mountain-flame-issues
Hello All.
You will probably guess by the question I ask that I am not by any means the most experienced of gardeners.
Last year, my Uncle moved house and gave me the opportunity to take a couple of plants from his garden. I liked the look of two large Pieris bushes which he had there for some years.
I planted them quickly, fed them and ensured that they were watered well for the first few months. However I am now concerned at the state of them. They are quite spindly, and look as though they need a good cutting back.
I appreciate that I cannot do this just yet, but am concerned that if I were to be over zelous in the coming months - I may well just ruin these plants completely. The wood nearest to the main shoots look dead. I appreciate that they are not - as new growth has appeared at the ends!
As my Uncle has now sadly passed away, these bushes are precious to me and I need your help!!
Thank you in anticipation, John.
Posts
Hi John. By the look of the pic you have a 'two tier' looking shrub. I'd go in and take all the tall bits off back to around the height of the bottom half or even lower. I moved a pieris a few months back and it's looking fine with plenty of new growth but I had to remove a mature branch to get it out. That branch won't re grow but new shoots are coming from it and in the meantime the rest of the shrub will hide that. If you cut your long bits back now it'll have time to re generate a little before the winter and next year you'll get a bit of new growth which will eventually fill out and make it a nice bushy plant again.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...