Early Summer Pruning
You'll still get flowers even if your butterfly bush was killed to the ground this winter.
Finish pruning spring blooming shrubs by middle of June if needed:
Azalea, Cytisus, Deutzia, Forsythia, Lilac, Loropetalum, Photinia, Quince, Rosemary, Spiraea, Viburnum, Weigela etc.
Prune evergreen shrubs if needed:
Boxwood, Camellia, Holly, Juniper, Laurel, Leucothoe, Ligustrum.
Evergreen shrubs with winter burn of the outer leaves are telling you what was just leaf loss and what was stem damage. New growth should be well along and any remaining areas of visible damage should be tidied up. Evergreen or not, If it’s not sprouting by now, the branch is dead and should be removed.
Fig trees killed to the ground this winter should have new growth emerging from the base if the roots survived. Remove all dead wood and give it another go with the sprouts. Since they are growing off of an established root system, you’ll have better luck by regrowing your old fig than planting a new one.
Prune macrophylla hydrangeas after bloom, but only if necessary. They are best pruned by removing older stems to the ground rather than shortening stems. One-time bloomers damaged by this winter’s cold may not bloom this year, or may bloom from smaller, secondary buds if only the ends of the branches were damaged. Where the entire shrub turned brown and now has fresh new growth coming up, cut all brown stems back to the ground.
Butterfly bush and Knockout Roses can be shaped any time after first flush of bloom to reduce size and keep tidy. They should re-bloom within 6 weeks. If your butterfly bush was killed to the ground, cut back all dead branches. You will get blooms this year, unlike single bloom hydrangeas, as butterfly bush flowers from new growth.
