Burning Bush Pruning

Burning bushes are very popular choices for deciduous landscapes. They have deep emerald colored leaves, and one doesn't need to pay much attention to these shrubs and bushes. Burning bushes (Euonymus alatus) are of two types. The first is the dwarf burning bush which has slightly arched branches and looks graceful. The dwarf burning bush are not actually dwarf-sized and can grow up to 6 feet, but they are called so because they are smaller compared to the common burning bush. These common burning bushes can grow over 15 feet, so regular burning bush pruning is required. The good news is that burning bushes can be pruned in any shape and can be cut down to a fairly small height. Let us take a look at how and when to prune an overgrown burning bush.

When to Prune Burning Bush?
Wondering, when to prune burning bush? Any time, is right for common or dwarf burning bush pruning. If you think they have become too big and their size is hindering the other trees or plants, it is time to trim them. If the burning bush in your garden has become so big that it blocks your garage door or a path, you can use shears and trim it. Try and figure out what you would like the average size of the burning bush to be and prune it to that size, after measuring it with a tape. After some pruning sessions you will get a fair idea about when and how much to prune the burning bush. Burning bush turns bright red in autumn and looks stunning. It is best to prune the bush when it is young.

How to Prune Burning Bush?
Burning bushes are tough and can sustain a lot of hard pruning. One doesn't need to be an expert at pruning, when it comes to burning bush pruning. All you need are garden tools like good shears, and a ladder, in case of overgrown burning bushes. If you are pruning burning bushes, then you give it a variety of shapes, like rectangle, square, globe or even tree-like.

Square or rectangular shape are not the natural shapes of burning bushes, so try and give it a globular shape. You can also cut it into a natural looking tree shape. For this shape, take some hedge shears and keep some of the vertical branches (up to the height of 5 - 7 feet) bare. You can do this by removing the smaller branches on the side and all the leaves. The upper levels of the bush (after 5 - 7 feet height) can be pruned in a semi-circular shape.

However the best shape to give a burning bush is the globe. If you want to know how to prune burning bush into a globular shape, then here is your solution. First of all, remove all the unhealthy, diseased and damaged branches of the burning bush. Then pick a central branch which can act as the main trunk. Select some of the side branches and trim out the excess branches. Now, to give it a perfect globular shape, trim the edges of the branches that you have selected.

To learn more about pruning different types of bushes, browse through -

• Pruning Butterfly Bush - How to Prune Butterfly Bush
• Pruning Rhododendron Plant
• Pruning Lilac Bushes - How to Prune Lilac Bushes

Useful Tips for Burning Bush Pruning
There are some important pointers, that should be kept in mind while undertaking burning bush pruning.

• Burning bushes grow at an alarmingly fast rate. So, if you wish to avoid pruning it, transplant it to a place where it can grow as big as possible.
• You can also replace the burning bush with some other plants like oak leaf hydrangea, sumac or chokeberry.
• You can also prune the burning bush and cut it to a size of 12 inches. However, this might affect the bush badly and only if the health of your burning bush is good, will it be able to recover from this extreme pruning.
• Burning bush form monoculture (plant culture resulting from growth of only one type of plant), and compete with other native plants. So, if you are planning to plant burning bushes, ensure that you know whether or not they will interfere with the growth of native plants

This was all about burning bush pruning. You can prune burning bushes any time you like. Burning bushes look amazing in fall when they turn red, however to maintain them one needs to trim them regularly. Therefore, try to either plant very few burning bushes or plant other alternative fall plants.