The answer to Spiere zurueckschneiden wann depends on when your variety blooms. Spring bloomers need pruning right after they flower. Summer bloomers need pruning in late winter before new growth starts. Get this timing wrong and you lose an entire season of blooms from your bush.
I learned this the hard way with my Bridalwreath spirea. When I first got it, I pruned it in early March like I did with all my other shrubs. That spring, I got zero flowers. Not a single white bloom showed up on any branch. I found out later that I had cut off all the flower buds that formed the year before. That mistake taught me to check your bloom type before you ever pick up the pruning shears.
The Spierstrauch Schnitt Zeitpunkt comes down to where your bush makes its flower buds. Spring bloomers like Bridalwreath form buds on old wood from the prior year. Those buds sit on the branches all winter long, waiting for warm weather. If you cut those stems in late winter, you remove next spring's flowers. Summer bloomers like Double Play Doozie form buds on brand new growth each spring. You can cut them back hard in February and they still bloom that same year.
For your Bridalwreath or other spring bloomer, wait until the last flowers fade in May or early June. Then you should cut back the stems that just bloomed by about one-third of their length. This gives the bush time to grow fresh wood over summer. That new wood carries next year's flower buds. Try to finish your cuts within two weeks after blooming ends.
For your Double Play Doozie or other summer bloomer, grab your shears in late February before you see new buds. Cut the whole bush back by one-third to one-half. You can even take it down to 6 inches above the ground for a full renewal. New shoots grow fast in spring and your bush blooms on that fresh wood by early summer.
If you don't know what type you have, don't prune it at all the first year. Watch your bush through one full season and note when the flowers show up. Spring flowers before June mean you have an old-wood bloomer. Flowers after June on new green stems mean you have a new-wood bloomer. Use that info to time your Spierstrauch Rueckschnitt the right way the next year and every year after that.
Read the full article: Spirea Bush: Varieties, Care and Pruning
