By Bernard
Cambridgeshire,
United Kingdom 
Pruning.
I'm slowly getting to grips with pruning and understand the general rule that the right time is when the shrub has finished flowering. There are always exceptions to the rule and I wonder if my Choisya has an independant spirit as it throws up vigorous new shoots from the centre of the flower clusters before they have finshed flowering apart from those coming from the normal places. If I prune the shrub when the flowers are finished, what should I do about all the new growth? I'm scared of losing next year's flowers.
23 May, 2011
Answers
i'm sure Bamboo is right. I find my Choisya is a fairly tough plant and I just chop bits off after flowering whenever it gets too big. I know what you mean about the new growth, and I don't know the right answer but mine is never short of blooms in spite of my chopping it about. It is the ordinary green one, not the golden-leaved one.
24 May, 2011
Thanks for the advice, I think I'm a bit more clued up now.
30 May, 2011
Previous question
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If its new growth, perhaps there's a chance you needn't cut it at all because its not so large as the rest of the shrub? Clip over after flowering to deadhead and reshape is the usual advice, if its necessary. Rule of thumb for pruning is, if it flowers BEFORE JUNE then prune after flowering, though there are exceptions. Plants which flower later have different rules depending on the plant.
23 May, 2011