Hi everyone ! I have this ten year old Weigela that is growing
beautifully by a walkway . Some of the branches are taking over the
walkway . Is it okay to cut them back at this time of the year ?? It's
hard to get in the house . I'm in NE Indiana z5 . I would would
really appreciate your input !

Thank you !
Rosie z5

On Thu, 31 Aug 2006 18:27:19 -0400, (Rosie Face)
wrote:

Hi everyone ! I have this ten year old Weigela that is growing
beautifully by a walkway . Some of the branches are taking over the
walkway . Is it okay to cut them back at this time of the year ?? It's
hard to get in the house . I'm in NE Indiana z5 . I would would
really appreciate your input !


My wife gets tired of me telling her that it is the wrong time of year
to prune/transplant/plant/buy/whatever. About a month ago,
mid-summer, she decided to tackle our weigela which had grown to about
10 feet across with runners and vines reaching out 20 feet or more.

I keenly observed the look in her eye and kept my opinions to myself.

Soon the crashing and snapping and cursing commenced. The curses must
have come from the weigela because my lovely wife does not use such
language.

I stayed out of sight in case someone had to call for re-enforcements.
Every now and then I would peak around the corner of the house to see
if there was still movement. Seeing my wife's work boots under the
plant and observing the flying vegetation I figured that she was
holding her own.

A couple of hours later the weigela looked presentable, a mere shadow
of its former self. The wife was a smiling mess but she scrubs up
pretty good.

Yup, that was the right time.

John - also in zone 5

I liked it, well worth reading!
Grumpy

Rosie Face wrote:
Hi everyone ! I have this ten year old Weigela that is growing
beautifully by a walkway . Some of the branches are taking over the
walkway . Is it okay to cut them back at this time of the year ?? It's
hard to get in the house . I'm in NE Indiana z5 . I would would
really appreciate your input !

Thank you !
Rosie z5

Wisterias should be pruned twice each year (a) to ensure plenty of
flower bud, and (b) to keep this vigorous climber under control. Both
of these operations should be carried out each year. The only shoots to
be left 'unscathed' are those which are required to extend size or
direction of the plant.
Late Summer Pruning: (Now!) Cut all of the current side-shoot growths
back to within 12" of the main lateral. This allows more sun to get to
the wood, encouraging flower-bud formation. This should leave 4-6
leaves on each side shoot. Obviously, any side shoot required to extend
or train the framework should be left and trained as required.
Winter Pruning: February: Cut these summer-pruned side shoots back even
further - 1 or 2 inches long, leaving only 2 or 3 buds on the side
shoot. These will be the flowering spurs. It should be possible now to
distinguish the plumper flower buds from the slimmer growth buds. Long,
whippy shoots that grew after the summer pruning should also be pruned.
Cut these back to five or six buds from the main branch, making
the cut just above a bud.
Remove any suckers that appear at the base of the plant.
HTH

grumpy I liked it, well worth reading!
Grumpy

lol i betcha your wife was fair proud of herself when she finished trimming the weigela. cute story thanks for sharing it with us . cyaaaa, sockiescat.

The "right time to prune" is whenever you can't get into the house,
don't you think?

Sure, it would be better if you could wait until the plant is dormant,
but really you have to prune when you have to prune.

Cut back just as much as you need to now, and address a more thorough
pruning just after the first frost.