Prune shrubs grown for winter stem colour

23rd March 2021

Where shrubs are grown for colourful young stems, like the various red, yellow and black dogwoods and red or golden willows, you need to cut the stems back hard before they begin to grow away. If the tip buds are already breaking, that's not too serious - the buds below your pruning cuts, close to the base, are still dormant and will be pushed into life by the pruning. Feed the plants well to encourage strong new growth.