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Help needed for pruning shrubs
Q I am wondering when to prune a couple of our shrubs. We have a leggy Viburnum x burkwoodii ‘Anne Russell’ that’s about eight years old and a Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Koria’ that is two years old and being grown in a large pot. How should I prune it to stop it getting leggy as well?
Sandra Partlett, Halstead, Essex
A The best way to encourage your leggy eight-year-old Viburnum x burkwoodii ‘Anne Russell’ to grow bushy and flower well is to shorten it by half its height and feed it with Vitax Q4.
Sprinkle it over the root area and, if the soil is dry, water it in. Apply it monthly from now until September. Follow feeding by mulching with crumbly manure or well-rotted garden compost to conserve moisture in dry spells.
Repeat this treatment annually, but do not prune it again, as this initial pruning should encourage a multibranched crown.
