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Hibiscus pruning
cebatchelor
Posts: 2
in Plants
I have just moved and inherited 3 hibiscus plants
do they look as though they should be pruned, and if so, what should I take out. Very new to sensible gardening. Thank for your help. Carol
0
Posts
They look fine. They're always very late into leaf and rearely need pruning as they don't exactly go rampant. I'd leave alone and enjoy them (later this year) and if you need to shape them or reduce them in size, do so now, thinning out weak and weedy shoots, keeping strong growth.
H-C
If that first one was mine I'd get rid of it. H-C is right, they rarely need pruning and that one has been hacked out of any decent shape.
In the sticks near Peterborough
Thank you both for your help. I have just found what remains of the label and was confused as it said prune hard in March to promote vigorous growth and blooms. (Hibiscus syriacus Purple Ruffles 'Sanchonyo' is the second one). The first plant I moved in the height of summer, but unfortunately planted it too low in the ground. Sandy soil and near the coast. It's very tickety boo here and everything has been kept low to the ground - more for ease of gardening I think. Thanks anyway.
I too have moved to a garden with some large hibiscus shrubs in an interesting range of colours. A local gardening magazine advised pruning hard in March to remove weak and crossing stems and encourage new flowering stems. I have done this on just one of them because I am used to the ones in mt Belgian garden not coming into leaf until late May or even early June.
The one in full sun which I have not pruned is now covered in small buds. The one to the north of the house and still shaded for most of the day has no buds and nor does the one I hacked tho it is now in full sun. We shall see.
In my Belgian garden I only ever removed stems killed off by the cold winters and one year that was a whole shrub.