Rita Elliott

Spring is upon us and here are the simple steps to take in order to keep flowering shrubs happy and healthy while also growing buds for next year's blooms.

A Careful Snip: Once flowering is finished, most shrubs begin the process of building buds for next year. You can assist the process by making sure their new growth of leaves is plentiful.

Remember this: The more abundant the foliage, the more flowers the plant can sustain.

Hedges of hibiscus and ixora can be cut in half if their lower branches are thin. By pruning lightly to shape - or more sharply to rejuvenate within a month of flowering - you induce the plant to produce leaves from both the tips and within the canopy.

Plumbago, among others, should have their brown stems inside the canopy removed. This, too, should encourage a marked rejuvenation of the plant.

The Two Steps

March brings the most important time for fertilising flowering shrubs and building their soil. Begin by spreading a 2cm-deep blanket of compost (your own or store-bought) around each shrub like a skirt. Cover the whole area from the main trunkout to the drip line. Work the compost into the soil with a rake or hand cultivator, then cover with new mulch. Two weeks later, use a flowering shrub formula granular fertiliser.

By following the process of simple pruning and enhancing nutrition, you give flowering shrubs all they need to look neat this season and bloom the next.

Finally, after flowering, remove from spring-blooming shrub any broken, diseased, or errant branches. Shape the shrub to fit the size of the location.