"culprit" wrote in message ...
i have "edward goucher" glossy abelia planted in front of my porch as
"foundation plantings". i planted them from containers this spring, and
they're getting extremely leggy, and the long, straight stems run out
horizontally from the plant. there's some thicker, shrubbier bits at the
bottom, which are blooming nicely right now.

the question is, how and when should i prune the long leggy bits to promote
a more even growth? or is this even possible? i've currently got the long
stems tied and staked so that they don't run out into the lawn.

oh, i'm in zone 8, if that matters.

-kelly

You can prune the bejeezus out of Abelia. Cut buggywhips back to
likely-looking nodes; it will bounce back and branch quickly.

You can even shear it, but I don't like to do so, as it cuts down on
flowers. Just set limits on how big you are going to let it get, and
head back anything that grows out of bounds (which it will do
enthusiastically).

--
Chris Green