How to Prune Potentilla Shrubs
Prolific mounds of bright potentilla shrubs--with their little pink, yellow, orange or purple blossoms and foliage resembling tiny ferns--are not hard to produce, even for the amateur gardener. One secret to full, shapely plants is maintaining a simple but consistent pruning and thinning regimen. Just a bit more attention than usual is required to keep them as bushy and vigorous as nature will allow. On average, a healthy shrub will grow to about 30 inches in height and 3 feet in diameter. Well tended, it will live up to 30 years. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Maintain the mounded shape of your potentilla by pruning in mid-spring.
Remove old or dead growth first by separating the foliage with your hands and pruning at various levels between the base and 6 inches of the base. This will promote more even fullness within the plant.
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Maintain the mounded shape by seeking out the longest branches and snipping them with your offset pruning shears just above a lateral branch anywhere near the base. The angle of the cut is not important. Never round your plant by shearing the ends, as this can produce a broom-like branching effect on the outside of the plants. Unless the plant is extremely leggy, try not to remove more than a third of the plant, always selecting the longest branches as a way of achieving a uniform mound.
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Promote branching and foliage production by pinching back tender non-flowering growth tips throughout the season. New growth is quite supple and tender. Just pinch the branch where the first pair new leaves is growing. The tip will come away easily.
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Tips & Warnings
You can propagate more plants by extending your pruning efforts below ground level. From time to time, if you like, dig up the root ball of your potentilla shrub and divide it in half for planting elsewhere in your garden. Re-plant with adequate soil and organic material and keep a watchful eye until the plants have recovered.
Potentillas are drought resistant plants. They will not do well if over-watered.
Always make sure your pruning tools are clean and sharp to prevent infecting or crushing the plant when you prune.
