Have you ever been out in your yard in spring cutting back your plants, and felt puzzled when faced with a blue mist spirea shrub? If so, check out this new video we made that demonstrates how to prune blue mist spirea in spring. The methods I cover can also be used for dark knight spirea, first choice spirea, or any other Caryopteris cultivar. I hope it demystifies the process for you and helps you choose the right pruning method for your specific situation.
Feel free to let me know what you think about the video in the comments section. We’re definitely still learning and would like to know what’s helpful to you.
Be sure to check out my post where I describe how to cut back blue mist spirea with written descriptions and the results of the different pruning methods later in summer. I also wrote about whether or not cutting back the stems to ground level delayed bloom time. Enjoy!
Great video about pruning! Thanks for posting, Catherine!
Thanks, Molly. Glad you found it. Feel free to add in your two cents. We’d all love to hear from your experience and expertise!
I agree great video. My question is how to trim after blooming and before winter die back. I am in Ohio and they have overgrown and are unmanageable and crowding the front walk.
Hi Jim,
Great question. If you want to prune them for shape, just use regular good shrub pruning practices that can be used any time of year. With plants that are crowding a walkway, I try to cut some of the stems all the way back to the base of the shrub to remove them completely. Then, you can modify its shape by cutting some of the stems back to a joint (not in the middle of the branch). I try to stagger the height of the cuts so that it doesn’t take on a hedged look. Lastly, I cut some of the branches on other sides of the shrub to maintain symmetry. If that approach doesn’t work, you can either cut the whole shrub to ground level or replace them with something smaller. Good luck with your project!