How to Prune a Spirea from Colorado

Prune a Spring-Blooming Spirea

• 1

  Locate crowded sections of the shrub, where thick branches intertwine.

• 2

  Hold the clippers at an angle so that every cut you make is a smooth, 45-degree angle cut.

• 3

  Clip only damaged, diseased or severely overgrown and tall branches at the base of the plant where the stems sprout from the ground.

• 4

  Select other very long and unruly branches sprouting off of the main stems. Clip off approximately half the length of the branch and cut where a new growing point is located. For example, if a branch extends 24 inches and has several buds growing along the branch, clip off 10 inches to 12 inches at a 45-degree angle just above the bud.

Prune a Summer-Blooming Spirea

• 5

  Locate the cluster of parent stems sprouting from the base of the spirea shrub.

• 6

  Hold the clippers at an angle so that every cut you make is a smooth, 45-degree angle cut.

• 7

  Clip approximately one-third of the total stem cluster at the base of the plant. This will thin the shrub without drastically altering its overall shape and appearance.

• 8

  Cut down the entire shrub leaving 4 inches to 5 inches of growth from the ground if the shrub is severely overgrown or diseased. This severe type of pruning will invigorate shrub growth and produce healthy branches and flowers in the next several growing seasons.