Gardening Special timing for flowering shrubs Flowering shrubs fall into categories of early- (such as forsythia and lilac) and late-blooming (such as weigela and rose of Sharon). While pruning guidelines are similar for these shrubs, their timing is different. Both categories flower at their appropriate times, and then form concealed buds for next year’s blooms. Prune too early (before the current bloombegins) and you’ll be cutting off the current season’s flowers. Prune too late (after bloom finishes) and you‘ll remove the buds for next year’s flowers. There is a four-week window of time in which you can safely prune without removing the next year’s flowers. Enjoy flowers of the current season until their bloom is finished, and prune within the following four weeks before shrubs form buds for next year’s flowers. If it seems complicated to remember the timing for your early- and late-flowering shrubs, an easy way to keep track of the four-week pruning window is by using a calendar. When any shrub has just a few flowers left on it, mark that day on the calendar. Then draw a red box around the four-week date that is the end of safe days to prune without taking off next year’s flower buds. This visual display is a foolproof guide to pruning in a timely manner and guarantees a gorgeous flower display every year. And a trick with roses Many modern roses have extensive breeding histories and carry the genes of dozens (and sometimes hundreds) of antique roses that are present in their genealogical background. These could have been roses of many kinds and categories, each with defining characteristics that can unpredictably appear in modern hybrids. If your rose shrub produces a long cane (five to seven feet tall) from wood that is above ground and out of character with other canes in the plant, that might be an indication of a pillar or climbing rose in its breeding history. Instead of pruning the long cane out, consider the potential for buds it may carry in the wood. Hidden buds can be triggered by carefully bending the cane in a gentle arc, pulling it 45-60 degrees to one side, and anchoring the cane against a fence, wall or stake. If concealed buds are present, the semi-horizontal position will encourage them to sprout twigs and flowers. Be sure that the anchoring is strong enough to support any new growth if this trick works. Good luck! Forsythia in bloom Rose of Sharon CSANews | SPRING 2021 | 55
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