should I cut these back when the flowers die off - Ask Extension
I don't remember what these plants are. They have no new growth near the bottom. Should I cut them in half height wise to generate new growth closer t...
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should I cut these back when the flowers die off #869134
Asked May 19, 2024, 4:56 PM EDT
I don't remember what these plants are. They have no new growth near the bottom. Should I cut them in half height wise to generate new growth closer to the bottom?
Thank you
Baltimore County Maryland
Expert Response
Hello; Thanks for submitting your garden and landscaping questions to the University of Maryland Ask Extension Service.
Your landscape plants look like a variety of bridal wreath spirea which is a spring flowering non-native shrub hardy in our area. As you can see in your photographs, it likes to grow in a vase shape.
Please see this UMd Extension webpage Pest-Predictive Calendar:
https://extension.umd.edu/programs/agriculture-food-systems/program-areas/ornamental-horticulture/ipmnet/pest-predictive-calendar/. Look for bridal wreath spirea in the table and click on the colored letter A on the far-right of the row. This should give a good summation of bridal wreath's growing characteristics. Prune soon after flowering to the height desired.
Another option is to inter-plant among your spireas low-growing shrubbery that can fill in and obscure the absence of growth near the base of these beautifully flowering shrubs.
Good luck in your landscaping efforts. Thanks; Christopher
Your landscape plants look like a variety of bridal wreath spirea which is a spring flowering non-native shrub hardy in our area. As you can see in your photographs, it likes to grow in a vase shape.
Please see this UMd Extension webpage Pest-Predictive Calendar:
https://extension.umd.edu/programs/agriculture-food-systems/program-areas/ornamental-horticulture/ipmnet/pest-predictive-calendar/. Look for bridal wreath spirea in the table and click on the colored letter A on the far-right of the row. This should give a good summation of bridal wreath's growing characteristics. Prune soon after flowering to the height desired.
Another option is to inter-plant among your spireas low-growing shrubbery that can fill in and obscure the absence of growth near the base of these beautifully flowering shrubs.
Good luck in your landscaping efforts. Thanks; Christopher
