How to Trim Abutilon

Snip off any dead or broken twigs and branches from the flowering maple with bypass or hand pruners. Remove these plant tissues any time of year. Make the pruning cut 1/4 to 1/2 inch above a lower branch junction or above a healthy leaf.

Prune away any branches within the plant's canopy that grow inward across the center of the plant. You want to keep any new shoots that grow outward from the plant. If any branches are trimmed back, make the pruning cut just above a leaf or bud that is on the outward side of the plant. The resulting shoot then grows outward, keeping the center of the plant basking in light and experiencing proper air circulation.

Reduce the branch length on any errant, wayward branches that spoil the symmetry of the flowering maple in spring or summer. If several branches need trimming back, do not cut off more than one-half of the entire branch length. Overly harsh pruning -- cutting plants back too close to the ground -- stunts growth and may cause dieback if growing conditions aren't ideal. Flowering maples tolerate and benefit from harsh rejuvenation only if done in mid-spring, when regrowth will be strong and lush.

Pinch off any old, withering flowers from the plant with your fingertips. This is called deadheading, which helps encourage more flower production and tidies the flowering maple. You may also use scissors or bypass pruners to more precisely cut off old flowers.