Can I trim a burning bush in the summer?

Burning bush (also known as Euonymus alatus) is a dramatic addition to any garden or landscape. While it is a popular shrub, burning bush is also a shrub that is prone to “overgrowing” its space. The health of a burning bush plant does not rely on regular burning bush pruning, the desired size and shape of the plant does.

Different Types of Burning Bush Pruning

Rejuvenation of a Burning Bush

Burning bushes are notorious for slowly overgrowing their space. What started out as a lovely, well-shaped shrub can turn into a monster of a plant that is scruffy, leggy, and sparse. While your first reaction would be to remove it, you should consider instead rejuvenating your burning bush. Rejuvenation is simply severely cutting back the plant so that it can grow all new growth.

To do rejuvenation pruning on a burning bush, take either a sharp, clean pair of pruning shears or hedge clippers and cut the entire burning bush plant down all the way to about 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.5 cm.) from the ground. While this may seem drastic, it is healthy for the plant and will result in the burning bush being forced to grow new, full, and more manageable growth.

Pruning a Burning Bush for Shape

When trimming burning bushes for shape, you can also use either a sharp pair of pruning shears or hedge clippers, depending on how much you want to shape the plant. Picture the shape that you wish for your burning bush and remove any branches that fall outside of that shape.

If you are pruning your burning bush so that it can grow as a hedge, remember to trim the top of the burning bush plant slightly more narrow than the bottom to allow light to reach all of the leaves on the shrub.

You may also want to thin out interior branches that may be crossing other branches or are unhealthy.

When to Prune a Burning Bush

When to prune burning bushes depends on why you want to prune your burning bush.

If you are trimming burning bushes to rejuvenate them, you should be doing this in early spring, before the burning bush starts to put out leaves.

If you are pruning a burning bush to shape it, you can prune it while it is dormant, in either late winter or very early spring.

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Burning bush, or euonymus alatus, is a flowering deciduous shrub that grows vigorously to large sizes. If the bush is planted in an area where it can grow freely to any size, you only need to do light pruning for the sake of its health. If you need to keep the size of the bush down, however, you will need to shape it or resort to a more drastic rejuvenation pruning technique.

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   Prune in late winter or early spring. Pruning done only for the health of the plant should be scheduled for the late winter or early spring, before new growth has had much chance for development.[1]

   • Since burning bushes are primarily grown for their foliage, you don't need to worry too much about accidentally removing flower buds. The most vibrant foliage will grow on new branches, though, so it is still best to trim the bush before new growth has developed.
   • When you decide to prune a burning bush for the health of the plant alone, you only need to worry about removing branches that could encourage disease to spread through the plant and destroy it.
   • Even if you opt to prune the plant for shape, you should still prune it for health before worrying shape maintenance.

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   Remove dead or dying branches. Use pruning shears to cut away any dead branches or branches that have been severely injured.

   • Branches are most often injured by disease, insect infestation, animals, or bad weather.
   • Cut diseased branched down to their point of origin on the main stem. Doing so is the only way to make sure that the disease does not spread.
   • Injured branches can be cut back to their point of origin on the main stem, or you may wish to only cut away the injured portion of the branch. In the latter case, cut the injured branch down to a side branch and make the cut 1/4 inch (6 mm) above the bud.

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   Cut away branches that rub together. Look for any branches or branch stubs that are intertwined or rubbing against each other. Use pruning shears to remove these branches, as well.

   • Cut these branches down to their point of origin on the main stem. Problem branches like these will typically grow back again in the same direction, so it is best to remove them completely instead of trimming them down.

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   Schedule the initial pruning in late winter or early spring. When pruning a burning bush for shape, you will likely need to schedule two pruning sessions each year. The first one should be before new growth has developed, which means pruning the bush in late winter or early spring.

   • Burning bushes tend to get large and unruly as they mature, but you can usually keep them in check by pruning them down into a desired shape. This type of pruning will keep the bush looking nice for the season while preventing it from completely taking over the space it occupies.
   • When pruning a burning bush for shape, you must also do some pruning for health maintenance.

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   Decide on a shape. You can choose to trim the burning bush down while maintaining its natural shape or you could trim it down into an ornamental hedge shape.[2]

   • Consider pruning the bush into a standard cube, box, or globe hedge shape.
   • Another option would be to trim out the lower branches, leaving only a rounded top behind. Doing so would make the burning bush look like a small tree.
   • If you have difficulty visualizing your ideal shape, find a photograph or sketch to work from. You could also make your own sketch to help guide you through the process.

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   Trim the branches down to that shape. Once you have visualized the shape your burning bush should be, use hedge clippers to remove any branches that extend beyond that shape.

   • When shortening a branch or twig, cut it back to point that is 1/4 inch (6 mm) above a bud or side branch.
   • Unless you choose to completely remove the bottom half of the bush, you should make the top of the bush slightly thinner than the bottom. Doing so will permit sunlight to reach all the leaves of the shrub. A wide top can prevent sunlight from reaching the bottom in adequate amounts, though, causing the plant to become unhealthy.[3]

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   Thin out some interior branches. When you prune burning bushes into hedge shapes, you should also thin out some of the dense interior branches to improve the spread of air and sunlight through the plant.

