Pruning Edgeworthia

Q: We put these edgeworthias in three years ago. One of the plants is six feet around but the other one is huge! We are not sure how to prune these amazing shrubs.

A: Edgeworthia is a great shrub but it can easily grow to six feet high and ten feet wide, much larger than most gardeners consider when planting.

Fortunately, it responds well to pruning. You can see many dormant buds along each branch. Make a cut just above a bud that faces outward.

I like the slightly sprawling look this shrub has naturally. If you work slowly, you can make it look the same as it is now but smaller in size.

You can prune anytime but the period after the blooms have faded but before the leaves have fully expanded would be least disruptive.