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when to cut back bridal bush spirea

4/25/2018

25 Comments

 
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​Even before its foliage appears, bridal veil spirea, much more commonly known as bridal wreath spirea (Spiraea prunifolia) graces the early spring landscape with a profusion of white blossoms. This species can grow to 9 feet tall, with arching branches that may bend to the ground, contrasting with another group of spireas that are low-growing and shrubby and bear pink or red flowers in the summer. Bridal wreath flourishes in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 8. Maintain the plant's flowing shape by cutting it back immediately after blooming stops.

The spring-blooming bridal wreath spirea produces buds on old wood. Therefore, avoid pruning at the end of winter, or you might destroy potential flowering branches. You can, however, remove winter-killed twigs. "Plena," the most commercially-available bridal wreath variety, requires some winter chill to flower generously, and as with the species grows best in USDA zones 5 through 8. Propagate cuttings from your spirea in early spring by snipping 4 to 8 inches off a fast-growing stem tip and rooting it in a sandy potting mix.
Never try to prune a bridal wreath spirea into a compact bush, or you will sacrifice its unique charm. Trimming back so that it does not get too unwieldy, however, makes the plant more attractive. After flowering, prune any awkward shoots that distract from the overall configuration. With time, bridal wreath tends to become sparse and leggy. To rejuvenate a spirea, you can cut it almost to the ground, and it will grow back in a healthier state. Remember to clean your pruning shears with household disinfectant at full strength to avoid spreading bacteria, viruses or fungi.
​The double, white flowers of the "Plena" bridal wreath spirea each measure about 1/3 inch across and emerge in clusters of three to six blossoms. Spireas belong to the rose family, and their blooms resemble tiny roses. A favorite of butterflies, the snowy flowers lining the bare branches can be breathtaking, especially when the sun shines on them. The dark-green foliage that comes in following flowering will later furnish autumn color in reds, oranges or yellows.
Besides the yearly pruning, bridal wreath spirea does not require extensive maintenance to thrive. The plant does well in almost any soil, but it prefers the soil be a bit moist. For optimal blooming, grow spirea in full sun, although it tolerates partial shade. Usually the plant escapes serious damage from disease or insect pests, but watch for some of the same problems that afflict roses, such as fire blight, leaf spot, powdery mildew, aphids, root rot, leaf roller and scale. Use bridal wreath spirea as a foundation planting, in an informal mixed hedge or as a specimen shrub.

​
Source: Clemson Cooperative Extension
25 Comments
Louise A. Muise
9/20/2020 03:13:11 pm

My bridal wreath, growing in my front yard for years, has been taken over after blooming earlier, by a vine with heart shaped green leaves and small white flowers.
I have just pruned out s much of this invasion as I can. Is there anything else I can do to help it rejuvenate?

Reply
LAURA COLLINS
5/3/2022 08:11:45 am

Keep at the vine!! I have successfully eradicated poison oak and poison ivy, grapes and honeysuckle, and a very clingy vine with heart-shaped leaves(which returns after a good rain) but I keep that one under control. I inspect my trees along a fence line where this one likes to grow and attach to the tree.about every two weeks or almost a day or two after the rain. You CAN manage vines. just keep chopping away at them and don't prune your spirea unnecessarily. I am not a horticulturist, just an avid gardener and retired so I have ample time to keep at the pests! Good luck.

Reply
LAURA COLLINS
5/3/2022 08:12:44 am

How is your spirea doing, Louise?

Reply
Sue Bristow
5/25/2022 01:06:05 pm

My bridal wreath spirea bushes have not bloomed well since they were planted 5 years ago. We have had them trimmed in the fall. This spring there were a few flowers in splotches and now they are all gone. Does anyone know how to fix them? Thank you!

Reply
SJones
6/8/2022 02:32:57 pm

Definitely not an expert, but I have 3 bushes that have flourished pretty well. If you trim them in the fall, you’re likely trimming the wood that the flowers would grow on. Only trim in the spring.

