Trimming Inkberry

Remove dead or broken branches from the inkberry at any time of year. Make the pruning cut 1/4 to 1/2 inch above a lower branch junction or a leaf. Young inkberry shrubs display the densest foliage and form, so spotting dead or broken branches may not be seen quickly until the dead tissues turn shades of brown.

Reduce the length of stem tips in late winter to early spring -- late February to early April across the temperate United States -- to limit plant size and promote more branching and bushiness. Cut back branches individually, not with hedge shears or trimmer as these will leave stark and bare wounds. Stagger pruning cuts across the plants, cutting 1/4 to 1/2 inch above a lower branch junction or leaf. New leaves and twigs sprout from dormant buds just below the pruning cut.

Cut off all suckering sprouts at ground level. Inkberry naturally begins to form a thicket in ideal, moist growing conditions by sprouting twigs from surface-dwelling roots. Removing the suckers tidies the landscape and keeps individual shrubs from turning into an ambiguous spreading mass of twigs and foliage.

Lightly tip trim the inkberry in midsummer to shape the plant after its flush of new annual growth. Individually tip-prune branches, and do not shear the plant as you'll create torn leaves and bare, uneven-looking branches. Do not prune past midsummer, as you risk encouraging new growth that will not mature before the fall frosts. Immature tissues are tender and will be killed by the cold.