A: For the last month, myself, other gardeners and industry professionals have been cautioning folks, “just wait and be patient” before pruning shrubs right now. After the freeze at Christmastime, many thought these shrubs were killed back.
Just this week, Rick Smith, the Pruning Guru, shared this picture with me. It shows new growth at the tips of a tea olive that was defoliated back in December. I think in the coming months, we’ll be pleased to see new growth on MOST of the things that startled us back then. This also includes azaleas, ligustrum, loropetalum and boxwoods, where many of the leaves turned brown.
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