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- Newly Registered
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2011 9:05 pm
- Location: Michigan
Pruning - long branches with leaves ONLY on top
I have several bushes that have long branches (from 12 inches to 3 feet) where there are only leaves on the top. The shrubs are buckthorns, ashleaf spirea and beauty bush. The person at my local nursery said to "flush" them but cutting them all the way down but honestly, if I do that, I'll have nothing left on the bush since the majority of branches on each of these bushes only have leaves at the top. Does anybody know what I should do?
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- Greener Thumb
- Posts: 1152
- Joined: Sun Feb 24, 2008 10:26 am
- Location: North Carolina
That's the problem today, everyone is an "expert." Obvioulsy the leaves are on the new growth and most of the time certain shrubs need to be cut down to the ground but in the fall prune back halfway since there will not be leaves throughout the winter and the new growth next spring will give the plants a fuller look instead of starting from square one.