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How to Prune Ninebark Shrubs
How to Prune Ninebark Shrubs. Ninebark (Physocarpus spp.) is a deciduous, woody ornamental hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 2 to 8 and noted for its cinnamon-colored exfoliating bark, a feature prominent in winter. Flowers are white to pink, and foliage turns yellow to bronze in the fall. Ninebark blooms on “old...
Ninebark (Physocarpus spp.) is a deciduous, woody ornamental hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 2 to 8 and noted for its cinnamon-colored exfoliating bark, a feature prominent in winter. Flowers are white to pink, and foliage turns yellow to bronze in the fall. Ninebark blooms on "old wood," meaning that this year’s flowers bloom on wood that grew last year. Wait until right after flowering to prune ninebark so that you can enjoy a full blooming period both this year and next.
Things You'll Need
Bleach
Loppers
Pruning saw
Bypass pruners
Sterilize all pruning tools in a solution of 1 part bleach or alcohol and 9 parts water to reduce the risk of spreading any diseases. Focused on damaged, crossed, weak and branches first, cutting these all the way back to the ground. Loppers are adequate for branches up to 1 1/2 inches thick. To prune thicker branches or stems, use a pruning handsaw.
Begin to open up the center of the shrub by pruning several of the oldest, tallest branches, cutting these all the way back to the ground. Ninebark shrubs pruned in this way create a looser, healthier plant.
Shorten other center branches by one-third to one-half of their total length using bypass pruners. Cut back to a bud on the outer side of each stem. Make each cut at a 45-degree angle, 1/2 inch above the bud.
Thin large, older outer branches if needed, cutting them back all the way to the ground. Shorten other outer branches to outer buds. Shape the ninebark plant to achieve overall symmetry and control its growth; unpruned ninebark shrubs can quickly become overgrown and less attractive.
Tips & Warnings
Renew an overgrown or lanky ninebark shrub by cutting it back all the way to the ground in late winter. This sacrifices that season’s bloom but regenerates vegetation for future years.
You can usually tell where "old wood" ends and new wood begins by looking for a vegetation bud scar that circles the stem. Most plants produce a new vegetative bud at the end of each stem. When the bud opens and expands in spring, bud scales detach and fall off, leaving a scar. New stem growth may also be a different color.
