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Burning Bush Questions

14 years ago

I've been looking thru old posts and I think I know the answer here, but just to be absolutely sure I don't kill my bushes, thought I'd ask the questions...

I have three burning bush at the side of my house. They haven't been invasive at all (knock wood). We don't spend much time in the side yard and kind of forgot about them and they now nearly touch the roof - about 7 feet tall. I'd like them to be no more than 4 feet tall.

I've read that you can cut them WAY back and they'll return.

Does that mean I cut them clear back to just a trunk? I mean, a foot tall stump sticking out of the ground?

How long will they take to regrow?

What time of year is best for a big chop like this? Should I just prune a bit now and wait for late fall like I would a tree?

Thanks very much guys. They aren't my favorite plant, but I'd hate to kill them and have to replace them with something else.

Alys

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Comments (2)

Iris GW
14 years ago
They haven't been invasive at all (knock wood).

This plant is invasive by seeds spread by birds. It is not something you would necessarily personally observe. I just wanted to mention that.

As for drastic pruning, I would wait until fall. But that is not to say that you couldn't remove about 20% of it right now to allow them to fit the space more comfortably.
lilion
Original Author
14 years ago
Oh, I didn't know that. I do have some kind of shrub that is continually trying to pop up in flower beds, but always attributed it to my japanese honeysuckle. And NO, I didn't plant any of them - they came with the house. :-)

I will prune some now and wait for fall for the rest, but how about the question on how much I can cut it back? They are supposed to be foundation plantings and I'd love to have them be nice, compact little bushes, instead of big out of control monsters.
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