   • Remove the oldest, tallest branches completely by cutting them back to their point of origin on the main stem.
   • If you want to redirect inward growing branches so that they grow outward and make the bush less dense, use pruning shears to cut those inward growing branches down to an outward facing bud or branch.

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   Prune new growth back later in the season. To maintain the right shape, you should prune the burning bush again in the middle of summer.

   • Burning bushes are usually grown for their autumn foliage, so you don't need to worry about accidentally removing flower buds when you do a summer pruning.
   • To determine a more exact time for your summer pruning, wait until new growth reaches a length of 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm).
   • You should prune down new growth within 2 inches (5 cm) of your spring pruning.

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   Plan on pruning around early spring. Rejuvenation pruning is the most severe form of pruning. It is best to do this type of pruning in the late winter or early spring, too, since new growth will be forming shortly thereafter, making it easier for the plant to recover.[4]

   • This type of pruning should only be done if the burning bush has become severely overgrown or sickly.
   • A healthy burning bush should be able to grow back vigorously after a severe pruning.
   • You may need to repeat this practice every year or every other year until all of the thick, overgrown trunks are gone. Once you are only left with thinner stems, you can let the bush grow to its desired height and maintain it with regular health or shape pruning.

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   Cut the bush down to ground level.[5] Use hedge shears to cut all of the branches down until they rise no more than 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) above the ground.

   • When cutting the entire bush down, make sure that you leave at least 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.6 cm) above the ground.
   • Make sure that the cuts are clean and sharp to improve the likelihood of the bush making a full recovery.

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   Feed and water the bush thoroughly throughout the season. Since this pruning method is so severe, you will need to pay extra attention to the bush during the first growing season after you prune. Water the plant regularly and apply an appropriate fertilizer.[6]

   • Water the burning bush once a week during the first spring and summer. Give it water in the morning (before the full sun of afternoon hits) and make sure that the soil beneath it is thoroughly saturated.
   • Apply fertilizer once in the early spring, shortly after you prune the bush, and a second time in the late summer or early fall, roughly two months before you expect a first frost to strike. Select a fertilizer that is high in nitrogen and follow the label instructions to determine the proper application method.

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Add New Question

• Question

  Our burning bush has several lower branches lying on the ground that are still alive. Should we cut them off, and if so, when?

  

  Lower branches are most often injured by disease, insect infestation, animals, or bad weather. Trimming should be done during late winter or early spring.

• Question

  Part of my burning bush is dead. Can I cut that out now or do I have to wait until late winter?

  

  Addison Smith

  Community Answer

  You can trim that dead part off so that the nutrients aren't taken from the healthy parts.

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• Wear heavy gardening gloves as you prune the burning bush to protect your skin and prevent it from getting scratched or cut.

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• "Dwarf" burning bush varieties will still grow into large bushes. The "dwarf" here refers to the size off the ridges along the bush's stems. It does not refer to the size of the overall plant.

  <b>Thanks! We’re glad this was helpful.</b><br />Looking for more fun ways to learn on wikiHow?<br />Learn about yourself with <a href='/Quizzes'><b>Quizzes</b></a> or try our brand new <a href='/Games/Train-Your-Brain'><b>Train Your Brain</b></a> word game.

• Dispose of any diseased or dead wood. Do not leave it lying around since diseases can spread to the healthy wood of the burning bush or the other plants in your yard. Wood that is already diseased should not be added to a compost pile, either.

  <b>Thanks! We’re glad this was helpful.</b><br />Looking for more fun ways to learn on wikiHow?<br />Learn about yourself with <a href='/Quizzes'><b>Quizzes</b></a> or try our brand new <a href='/Games/Train-Your-Brain'><b>Train Your Brain</b></a> word game.

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Things You'll Need

• Pruning shears
• Hedge shears
• Leather gardening gloves
• Garden hose
• Fertilizer

References

About This Article

Article SummaryX

To prune a burning bush plant properly, it’s best to prune in late winter or early spring. Use a pair of clean, sharp garden shears or clippers. To keep your plant healthy, stick to cutting away dead and diseased branches as well as branches that rub against each other. Trim injured or crowded branches back to just above their point of origin on the main stem of the bush. You can also prune your burning bush to maintain a desired size and shape. To do this, first decide on the shape you want, such as a cube or globe. Then, use your hedge clippers to trim away the outer ends of the branches until you achieve the shape you want. Try to cut each branch about ¼ inch (6 mm) above a bud or side branch to encourage healthy new growth. While you’re at it, thin out the inside of the bush by cutting away some of the oldest branches next to their point of origin at the stem. Throughout the year, keep trimming back any leggy new growth as it appears. Wait to prune new branches until they have grown at least 6-8 inches (15-20 cm) since your initial trim. If your bush is sick or severely overgrown, try a rejuvenation trim in early spring. Cut the bush almost to ground level, leaving only about 6-12 inches (15-30 cm) of growth above the ground. Encourage new growth by watering your bush once a week in spring and summer and feeding it high-nitrogen fertilizer twice a year, in the early spring and late summer. For more tips, including how to feed and water your burning bush throughout growing season, read on!

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