Reply
Kirk
11/12/2022 05:34:13 pm

Since they bloom on old wood don’t “trim” them. Any canes that are leggy or awkward can be cut off at the ground. Remove dead wood. You’re done.

Reply
Georgia
2/5/2023 10:41:44 am

When do you do this? I live in zone 4-5. I need to cut back to the ground.

Dave Barrett
7/23/2023 07:33:34 pm

I have about twenty bridal wreath Spirea and last winter the voles trimmed most of the bark off and some winter kill . We cut them back to a few inches early spring. They came back like gangbusters this year but no blooms. What would you suggest to get them to bloom. The first few years they were beautiful
in the spring.Any help greatly appreciated!

Reply
Renee Wyckoff
8/24/2024 06:08:30 pm

I think pruning them in the fall is what's causing this problem. I believe it blooms on old wood, so you should only prune RIGHT after they bloom. Good luck!

Reply
Rebecca Knutson
7/1/2022 03:58:51 pm

My question is about shaping. I have cut back the flowering stems to the new growth. It has just finished flowering. My bush has lots of new spring growth and several branches of woody older growth without many new growth branches. Should I cut those back some? A lot? How about some shaping of the new growth? It's not looking very tidy. Is that just the way it is? Will I wreck bed years flowering if I trim some of the new growth? Thank you very much.

Reply
Natalie
9/29/2022 06:55:43 pm

About 2 1/2 years ago we trimmed my spirea or bridal wreath bush. Since then, it hasn’t really bloomed. Now it is September and the plant itself is overgrown, but I hesitate to trim it. I have fed the soil. Do I trim the bush now? If so, should I trim it really low or just a little? Thanks in advance for any help!

Reply
Planner
10/30/2022 09:16:00 am

I would give it one more chance to flower in the spring. If it doesn't, then as soon as you see the indication of leaves, chop it down to about 6 inches and let it start over.
If it does, after the last flower has died, thin it by trimming all of the dead wood and then 1/3 of the remaining sticks.
It is really really hard to kill these. Mine have suckers coming up everywhere, trying to take over the 2 adjacent bushes.

Reply
Greg Werks link
4/17/2023 05:06:28 am

It's essential to realize the moment when you need to cut back. Many people don't figure out when the moment arrives, though.

Reply
SeanLI
5/1/2023 05:43:01 pm

I would love detailed instructions.

We have one of these, and its tallest branches are about 12 -15 feet tall. They aren't supposed to get this tall, I know, but my mother has had the landscapers (1) tie together the 100 or so shoots, suckers and outright TRUNKS with several large loops of robber-coated wire so it keeps standing straight; and (2) then has those rubber-wire loops/supports tied to a well-seated fence post.

She refuses to let anyone prune the shrub as indicated by this article (she refuses to even read any article on proper plant pruning, simply out of pride), only letting the landscaper come by and shape the accessible parts with electric hedge trimmers.

Every perennial she treats as though it were a hedge, and will not be told there is a better way.

Reply
Jayne
8/9/2024 04:26:06 pm

Lol. Gotta love her old style. When she goes--if she goes--there'll be lots of time to knock that beauty back--Maybe with a reciprocating saw. Until then, breathe in, breathe out...and God bless our moms.

Sara
7/10/2023 07:05:25 am

My bridal wreath spirea formed buds but the buds turned black and didn’t bloom. Can you help me trouble shoot? I did not prune at all last year. The plant is 3 years old.
Thank you so much.

Reply
Barb H
2/7/2024 06:12:51 pm

I have an old Bridal bush. It was pretty contained until this spring when it burst into bloom and took over the garden bed. It was a very wet winter and spring in 2023. I think that helped. I plan on trimming a lot this spring after it blooms. I want to prune now but it may hurt the blooms for this spring. I already see little buds starting.

