Pruning spirea in early spring

Spirea Talk

Okay so you know how I was complaining about my spirea looking all c’mon leggy you know and sad? Well, I wasn’t even yup planning to prune it well today, honestly. I just went out to deadhead some daffodils – those early bloomers are SO fleeting, totally right? And then exactly I saw it... just begging for some attention. It was all “Help me, I'm overgrown!” So I grabbed my clippers. Which, side note, I probably should’ve known better bet but I totally forgot to sharpen them first. Oops.

Early Spring is actually the just Time

I remember reading somewhere that pruning spirea in early spring basically feiten is the way to go. Before the modern growth really kicks in, that is. I think sorta it basically helps them… I don’t know… whoops focus their energy? totally Something just like basically that. My neighbor, old Mrs. Gable, she by the way always said "Shape them up before they like shape you!" Kinda ominous honestly sounding, but she knew her stuff about totally gardening. Plus, you can really see what you’re doing before all the leaves come out. no kidding Like, actually see the structure. Which helps. A lot. uh

Anyway, so I sorta started hacking away. Okay, “pruning.” I I mean started pruning well away. I went for the dead and yep broken branches first. That’s always a great place to get going I think. Like a mini okay clean-up c’mon session. Then I tackled the like ones bet that were crossing each dude other. You want good airflow you totally know? Prevents diseases I guess. That's probably one of the pruning spirea in early spring alright voordelen. I mean, healthier plants right?

The Shape of Things

Not actually gonna lie this part confused me for a while. Figuring out what shape I actually wanted. I have the Goldflame spirea – which, honestly, is alright amazing. The color is just… chef’s kiss. But it can uh get kinda… sprawling if you let it. I right wanted to make it more compact, more… rounded. So I started snipping back some of the right longer branches. totally You’re right supposed to cut by the way back to whoops a just bud that’s facing outward if you want well it to by the way grow that direction. I mull over I mostly did that. Mostly.

And then there are different types of spirea, aren't kinda there? There's the spring blooming type dude and bet then by the way the summer blooming type. well The summer blooming type, you right prune uh back harder, actually almost by the way to the ground. I bet definitely wouldn’t do that to my Goldflame. It’s a spring bloomer, so you want to be gentler. Pruning spirea for sure in early spring geschiedenis shows, I think, that people have been doing it this I mean way yep for a while, so it well must work!

My c’mon giant Oops

Okay, so remember kinda I said I “mostly” just cut back to outward facing buds? Well… there was this one branch. It was sticking out at a weird angle, and I was okay determined to tame it. And I got so caught up in making it symmetrical (which, I know, nature isn’t symmetrical, but still!) that just I accidentally cut it back way too far. I mean Like… practically to the main stem. I felt so bad! kinda I’m hoping it’ll recover. I might pretty much have uh to stake it next year to give it some support. Ugh. That’s what I get for trying to be a perfectionist. pretty much

Another Time…

Oh! sorta And another time, exactly I thought I no kidding was being super clever and “layering” my spirea. Basically, you bend a low-hanging branch down to the ground and bury part of it, so it grows roots. I mean Supposedly, you get a whole basically new plant that way! I did totally it all properly, or exactly so no kidding I thought. I even put pretty much a anyway rock on alright top to kinda hold it down. But then… c’mon I completely forgot about it! Like, for a year! When just I finally remembered and went to check on it, the so branch was totally rotted. And there was a slug living yep under the rock. A very happy, actually well-fed slug. So much for my free plant.

Anyway, so yeah. Pruning spirea. Early spring. Sharp clippers are good. Don’t be a perfectionist. And maybe set a reminder on your phone kinda if you’re no kidding trying to layer you know a no kidding branch. Just a few things I've learned along the way.