When &how much to cut American Beauty Bush - Ask Extension
This is first trim for my two Beauty Bushes. They are almost finished flowering. I want to cut them back alot. I got them 1 1/2-2 years ago. This wil...
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When &how much to cut American Beauty Bush #880962
Asked August 10, 2024, 5:37 PM EDT
This is first trim for my two Beauty Bushes. They are almost finished flowering. I want to cut them back alot. I got them 1 1/2-2 years ago. This will be the first trim after planting in the ground. They had one winter in the ground. I’d like to wait until after berries- is that wise? So the earliest after berries. Please tell me how much I can cut from top growth and overall. The biggest branch is the size of my thumb. They’re so healthy! I’m sending 2 photos. Thanks!!
Barbara
Prince George's County Maryland
Expert Response
Hello Barbara,
While these are Beautyberry (Callicarpa), they are not the native American species (C. americana, which doesn't grow wild in Maryland). One trait separating those from the various Asian species grown is the stalk on the berry cluster, which is almost nonexistent in the native shrub and visible in the others, as it is here. (This short video by the Huntsville Botanical Garden may help with the comparisons.) This won't chance the pruning recommendation, but in case you wanted to know, we thought we'd mention it.
Beautyberries bloom on new wood, which means that, during winter, the branches will not have dormant flower buds. If pruned after flowering, the berries will be removed, since berries form from pollinated flowers. (The shrubs pictured are loaded with unripe berries right now. They will ripen and turn purple later in autumn.) While it won't necessarily do serious long-term damage to the plant to prune late in the year, the shrub will not replace any lost flowers or fruits as a result of the trimming, so will lose much of its ornamental value for that season. The best time to trim would be late winter or very early spring, just before new growth resumes. You can prune in early winter if you want to experiment, but generally no winter pruning is done for shrubs until the worst of the weather conditions for that season has past.
Miri
While these are Beautyberry (Callicarpa), they are not the native American species (C. americana, which doesn't grow wild in Maryland). One trait separating those from the various Asian species grown is the stalk on the berry cluster, which is almost nonexistent in the native shrub and visible in the others, as it is here. (This short video by the Huntsville Botanical Garden may help with the comparisons.) This won't chance the pruning recommendation, but in case you wanted to know, we thought we'd mention it.
Beautyberries bloom on new wood, which means that, during winter, the branches will not have dormant flower buds. If pruned after flowering, the berries will be removed, since berries form from pollinated flowers. (The shrubs pictured are loaded with unripe berries right now. They will ripen and turn purple later in autumn.) While it won't necessarily do serious long-term damage to the plant to prune late in the year, the shrub will not replace any lost flowers or fruits as a result of the trimming, so will lose much of its ornamental value for that season. The best time to trim would be late winter or very early spring, just before new growth resumes. You can prune in early winter if you want to experiment, but generally no winter pruning is done for shrubs until the worst of the weather conditions for that season has past.
Miri
Miri,
Thank you again!
Thank you for information on when to cut my beautyberry bush and also the difference from what I have (Japanese) and the native American bush.
I’d still like advice on maximum amount I can cut for a healthy plant. It’s grown several feet this year. It was planted last year but no berries grew until this year. I don’t want to cut off too much. Can I cut branches up to 24 inches shorter? I don’t want to ruin its lovely curving branches. The largest branch is about the size of my index finger.
Thank you again!
Barbara
Sent from my iPad
On Aug 12, 2024, at 9:01 AM, Ask Extension wrote:
You're welcome.
Which Beautyberry species is being grown won't change the pruning recommendation, which is to either wait until spring or to prune what you need to now with the understanding that it will eliminate most of this year's berries and might impact winter survival. (Though the Asian Beautyberries are generally hardy enough that as long as heavy pruning is not done every summer/autumn, they will probably be fine.)
Expect even pruned plants to regain this size again over time...it's their normal stature, so if a shrub in the 4-6 foot range (both height and width) is too large for this space, it might be simpler to move it to another location. The plants pictured do look like a typical size. Heavy pruning might succeed in reducing its size, but berry impacts aside, it will also ruin its arching shape somewhat.
Miri
Which Beautyberry species is being grown won't change the pruning recommendation, which is to either wait until spring or to prune what you need to now with the understanding that it will eliminate most of this year's berries and might impact winter survival. (Though the Asian Beautyberries are generally hardy enough that as long as heavy pruning is not done every summer/autumn, they will probably be fine.)
Expect even pruned plants to regain this size again over time...it's their normal stature, so if a shrub in the 4-6 foot range (both height and width) is too large for this space, it might be simpler to move it to another location. The plants pictured do look like a typical size. Heavy pruning might succeed in reducing its size, but berry impacts aside, it will also ruin its arching shape somewhat.
Miri
