Spring is pruning time. Correct pruning of spring flowering shrubs will provide more blooms and keep the plant healthy. Lilacs, forsythia and spireas should be pruned two weeks after blooming. Shrubs that bloom in the spring need all summer to produce flower buds for next year. Pruning these shrubs in the summer or fall would greatly reduce next springs flower display. Summer flowering shrubs like hydrangeas and hibiscus should be pruned in the winter or early spring before new growth starts. Overgrown, muti-stemmed shrubs can be renewed by the thinning and removal of the largest stems. Remove one-fourth of the oldest and largest diameter stems. Cut them back to one to three inches above the ground. Shrubs that are good candidates for renewal pruning include lilacs, mockorange, weigela, forsythia, and red and yellow twig dogwoods. 

Questions? Contact Paula Robinson, County Extension Director at probinso@illinois.edu

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