Beautyberry can be pruned almost to the ground in spring.
POSTED BY KIM — We’ve been getting a lot of calls at the nursery about how to prune certain shrubs this time of year. Here’s a quick list of shrubs that blooom on new wood, so they should be pruned hard in the spring (meaning, you can cut down the shrub, leaving only 6-8″ of wood).
o Callicarpa beautyberry
o Buddliea butterfly bush
o Caryopteris bluebeard
o Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’
o Hibiscus moscheutos hardy hibiscus
I’ll even add Knock Out roses to that list — it helps to think of Knock Outs as shrubs, not roses. They are so tough, and grow so quickly, that if you have a Knock Out that is too tall, cut it back hard in the spring, and you’ll have a more compact rose this summer.
A special note about hydrangeas — many hydrangeas bloom on old wood, so they actually set their flower buds the previous fall. Most of the macrophyllas, or big leaf hydrangeas, do that, so do not prune them in the spring, or you’ll cut off flower buds. Watch them until mid-May to see how far up the stem the leaves flush out. If by then you see some tip die-back, *then* cut back the tips to remove dead wood. Here’s a great article in Fine Gardening magazine about pruning hydrangeas.
Also, Lagerstroemia crape myrtles bloom on new wood, so if you have a shorter shrub, say, 3′ or shorter, then a hard haircut now will get you more flower in the summer and fall. If you have a taller variety, however — one that gets 3′, 5′ or taller, then do not cut it back hard, or you’ll end up with a disfigured shrub. A light trim of several inches or some judicious pruning to improve the shape of the plant won’t hurt, but large crape myrtles shouldn’t be cut hard, or they just don’t look right. For more information on pruning crape myrtles, here’s an informative fact sheet from the University of Georgia — it’s worth a read if you have a tall shrub you’re trying to clean up or shape into a tree form.
If you have anyquestions, don’t hesistate to call the Sugar Creek Gardens “hotline.” 
314-965-3070
