How to Cut Back a Kerria Japonica Bush

Kerria japonica is the ideal shrub for the gardener seeking to lighten up a shady space. This deciduous shrub produces sunny yellow flowers that cover the entire canopy and drip gently over the side. Although the shrub does fine in sun, with adequate water, the yellow flowers aren't quite as brilliant. Native to China and Japan, K. japonica is hardy to zone 5 on the U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zone Map. It is important to prune the Kerria japonica immediately after it finishes blooming because it forms buds on year-old shoots.

Things You'll Need

• Pruning shears
• Shovel
• Planting pot (optional)
• Potting soil (optional)

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Instructions

1. • 1

     Remove stems that died back during the winter. These are typically no longer green, but light gray or white. Cut them back in spring, to their points of origin.

   • 2

     Remove suckers growing from the soil around the Kerria japonica. Either sever them from the soil with pruners or a shovel and compost them or dig them up with roots and plant them in planting pots full of potting soil.

   • 3

     Rejuvenate the overgrown or non-blooming Kerria japonica by cutting it completely to the soil in spring.