How to Trim a Burning Bush
When you plant a burning bush (Euonymus alatus) in a sunny landscape, you can enjoy a riotous splash of color each autumn as the leaves on the burning bush turn a bright shade of red. Gardeners growing the deciduous burning bush have an easy-growing shrub that won't require complicated care. Prune a burning bush before the growing season begins in late winter, and the shrub will then leaf out with attractive growth throughout the ensuing growing season. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Examine the burning bush in the late winter to find any dead and weak stems. Use loppers to cut these stems back to ground level. You can safely remove up to one-third of the oldest stems from a burning bush each year without compromising the growth of the shrub.
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Use pruning shears to remove any congested growth within the shrub. Look for crossed or rubbing branches, and remove them back to the point where they intersect with the next-largest branch.
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Shape the outside perimeter of the burning bush using either pruning shears or electric hedge shears. If you use hedge shears, the burning bush will have a smooth and uniform appearance -- ideal for a formal hedge. If you use pruning shears, remove the uneven and straggly stems to make the outside edge of the bush even.
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Tips & Warnings
You can safely cut back the bush at any point along the stems without worry about trimming at a leaf node.
If you shear your burning bush with electric hedge shears in the late winter, you may need to shear it again in late summer to keep the bush smooth and neat.
