned a bit back first winter. They are still straggly, well over 10′ to 12′ or more high; hard limbs like regular trees have. I have photos if there’s a way to send them to you. Watched a few of your videos and looks as though I can prune them almost right to the ground? You were highly recommended to me by Facebook group; NH Gardeners member. Thank you for any advice
June,
More than likely you can cut them back very hard, but that should be done when dormant in the winter.
Hi Mike,
My mom gave me two spilled wine Weigelas a couple weeks ago.They are about 2 feet wide and a foot tall. They are woody. with only a tiny amount of fresh blooms. Should I prune them now to create new growth or wait and see what happens?
I’d probably wait and let them get established unless they are really lanky but it doesn’t sound like it.
I have a 3 yr old My Monet Weigela plant. It is probably 12 inches across and 11 inches tall.. It never really looks good. It is now May 17th in Temperance, Michigan and the leaves are coming in, but it is never really lush with lots of blooms. It DOES bloom in June, but sparsely. How can I improve this plant?
Thank you!
Beverly,
Believe it or not, the best way to improve is to probably just leave it alone and let it do what it’s supposed to do. Not that familiar with the variety but other weigelas bloom like crazy!
Mike, last August a landscaper planted three Crimson Kisses weigela in a bed in our front yard. They were probably 14″ tall, nice green leaves & quite a few flowers on them. We kept them watered up until winter set in & the snows came. (We live in Colorado about 40 miles north of Denver). After the snows melted this spring & the weather started to warm, the twigs on the plants were bare. We got an ample amount of rain off & on but the plants just didn’t show any new growth. Then about a week ago, I noticed some new growth coming up from the base of the plant but nothing on the twigs themselves. I waited & waited & still no buds appeared, so I pruned back all of that dead stuff & left the new growth. It is now growing pretty good & getting a little taller each day. I don’t know if I’ll get any flowers this summer or not.
So, my questions are: what should be done to these plants during the winter? Are new buds supposed to appear on the limbs? What type of fertilizer do they take & how often? Any other information you can give me to keep these plants going will be appreciated. These are beautiful plants & I’d like to save them.
I found you while Googling on the Internet searching for “how to care for the Crimson Kisses.” Your videos are great. Looking forward to hearing your comments.
Bill,
Never heard of them so I did some research and as I expected this is a fairly new, patented weigela. According to Monrovia they need water on a regular basis even after established. https://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/5024/crimson-kisses-weigela/, but I suspect you cared for them just fine and the damage that you experienced is winter damage. This one might not be as hardy as they claim. Fertilizer? I never fertilize the plants in my landscape. That could actually produce a lot of vegetative growth and fewer blooms. Most importantly, no fertilizer after mid summer, you want that wood to harden off so it’s ready for winter. Some weigela do experience winter die back like that. Being a re-bloomer I expect them to flower for you nicely this year.
hello Mike – thanks for a great site. Planted Nellie Stevens hollies three years ago. They are flourishing, fat, green, happy, about 6′ tall. I made the mistake of planting two of them too close to a fence – I can see they will grow into it in a few years.
Cut back? Dig up and move? Let them be and just let them grow through the railed fence?
thanks
Mary
Mary,
If you want to move them do it now in November while they are dormant. Or just let them grow but you might not like that later.
I planted a variegated weigela last spring, it grew slowly the 1st summer, with nice blooms. We had a terrible frost season, in Oklahoma. And when the next spring came around, I thought it was a goner. I simply cleaned up around the plant and cut away a very few dead looking branches. There was NO leaves at all on it. This year, it has grown sooooo much, it is about 4 feet wide and tall, but little flowers Heh, I did plant other flowers around but they are completely covered now. It has grown so much. I wanted to know if it is to early to prune back and if there is a way to kinda shape this. It did just get its 1st beautiful bloom, and very large ( about 3 inches of pink and white clusters. Any advice?
Diane,
You really can prune weigelas or just about any plant at any time of the year. Shape them exactly as you want them.
hi mike enjoy your tips . this october i took some cuttings of a lovely rose i used the wet paper tip this morning 8 weeks later i opened them up and nothing happened most of the shoots had turned brown but no roots.
Sam,
This method does work but you have to wring out the paper really well so they are not too wet.
Hi Mike! We recently moved into a home that has bottle brush bushes planted along the side between us and our neighbor (they are technically in our yard). They are about 8-10 ft tall now, bushy at the top, but very straggly and woody at the bottom. Can we hard prune these back? I’ve also read to wait until the frost chance is gone (in FL) so we don’t hurt the new growth. True? Thanks!
