gardening question - spirea

midwesterner
Wed, 05 Mar 2008 11:31:23 +0000

You and I are both in the Chicago area, if I remember correctly. I hope this weather downturn has convinced you that it’s too soon to prune - highs only in the 20s this week!

Bumald spirea should be lightly pruned in the spring. One technique I’ve used is to stagger the pruning, alternating cuts. You will still have a decent bloom, and you won’t kill the plant. It is time-consuming, though, and may look like a bad haircut, but you can easily rectify the shape in warmer weather. The Chicago Botanic Garden has a gardeners help line available Mondays through Fridays if you have more concerns.