'Daphne',

'Prune hard in the spring', which is what you should do with Comtesse De
Bouchard, means that you should cut the stems right back to the bottom
pair of buds, about 6-12in from the ground.

This plant readily produces new shoots from below ground level and hard
annual pruning encourages this so that, in effect, you are beginning
each year with a healthy new plant.

Regards,
Emrys Davies.


"Daphne Dean" wrote in message
...
We planted a Comtesse de Bouchard last year and it flowered very well.

The instructions say, "Prune hard in early Spring", but we don't know
what
that means. There are some woody stems at the bottom, and the first
new
growth is about 2ft off the ground. There are quite a few new shoots
with
what look like buds already forming.

Could you please advise us on the pruning.

Thank you and best wishes
Daphne