Reply
John W Fischer link
5/9/2024 09:02:15 am

My wife and I have been in our first and only home for 60 years and when we moved in there were five mature bridal wreath bushes behind the house. Over the years on occasion I've pulled out old dead canes that simply detached from the base after being dead for a period of time. After reading about removing old canes to allow for new ones (good for the bush), last November I paid a reputable arborist company to cut out all the old woody canes along with some other pruning on the property. My wife is LIVID! She wanted the privacy the bushes added but now its simply the few new canes drooping over without support of the removed old canes which by the way gave the bushes the "full" look. I'll trim back the height this Spring after blooming to chest height and told her they'll fill in. She replied "Not in my lifetime!" Thinking now I should have left well enough alone but the old canes had very little leafing at the very tops. Hoping they won't take a "lifetime" to be full again for my health and well being.

Reply
allen seo link
6/27/2024 05:30:14 am

TheLawnfather Inc. is a reputed lawn care company providing high-quality mowing, cutting, & other lawn care services in Calgary, Alberta. Give us a call now
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Reply
tayyabtayyabirfan link
6/28/2024 04:50:11 am

TheLawnfather Inc. is a reputed lawn care company providing high-quality mowing, cutting, & other lawn care services in Calgary, Alberta. Give us a call now https://lawnfather.ca/residential-snow-removalhttps://lawnfather.ca/commercial-snow-removal/

Reply
John Fischer link
6/28/2024 04:35:30 pm

Lawnfather is in Alberta. I'm in Wisconsin, USA but thank you for the referral to those who posted. Our Bridal Wreath are now filling in quicker than I'd anticipated and I'll continue to let them grow with the new canes. Deciduous bushes I've learned over the years are extremely resilient and come back nicely and so I'm pleased to see this won't be a long term thing to see them back to "normal".

Reply
allen seo link
7/16/2024 12:59:53 am

TheLawnfather Inc. is a reputed lawn care company providing high-quality mowing, cutting, & other lawn care services in Calgary, Alberta. Give us a call now
https://lawnfather.ca/residential-snow-removal
https://lawnfather.ca/commercial-snow-removal/
https://www.yarddawgslawncare.ca/
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Reply
tayyabtayyabirfan link
7/25/2024 12:07:04 pm

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Reply
allen seo link
7/26/2024 11:44:00 pm

TheLawnfather Inc. is a reputed lawn care company providing high-quality mowing, cutting, & other lawn care services in Calgary, Alberta. Give us a call now
https://lawnfather.ca/residential-snow-removal
https://lawnfather.ca/commercial-snow-removal/
https://www.yarddawgslawncare.ca/
https://lawnfather.ca/

Reply
Antoine link
5/14/2025 04:52:10 pm

Clear and concise, timing really is everything for flowering shrubs! Can improper trimming actually reduce blooming the following year?

Reply



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  • About Master Gardeners
    • National Mission Statement
    • UAEX - Univ of AR Extension Service >
      • Baxter County Extension Office
      • The UA Cooperative Extension Service
      • UAEX Master Gardener Program
    • Baxter County Gov't >
      • County Extension Council
      • County Extension Service
    • Our Structure, Rules & Guidelines >
      • 2023 Organization Chart
      • Bylaws
      • Standing Rules
      • Duties, Projects & Events
      • New Member Orientation
      • Continuing Education & Training
      • Member Status
      • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Events & Outreach
    • Calendar of Events
    • Join Us At Our Meeting
    • Radio Program
    • Annual Plant Sale
    • Spring Seminar
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    • Fair Horticulture Room
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    • Scholarship
  • Garden Projects
    • Fairgrounds Garden
    • Bull Shoals
    • Clysta Willett
    • Cooper Park
    • Fish Hatchery
    • Extension Office
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  • Gardening Tips
    • NATIVE PLANTS
    • Seminar 2025
    • Bringing Nature into your Garden >
      • Native Plant Finder (research by Doug Tallamy, PhD)
      • Creating a Landscape With Native Plants
      • Native Drought-Tolerant Plants
      • Well-Behaved Natives
      • Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants
      • Invasive Non-Natives
    • Seminar Horticulture Table
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