Prune shrubs that shoot from the base

This is a pruning instruction for shrubs that flower on the previous year's growth and produce new growth each year from ground level or low down on the plant.

Shoots that are over a year old generally don't flower and often die out making the shrub unsightly. Prune back this older wood by pruning the shoots that have flowered to strong sideshoots or buds low down on the plant's framework. This will encourage strong new growth to flower the following year. Do this every year after flowering.

Some shrubs in this group don't respond well to hard pruning, such as broom. For these plants shorten the shoots that have flowered by only about two-thirds to where new growth is beginning to grow.

Why prune

How to prune