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kolkwitzia-or-beauty-bush-shrub
I have what I believe is a Kolkwitzia bush in my garden (inherited when we moved in). This year it has only straggly branches and had very few flowers. It is about 6ft tall and has some arching stems, but looks pretty sad this year. Much of the wood seems old, although with white peeling bark it looks attractive. But what should I do to rejuvenate the bush. Gardening books say cut to grounds, but not when and how quickly qill it grow back.
Help and advice please.
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strangely enough I was Googling this just yesterday - I found the following info:
Maintain the flowering performance of the beauty bush by pruning each year immediately after flowering. Cut back flowered stems to a sideshoot that hasn’t produced flowers or to a plump bud. Congested plants can have one-in-three stems removed, starting with the oldest. Old and neglected plants can be rejuvenated in the same way. Established plants tend to sucker and these may need to be removed.
This info was on the "July pruning" page of http://www.crocus.co.uk/features/_/articleid.977/ Now I haven't done ours yet even though it says July as it is still flowering so I will probably tackle it in the next week or two, as even if it's still flowering then I want it to have enough time to grow bewfore the winter.
Thanks both, I will cut down the old branches now, and see what happens with the few new branches next year, then prune them after (hopefully) they flower.
I was given a mature plant that was still in the pot but was about 10 feet tall with roots of 16 inches growing from the base of the plant. As I intend to plant as soon as possible in order to take this plant out of its pain, is there any special attention I should give it please?
Crikey! I have an old book about pruning shrubs and it says Kolkwitzia doesn't need pruning. So I haven't pruned it in 20 years and it flowers like mad every year.
Hi Verdun, many thanks for your advice. I hope to plant today, I will follow your instructions and keep you posted on progress hopefully.
Have had two Kolkwitzias in the garden for around three years and neither has produced a single bloom. What am I doing wrong?