The Complete Guide

Seacoast Shrub Pruning Library

Plant-by-plant pruning guides organized by the biological clock that governs every cut

Every shrub in your landscape operates on one of four pruning systems. Old-wood deciduous shrubs set buds the previous summer — prune at the wrong time and you erase next spring. New-wood bloomers flower on current growth — hard March cutting increases their performance. Broadleaf evergreens follow old-wood bloom timing while maintaining year-round foliage that demands airflow and disease awareness. Needled evergreens live or die by their regeneration biology — some resprout from bare wood, others never recover. Find your plant below.

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1

Old-Wood Deciduous Bloomers

These deciduous shrubs flower on stems grown the previous season. Prune only after flowering fades — typically late May through June. Fall, winter, or early spring pruning removes next year's buds.

Weigela

Weigela florida

Fountain-form architecture and the post-bloom window that preserves trumpet flowers on arching canes.

Old Wood Prune After Bloom

Deutzia

Deutzia spp.

Architectural training and cane hierarchy — building the fountain silhouette one renewal cut at a time.

Old Wood Structural Training

Viburnum

Viburnum spp.

Four species, one timing rule — and the three-week post-bloom window that determines next spring's display.

Old Wood Species-Specific

Spirea

Spiraea spp.

Two blooming clocks in one genus — spring types prune after bloom, summer types prune in March. The renewal cycle prevents both from declining.

Old + New Wood Renewal Cycle

Mock Orange

Philadelphus coronarius

Fragrant white bloom on arching stems — renewal timing for the most intensely perfumed shrub in the garden.

Old Wood

Kerria

Kerria japonica

Green-stemmed suckering shrub with golden spring flowers — cane management for shade gardens.

Old Wood

2

New-Wood Deciduous Bloomers

These deciduous shrubs flower or develop their best foliage color on current-season growth. Prune hard in late winter (March) before growth begins — aggressive cutting stimulates vigorous shoots that bloom or color the same season.

Ninebark

Physocarpus opulifolius

Pruning for pigment — annual renewal that keeps burgundy dark, gold bright, and green reversions in check.

New Wood Color Management

Burning Bush

Euonymus alatus

Maintaining a banned invasive responsibly — and the three-year transition plan to native alternatives with better color.

New Wood Invasive / Transition

Butterfly Bush

Buddleja davidii

Hard March cutback for maximum summer bloom — and the invasive question that follows this plant everywhere.

New Wood

Smokebush

Cotinus coggygria

Stooling for foliage color versus allowing the airy inflorescence — two approaches, one plant.

New Wood

Beautyberry

Callicarpa americana

Hard annual cutback for the most vivid purple berry display in the fall garden.

New Wood

Sumac

Rhus spp.

Colony management and sucker control on a native that spreads by design.

New Wood

Barberry

Berberis thunbergii

Another banned invasive — maintenance while it's in the ground and the native alternatives that replace it.

New Wood Invasive / Transition

3

Broadleaf Evergreens

Year-round foliage on plants with flat leaves rather than needles. Most bloom on old wood like their deciduous cousins, but airflow management, disease prevention, and winter protection add layers that deciduous shrubs don't require.

Pieris

Pieris japonica

Density management and airflow control — reducing lace bug habitat while preserving cascading spring bloom chains.

Broadleaf Evergreen Airflow / Pest Mgmt

Mountain Laurel

Kalmia latifolia

Wind, salt, and coastal stress adaptation on a native broadleaf evergreen that demands patience over force.

Broadleaf Evergreen Coastal Stress

Boxwood

Buxus spp.

Restoration from decades of tight shearing — and why airflow is the first defense against boxwood blight.

Broadleaf Evergreen Blight / Restoration

Holly

Ilex spp.

Three plants, three pruning systems — Inkberry renewal for wet sites, Japanese as boxwood substitute, American for winter berries.

Broadleaf Evergreen Type-Specific

Leucothoe

Leucothoe fontanesiana

Arching broadleaf evergreen for shade — renewal pruning to prevent the leggy cascade.

Broadleaf Evergreen

Privet

Ligustrum spp.

Fast-growing hedge plant — shearing protocol, renovation tolerance, and the invasive seed question.

Semi-Evergreen

Not Sure Where to Start?

If you can’t identify your shrub, don’t know whether it blooms on old or new wood, or just need an experienced set of eyes on an overgrown foundation — that’s what the consultation is for.

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Seacoast Shrub Pruning Library

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