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Shrubs That Bloom on Old Wood

The best time to prune shrubs that bloom on old wood is after flowering. If you put off pruning to late winter or early spring, they won’t blossom until the following year. Pruning helps sustain vigorous growth, allows you to create a desired shape and is an opportunity to thin out dead or diseased branches. When cutting small limbs, use pruning shears and make the cut close to the main branch. A saw is a good way to remove large branches.
  1. Good Fall Color

    • The foliage on azelea “Norma” (Rhododendron “Norma”) and fragrant abelia (Abelia mosanensis) displays good fall color. “Norma” presents double rose-pink blossoms in April to May amid green leaves that turn red, orange and yellow in autumn. This shrub grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 8, requires dappled to partial shade and moist acidic soil with a pH of 5.0 to 5.5. Fragrant abelia has fragrant pinkish-white flowers in May to June amid glossy green leaves that turn red-orange in autumn. This shrub grows in USDA zones 5 through 9 but does not perform well in the hot and humid climate of the Deep South.

    Prefers Full Sun

    • Beauty bush (Kolkwitzia amabilis) and weigela (Weigela praecox) prefer a site in full sun, and their yellow-throated flowers burst on the scene in April to May. Gardeners in USDA zones 4 through 8 value beauty bush for its abundant display of pink flowers. This shrub tolerates clay soil, and deer won’t eat it. Weigela grows in USDA zones 5 through 8 and has fragrant rose-pink flowers that attract hummingbirds. It tolerates lightly dappled shade.

    Certain Types of Hydrangea

    • Certain types of hydrangea bloom on old wood. Bigleaf hydrangea “Nigra” (Hydrangea macrophylla “Nigra”) requires partial shade and grows in USDA zones 6 through 9. It puts out pink blossoms in alkaline soils and blue blossoms in acidic soils from June to August. Oakleaf hydrangea “Pee Wee” (Hydrangea quercifolia “Pee Wee”) bears white blossoms that fade to pink in June to July and grows in USDA zones 5 through 9. The lingering seedpods and rich-brown inner bark of this compact variety, exposed when the mature bark exfoliates, provide winter interest.

    Protect From Wind

    • For best results, protect princess tree (Paulownia tomentosa) and stachyurus (Stachyurus praecox) from wind. Carefully consider where you plant princess tree so that it’s protected from strong winds year-round, such as in front of a wall. Its fragrant pinkish-lavender flowers come out in April. and it's trainable as a shrub or small tree. Princess tree grows in USDA zones 5 through 8 and is considered invasive in some areas. One way to protect stachyurus from cold winter winds is strategically planting it next to a dense evergreen shrub. Its yellow-green flowers blossom in March to April, and it grows in USDA zones 6 through 8.