Firethorn is a popular solitary shrub and hedge shrub that sets beautiful color accents in the garden in autumn with its bright red or orange-yellow fruits. Since the rose plant tends to grow sparsely, it requires regular pruning.

Rejuvenating pruning for beautiful growth

Cutting back promotes the richly branched new shoots of the plant. For this reason, young plants should be cut more frequently so that they develop into compact and shapely bushes. Since firethorn is a very robust tree, it tolerates heavy pruning and rewards your effort and care with beautiful growth and abundance of flowers.

The time for the thinning cut

You can make a first cut of the firethorn in February or March. By this time, birds, for which the bright berries of the shrub are a welcome treat in the cold season, have harvested all the fruits. When pruning, use sharp pruning shears or pruning shears to remove any long unbranched shoots and inward-growing branches. The incision is always made just above the eye. This is the slightly thickened part of the branch from which a new shoot will later grow.

Another topiary can be done in early summer

Firethorn pauses in growth around St. John's Day on June 24th. Now is the right time for another cut. When pruning the firethorn in summer, be sure to watch out for breeding birds that build their nests in the dense foliage and raise their young in the shelter of the thorny branches. In addition, do not remove too many umbels of flowers, otherwise hardly any fruit will form in autumn. If you have planted a firethorn hedge, now is the right time to trim the hedge. You can make this trimming with the electric or petrol-powered hedge trimmer (€24.99). You can then cut back the bushes and thin them out, just like a solitary firethorn planted.

Tips for the right cut

When cutting, position the scissors at a slight angle. This allows the water to run off easily at the interface and the risk of infection for plant diseases is lower. You should not be too hesitant when pruning, because the firethorn can only develop strong and beautifully branched branches if it is pruned sufficiently. As a rule of thumb, you can trim about a third of the branch without worrying. Dry and bare branches are completely removed. Avoid pruning during frost and in the sunny midday hours, as the exposed shoots could be damaged by the weather conditions.

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Herbs