Cutting the pipe bush - tips for pruning
The gardener distinguishes four different types of pruning for pipe bushes:
- Care cut
- Cut back
- Taper cut
- Cut back as a hedge
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Important: Pay attention to the right time!
Pipe bushes develop their flowers on the small side shoots that grow out of the main shoots over the course of the year. The flowers are therefore already created in the previous year.
You should therefore always cut a pipe bush immediately after the flowering period. Otherwise, you will wait in vain for flowers the following spring.
The shrub can withstand strong pruning, but with each removed main shoot you reduce the number of branches that carry flowers. If you cut the shrub very hard, it will not bloom at all or only a little for up to two years.
Instructions for the maintenance cut
When pruning, you only thin out the shrub. Under no circumstances cut everything off. Only remove overly dense shoots and twigs that are dry or weak.
Cutting back the pipe bush
If you cultivate the pipe shrub as a specimen plant in the garden, you can simply let it grow. Only if it gets too high can you cap it after flowering and cut off broad branches.
When is a rejuvenating cut necessary?
Instead of heavy pruning, it is better to continuously rejuvenate the shrub. Every year you cut some of the old branches as deep as possible.
The pipe bush is stimulated to form new shoots. This will prevent the shrub from becoming bald over time.
Cutting pipe bushes in the hedge
If you grow pipe bushes in the hedge, you cannot avoid regular cutting if you want the hedge to maintain a certain shape. However, cutting the hedge is at the expense of rich flowering.
Tips
A pipe bush can be between one and five meters high, depending on the variety. When buying, make sure that you can provide him with enough space in a convenient location.