Sandi,
Not familiar with the plant but I’d say you can prune it and wait for it to go as dormant as possible so it doesn’t flush out with new growth right away.
Hi Mike!
Me again 🙂 I now have a question about Butterfly bushes.They’re very fragrant and love to see the butterflies and hummingbirds coming to them. I got them last Spring, planted them and MAN-O-MAN! Did they ever grow! I think I’d seen a video of yours about pruning them in early Spring to maybe 8 to 10 inches tall and they should grow great. That’s all good, but how about when they grow out into the driveway? They are a fast growing bush, so when they DO get bigger, they fall. Any suggestions on how to keep them erect without tying them? Would it be OK to do a little trimming on them in the Summer as well?
Thank you for everything I’ve been learning. We are NEVER too old to learn new things. 🙂
Sharon
Sharon,
You are not going to hurt them, prune as needed during the growing season.
Thankyou for the information ,I will not panic now.but I do like mine at about three foot high.and they are in the ground not in a pot .!
Thankyou for the information ,I will not panic now.but I do like mine at about three foot high.and they are in the ground not in a pot .!
I just bought a gal. Shining Sensation weigela in early June, but we had unusually hot weather before I could get it planted and it got quite crispy. It’s been in the ground for a month now with lots of new growth towards the top but all the leaves are gone on the lower 10 inches of the bush. Would it help to prune it now? Or wait until fall or spring?
Thanks,
Stephanie
Portland, Oregon
Stephanie,
Wait until after Thanksgiving, prune it then. It will be nice in the spring.
Thank you! I really appreciate the advice!
Mike, do you fertilize them after you prune them or do you fertilize them in the early Spring?
Thanks for your time.
Aaron
Aaron,
We fertilize things when we pot them, then after our spring sale we fertilize and trim everything that did not sell.
Mike, I have a mock orange bush that was never pruned, and about 6 ft tall and 6 ft in diameter. My daughter and I pruned it to about 6 inches off the ground, and noticed a lot of main trunks, if you will. I also noticed some roots starting to come up about 10 inches from the main plant. How to I get this monster under control?
ps. love your videos!
Val,
About all you can do is prune and remove whatever you don’t want. During the late fall when it’s dormant you can attack it pretty hard and maybe get rid of some of those stems. If you do that it should respond nicely, but I can’t promise anything.
Hello Mike…..I,’m sending you this from a Northern City in Canada called Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. We are a border town across from Sault Sainte Mairie, Michigan. We are a Zone 3 and would like to know what to do with A one year old Purple Sancherry Cherry bush.?
.My question to you is we had quite a bad wind and rain storm last week and the branches on it are weeping right over on both sides of the plant except for the odd one on top. What should I do to prune this so that it will remain bushy on the bottom of the bush, but stay upright as it is supposed to., any suggestions would be appreciated. Thankyou from your Canadian fan.??
Bonnie,
Just trim it up now then trim it more in the winter when dormant so it gets full at the bottom.
Hey Mike, does this method work for all shrubs?
Charisse,
Most, but there are exceptions to every rule.
Hi Mike, I have a Ginko tree that is 2 stalks about 5 ft. tall. I only want one tree In this area. Can I cut one of them and try to root it, or, just root the soft wood cuttings from it?
Thank you,
Yvonne,
Yes, remove one of the leaders but only root the softwood cuttings. https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/01/easy-summertime-plant-propagation-techniques-can-home/
Mike, Thanks for the info, but looking at your plants behind you, I have to wonder how you keep plants alive in the pot all year? I really struggle with that here in Iowa where we get some pretty hot summers. I know part of my problem is that peat potting soil mix is horrible when it starts to go dry Any tips or tricks?
Thanks
Mary Lou,
My plants in the pots stay right where they are year round and we use a well draining potting mix. So they have to be watered daily. Typically on a really hot day the sprinklers run in each section for 35 minutes a day.
I have a wiegela, about 4 feet tall in my backyard, .its flowering now, I wonder if it also will be helped if I prune once it’s done flowering.
Thanks for your amazing and informative videos.
Mani,
It certainly won’t hurt. Really hard pruning, to the point that there would be no leaves left should be done in the late fall. But if you just want to cut it back you can do that anytime.
quick question. The material that covers the ground where you did the video on pruning June 7th, What’s that called? I’ve seen it in nurserys and would love that between our blueberry bushes and straw bale garden…The stuff in between is all weeds (small) and horrible soil We’re north of Spokane WA in the Rocky Mt.s
Sue,
There are a lot of brands, it’s nursery ground cover fabric. Make sure you buy the heaviest they sell and I don’t recommend putting anything over it because weeds and grass can and will come through it so it might not work as you want it to. Would be great for a matter of months, but sooner or later it could be come a mess. I think I’d mow those areas instead.
