Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
? about Magic Carpet Spirea (Updated)
So I just planted 5 of these last year. DH's grandmom is an avid gardener and we consider her an expert on some level. She's always on the garden club's board, does all of her own landscaping including her lawn, won various awards, etc. Anyway, she was over yesterday and commented on how nice our spirea looked and asked if I cut them down last year. She said that after they flower you are supposed to cut them down to the ground, and they'll grow back up again in time to flower for fall?
I did not do this, I just pruned to shape in the fall, which is what I was told to do by the man at the landscaping center (private small landscaping place, not HD or Lowe's or some commercial business where it's possible that they might not know what they are talking about). I thought maybe he told me the wrong thing so I found the care tag that is attached to the plant this morning and it says to remove damaged branches and prune to control growth.
Has anyone ever heard to cut this plant down to the ground? She said to do it twice a year. Either in the spring or in the fall, and once after the first batch of flowers die in the summer.
I figured since it was a shrub that you just leave it go. Especially since the leaves fall off in the fall. Another reason why I bought this plant in the first place is that the leaves are an interesting color and it gives nice contrast around our house compared to other plants, and it's still colorful when other plants nearby stop blooming. If I cut them down after they flower my flowerbeds will look naked and awkward all summer until they grow back up.
Thoughts? Advice? They look beautiful right now!
Update: I have now polled a professional landscaper, and IL's (DH's grandmom is MIL's mom). They all said not to do it. lol They said that they would be too slow to grow back that fast, but that it is ok to cut them back a little bit after they flower. FIL said, not to cut them down lower than 6" above the ground, but since I want them to be larger for various reasons, just to prune them.
FIL also added that DH's grandmom does it with all of her plants no matter what they are, and then after 3 years digs everything out and buys new plants. lol I guess DH's grandmom isn't losing it, it's just a case of older age boredom. lol
Re: ? about Magic Carpet Spirea (Updated)
I don't know anyone who does that. I've never even heard of that practice being done on this plant, but I haven't been around as long as your grandma.
Here are some guidelines that may help.
http://www.ehow.com/how_2272107_prune-summer-flowering-spiraeas.html
I think your grandma was mistaken. The head of my garden club has similar gold leaved spirea and she only prunes hers.