When and How Do You Prune a Red Cardinal Weigela?
Some of the prettiest flowering shrubs are the weigelas, and Red Cardinal weigela is striking. Its red flowers attract hordes of butterflies and hummingbirds to the garden. Red Cardinal spreads but can be kept to the size and shape you like by pruning. Does this Spark an idea?
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Time Frame
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Red Cardinal weigela should be pruned right after it blooms, in early to mid summer. Cut back up to as much as one-third of its size.
Strategy
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Train the Red Cardinal weigela into a rounded accent, a hedge or border; it looks striking in all forms. Stand back and check your progress as you prune so that you don't end up with a lopsided final product.
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Tools
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You need only pruning shears when pruning a weigela. Using hedging shears is fine if you are growing the weigela as a hedge, but for other forms, the tool chops the stems uniformly and makes the plant look unnatural.
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