Bignones are marvelous climbing vines full of ardor, producing large, trumpet-shaped flowers all summer. They dress up pergolas and fences in a spectacular way, bringing delightful notes of yellow, orange, salmon pink or red to the garden or terrace, depending on the variety chosen… These ornamental plants of the Bignonaceae grow visibly, up to a hundred centimeters each year. Of course, it is absolutely essential to tame this vining shrub with great development, but it is always necessary to intervene at the right time. Here are the tips to follow to successfully prune a bignone.
When to prune a bignone?
It’s only between late February and mid-March that the bignone must be pruned because its flowers develop at the end of the shoots of the year. Pruning too late would therefore jeopardize flowering. On the contrary, by pruning from the month just before the resumption of vegetation, the gardener stimulates the production of new shoots full of vigor and consequently the bignone will produce abundant flowers throughout the summer.
How to prune a bignone?
Before tackling the pruning, the blades of the shears and disinfect them. Then, a small inspection of the plant makes it possible to select the branches to be cut but also those which it is simply necessary to shorten in order to preserve its pretty port. The size should in no way unbalance a bignone.
We start with guide rods on the support depending on the desired result. The branches guided horizontally give more flowers but fewer leaves while those that grow vertically benefit from a greater supply of sap which favors the development of the foliage. It is interesting to know this in order to guide a bignone before pruning it and thus be able to subsequently benefit from a vegetated surface producing certainly lots of flowers but also creates enoughshady.
The size of a bignone must allow:
- To eliminate the tips of the branches that have dried up in the winter cold,
- To cut at the base all the dead branches and those which have little vigour,
- To keep only the structure of the plant,
- To prune the secondary branches of the previous year to about 20 cm, taking care to keep a maximum of three beautiful buds,
- Not to let the branches get tangled.
The size also allows the light to penetrate into the heart of the antlers andair to circulate well between the branches. In any case, do not be afraid of severe pruning because, carried out at the very beginning of spring, it is well tolerated by the bignone.
Note that in regions with a harsh climate, it is better to choose the hardiest species, namely Campsis radicans. This Virginia Jasmine which is also called Trumpet of Jericho must also, despite its good resistance to cold, be pruned in the spring.
Top tips for successfully pruning a bignone
Many home gardeners are tempted to prune their Bignone in the fall, when after a squall it has lost almost all of its leaves and looks quite scrawny. It’s a big mistake because the pruning promotes the growth of new branches but at this time of the year they will not resist the frost. The first frost will therefore be fatal to them. As a result, the plant will be unable to produce enough new shoots the following spring.
Small useful precision: although thewe never prune a bignone in autumnit is necessary on the other hand as of the deflowering to cut all the branches having carried flowers.