Daboecia

Can I prune back my Daboecia (Irish Princess Heather) now and should I lightly prune or take 2/3rds off? Hope someone can advise. I trimmed lightly last spring but we had late frosts so dont want to take the risk. Cheers.

 

Hi was not to sure but usually its better to wait till after the frosts and looking it up it said . Prune annually in the early spring after the last frost. Heathers will either bloom in the winter or the summer, but it’s recommended to keep any past blooms attached throughout the winter to protect the roots. Start pruning after the risk of frost has passed so the stems of your heathers do not suffer any damage. Hope it helps?

 

Yes I looked it up too but I was looking for advice on pruning now in late August. On Scotland our frosts go on until May sometimes. The daboacia looks a tad straggly so I might give it a light trim thanks.

 

The best time to trim a heather is immediately after flowering. Assuming it is a winter flowering heather you're a bit late to do it this year but you may get away with it and still get flowers next winter if you do it now but you are risking cutting off the stems that will flower next flowering season.

The most important thing to remember is never cut back into stems with no green leaves on them as they will not regrow. Otherwise a light trim taking off all the old dead flowers immediately after flowering every year or two will stop them getting leggy.

If your heathers are leggy and have bare leafless stems at the base you have two choices. Dig them up and start again or accept they'll stay looking leggy! :^)
personally i would have a go they might surprise you

 

Good advice. This is an Irish heather, Daboecia cantabrica) which flowers in mid summer so the flowers are mainly gone. I will give it a light trim. Thank you.

 

Not something I've grown but sounds like good advice above from Janet.
I only have winter flowering heathers which, again, get a trim after flowering.

Hope you have it in ericaceous compost.

 

Yes it is indeed in ericaceous compost. I used the same for Lithodora.

 

Hi thanks pete

 

Yes thanks to you both