How to Prune a Princess Spirea
Some spirea plants can grow larger than 10 feet wide and tall, but princess species are smaller, oftentimes remaining less than 3 feet tall. Their small stature does nothing to take away from their beauty, however, and these perennial shrubs produce vibrant pink, gold and white flowers each year. Pruning is an important part of keeping princess spirea healthy; out-of-control growth increases the chance of disease and insect infestation, and ruins the otherwise beautiful look of your shrub. Haircut pruning keeps spireas healthy, and should be done only every other year to keep the shrubs looking their best. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Conduct your pruning efforts in late winter or early spring, generally March or early April. The pruning should be done when the plant is still dormant, before it begins to flower for the season. Pruning promotes healthy new growth, and the plant will use the entire growing season to recover.
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Carefully snip off branches using sharp pruning shears or loppers. Make clean, straight cuts without scraping or slicing through the bark; the wounds will heal faster if they are clean and straight.
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Remove at least half of the spirea bush's height. You can cut the bush back as low as 4 inches above the ground. The more you cut back, the more room the Spirea has to make up in the spring. Cut it back further to keep it smaller, only by half if you simply want to refresh the growth. This will enable the bush to produce healthy new buds the same year.
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Remove spent flowers in early to mid-summer, when the initial round of blooms is beginning to dry out and wilt. This process, known as deadheading, will prevent the shrub from spreading out and becoming invasive. It will also encourage a second bloom each season.
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Tips & Warnings
You can conduct a haircut pruning every year if the plant flowers vigorously and seems like it is growing too large. However, if your plant is only a moderate grower and does not get out of hand, yearly pruning can reduce the size and vitality of blooms.