I have learned soooo much! I’m trying to get my sister in law into this! She has to have a green thumb! Her house is full of plants, all healthy!
Thanks for sharing your lives…wish I’d been able to learn from you 20 years ago! ha
Hi Mike,
When you put the cuttings in the sand how long before the roots develop?
I live in Maine, should I put them in the garage in the winter?
Thank you,
Lisa
Lisa,
With mist they usually root in 4 weeks and I leave mine out in the cold where they get plenty of moisture. They do fine. See this; https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/01/easy-summertime-plant-propagation-techniques-can-home/
We have a beautiful tri color beech tree, is it possible to take cuttings from it?
Barbara,
No. They have to be grafted and are really challenging when young.
Hey Barbara and Mike,
I’ve recently starting on an adventure toward the wonderful world of Bonsai and the other day a ” Guru” told me of an interesting and darn near foolproof method of taking cuttings from any and all trees…
The method is called “air layering”… have you heard of this? You will have to google this for the detsils.
The just of it is you cut two slits on either side of your cutting but you don’t cut all the way through. Then you wedge the little flared pieces up away from the stock. You wrap it with can’t remember what. (hence the need to Google) Anyway, keep it moist and in about 5 weeks your little cuts will have roots!
This may be a solution.. then again perhaps that won’t solve the problem of the root system not being strong enough. And that’s the ultimate reason for graphing in the first place….
Well that’s my .20 cents worth, lol!
Mike?
Charisse,
I’ve been writing about air layering for over 20 years now. It works on some plants, not all. But it really doesn’t improve the root system of things that have weak roots and typically have to be grafted.
I have old overgrown weigela in my garden, the size of a tree. It is blooming every spring,but not profusely.Should I do anything about it?
What to do with other overgrown, to the size of a tree, shrubs which were already in the garden when I moved in- (boxwood for example)?
Ludvika,
I would wait until winter them prune anything that you don’t like down to a size you might like. Most should survive and thrive, but there is a risk that some might not.
Thank you!
You are wonderful! Thank you for your truly helpful video and website.
I have a Croton for 25 years given to me by my Mom who passed away tragically. I want to propagate some cuttings as it has gotten a bit “leggy”. May I ask you for some advice on this since this plant is so dear to me and I don’t want to lose it?
Leslie,
See this for summer propagation; https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/01/easy-summertime-plant-propagation-techniques-can-home/
Hi Mike,
You are wonderful! Thank you for your truly helpful video and website.
I have a Croton for 25 years given to me by my Mom who passed away tragically. I want to propagate some cuttings as it has gotten a bit “leggy”. May I ask you for some advice on this since this plant is so dear to me and I don’t want to lose it?
I have a weigela in my flower bed. D\How far should/can I prune it now that it has finished blooming?
Jill,
You can cut it back hard, but not to the point of no leaves.
PLEASE CAN YOU TELL ME IF I NEED TO REMOVE THE SECOND PLANT FROM A HERBACEOUS PEONY ROOT BALL GIVEN TO ME IN THE AUTUMN? THEY’RE ABOUT 1 FOOT TALL NOW ( IN U.K.). THANKS VERY MUCH .
No, you don’t have to and even if you wanted to you need to do that in the fall.
THANKS VERY MUCH MIKE. I TRULY ENJOY AND GREATLY APPRECIATE YOUR SITE.
Mike,
When the wind blows across the microphone, we hear an awful rumbling sound.
Look on eBay for “wind screens” which cost about $5 and will eliminate the rumbling sound.
Terry Thomas
Filmmaker
Atlanta, Georgia USA
Terry,
We do the best we can. This was shot with an I-phone because that’s what I had, that’s how much time I had to do a video. I’d love to have the luxury of putting more time into these productions, but if I did they’d never get done. Videos are just one of a million things that make up my life.
your music was so loud I could not hear a thing that Mike was saying about pruning bushes.!!!
Delores,
Just watched the video again, no music playing at all, and the audio was pretty good given that I was outside.
Likely, Delores, you had something else, another site, playing on your computer, because there’s no music at all in Mike’s video.
Will you be using all of your clippings as new cuttings? Or do you just use cuttings from stock plan? Do you have water in your bucket?
Thank you 🙂
Crystal,
I’d use the cuttings if I needed them but I have so many cuttings that I end up throwing away millions of cuttings this time of year. Water in the bucket? No, because when we take cuttings we take them, prep them, and stick them all in a matter of an hour. We don’t take more than we can stick in an hour, but in an hour we can do hundreds of cuttings.
Thanks! Helped a lot.