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Question about pruning a Kolkwitzia

prairiemoon2 z6b MA

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

I'm waiting for my Kolkwitzia to bloom, which it usually does about June 1st. After that I'd like to prune it. It's overgrown and has too much old dead wood on it. Last year I tried to judiciously take out some of the branches and prune it lightly, but I still have a lot of dead stumps in the base that I'm thinking they are preventing it from producing new shoots from the base. It also collects a lot of leaves in the center. I am very attached to the shrub and don't want to lose it, so I don't want to chance losing it, but I would like to renew the vigor and prune it hard but safely.

Here is a photo of some of the dead stumps and interior of the shrub that I'm concerned about...

Here is a current photo of the full shrub....

And here's an old photo when it was fuller and in bloom.

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Comments (3)

User
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
https://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/how-to-grow-kolkwitzia-beauty-bush

https://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-plant-descriptions/beauty-bush

Or just Google "renewal pruning of shrubs".

Dead wood can be removed at any time.
Embothrium
4 years ago
I'd leave it for a few years at this point, you have already made it a bit thin. As far as overgrown is concerned a large fountain is the nature of the best.

Maybe try promoting a more vigorous response (production of new canes) by mulching it.
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Thanks folks, this question helped me ID a bush I bought and lost the tag on! I kept trying to call it a Beautyberry bush, but it didn't match anything on Beautyberry's. Just the name stuck in my mind. I was half right, Beauty Bush is the more common name! It has been a nice bush, blooms very prettily every year. I did the prune-after-bloom thing, got all the horizontal branches mentioned. I think I will leave bush alone for a couple years, get some more height on it, then snip a little here and there. This bush appears very tough, I don't shelter it at all, right on the windy side of the house, out here in the country. Up here in MI we get pretty cold, terrific winter winds, lots of frozen ground, snow can be deep or none at all. I do pile dry, shredded leaves around the base for winter. It does well, nice leaves, good color. No dieback that I have noticed. Seems to me this bush is about 4 years old, was a markdown in the fall sales. I don't know if they are rare or hard to find in my area. I just don't think they are extremely popular. Everyone one wants the NAMES, when planting, Hydrangea, Forsythia, that they recognize. I find the flowers VERY pretty, attractive dark pink outside of bloom with light pink inside. Both colors fade to light pink/white as flowers age. There are sure lots of flowers this year, blooming right now. It is kind of seasonal, doesn't do much else like fall color. I will check for the peely bark. Mine may just be immature branches, not have any yet. Thanks for the information from everyone.
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prairiemoon2 z6b MA
Original Author
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
Illstep - thank you for the link.

Embothrium, thank you, I was thinking I'd thinned it out quite a bit as well. I don't think I am going to be unhappy wtih the amount of bloom this year, but we'll see. Yes, I realize it is a large fountain shape naturally. That's fine with me. Unfortunately, it was originally planted too close to a walkway and it's natural shape completely makes that walkway unable to be used. It came with the house over 40 years ago and probably has been planted there 60 years. It's also fragrant, which I'm not sure is common with these shrubs today.

Illstep mentioned that I can cut dead branches at any time, and I was thinking maybe what I'll do is just clean all the leaves out of the base if I can get in there and cut out the dead stumps and leave it at that for now. It is mulched with bark mulch and we just added another couple of inches of cocoa shells. I didn't realize that mulching might promote new canes. Any particular mulch or thickness?

I never fertilize it, would that help? Is there an organic fertilizer I can try? I use Planttone sometimes. Or I could add a ring of compost around the base, maybe with some alfalfa meal. Alfalfa meal always gives a real boost to my roses.

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