7 Plants You Should Prune Right Now for the Best Blooms—Both This Season and Next

Lilacs

In most parts of the country, many lilac varieties are just starting to fade, making now the ideal time to start priming your plant for a huge flush of blooms next year. “Lilacs should be pruned right after they finish blooming,” explains Tess Kuracina, the director of living collections and curator of herbaceous collection at the New York Botanical Garden. “Their flowers bloom on old wood, and next year’s buds develop right after flowering ends. If the plant is in good condition, gardeners can just do light shaping of the plant and remove any dead branches.”

If your lilac tree or bush needs more extreme pruning, Kuracina says it’s ok to cut back up to one-third of the plant, starting with the oldest branches. “This will cause new growth to sprout from the base while still allowing the plant to get enough energy,” she adds. “Repeat this for an additional two years, and you will have a fully rejuvenated plant.”

Foxglove

A cottage garden mainstay, foxglove is beloved for its towering height, beautiful hues, and adorable “freckled” petals. Many gardeners assume that one towering stalk is all you’ll be spoiled with for the season, but that’s actually not the case. “Gardeners of all stripes have long loved foxglove, but those of us who grow them as cuts for a living know something the home gardeners may not,” says Lennie Larkin, a flower farmer, business coach, and author of Flower Farming for Profit. “If you cut back the first, massive flower stalk after it blooms, you’ll be rewarded with tons of shorter but equally lovely stems that bloom right on into the summer months. They’re actually a better and more manageable size for market bouquets and table arrangements.”

Forsythia

For many gardeners across zones, forsythia is the first sign of spring. While the vibrant yellow branches are whimsical and magical when they bloom, they tend to look unruly once the buds have dropped and leaves have taken over. “Prune forsythia after flowering has finished and foliage has emerged to control its size and encourage a tidy shape,” suggests Carmolli, who adds that removing any crossed or crowded branches can help improve airflow and increase sunlight into the center of the shrub, resulting in a healthier plant.

“From there, you can prune stems that have bloomed this year by one-half,” Carmolli says. “Also, look around the base of your plant for suckers, which are common with forsythia. Cut them off at the ground for a neater appearance and to redirect that energy to the main plant.”

Azaleas

Another classic landscape shrub, azaleas are an ideal way to add a pop of color to your yard, as well as attract friendly pollinators like butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. “Azaleas flower on old wood, setting their flower buds the season before,” explains Kuracina. “To avoid cutting off next year’s flowers, prune your azaleas in late spring and early summer. A light pruning can help to shape the plant and remove dead wood, while a more artistic approach can highlight the plant’s elegant, layered branching patterns.”

Deutzia

Erupting in a cloud-like display of flowering branches, deutzia is ideal for lining a pathway or bringing visual interest to a landscape border. “If you haven’t grown deutzia, you’re missing quite a spectacular flock of spring blooms,” says Carmolli, who recommends the Yuki™ series of deutzia, which carries blooms that are a bit larger and last longer than other varieties. “Deutzia doesn’t need to be pruned, but if you desire a neater appearance, lightly shape the plant after flowering to remove spent blooms and encourage fresh, vigorous growth for next year.”

Dahlias

You may be wondering why we’re suggesting you prune your dahlias if they haven’t even bloomed yet—and that’s exactly the point. “Pinching” dahlias, also known as the act of picking or snipping just the terminal growing point on a plant, will help your dahlias be more productive throughout the season, while keeping their stem size manageable. “It feels so counterintuitive, but it’s what you’ve got to do if you want strong, multi-branching, floriferous dahlias,” says Larkin. “I aim to do it when the plants are just 8 inches or so tall, because it feels less aggressive that way.”

Wisteria

One of the more high-maintenance plants on this list, wisteria benefits from frequent pruning, both to encourage additional blooms and keep the plant’s growth in check, especially if you’re training it up a support or the side of a structure. “In summer, a couple of months after flowering, new growth on wisteria should be pruned back to just a couple of nodes—the space in between buds and leaves—between four to six inches in length,” explains Kuracina, who suggests repeating the same process in the winter after the plant has gone dormant. “This schedule will allow for the stems to become woody and create spur-like stems for flowers to bloom from.”