What kind of pruning shears are best for trimming a burning bush

Chriss Grijak
by Chriss Grijak

I noticed this morning that 2 of my burning bushes have some dead branches in the center of the bush. Also, some of the leaves look limp. It’s been very hot here and I’ve been watering them daily. They were planted last summer. Is it ok to trim them now and what type of pruning shears would be best? Thank you!


  12 answers
  • Mogie Mogie on Jun 24, 2020

    Burning bushes are notorious for slowly overgrowing their space. What started out as a lovely, well-shaped shrub can turn into a monster of a plant that is scruffy, leggy, and sparse. While your first reaction would be to remove it, you should consider instead rejuvenating your burning bush.

    To do rejuvenation pruning on a burning bush, take either a sharp, clean pair of pruning shears or hedge clippers and cut the entire burning bush plant down all the way to about 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.5 cm.) from the ground. While this may seem drastic, it is healthy for the plant and will result in the burning bush being forced to grow new, full, and more manageable growth.

    If you are trimming burning bushes to rejuvenate them, you should be doing this in early spring, before the burning bush starts to put out leaves. If you are pruning a burning bush to shape it, you can prune it while it is dormant, in either late winter or very early spring.



  • GrandmasHouseDIY GrandmasHouseDIY on Jun 24, 2020

    Hi Chriss yes you can trim dead wood any time without harming the bush. I like the curved hand sheers personally. Here's the product link from Amazon of the ones I have. https://amzn.to/31jQsr7

  • Annie Annie on Jun 24, 2020

    These are the ones we like to use, Fiskars are very good quality. And here are some pruning shear cleaning and sharpening tips if you need them.

    https://countrylivinginacariboovalley.com/how-to-clean-and-sharpen-pruning-shears/

  • William William on Jun 24, 2020

    You can trim dead branches anytime along with pruning to shape it. You can also trim new growth to keep it at bay. A good brand of bypass pruning shears will work.

  • I always trimmed mine with a hedge trimmer.

  • Dead branches can be cut anytime. I use a hedge trimmer

  • Peggy L Burnette Peggy L Burnette on Jun 24, 2020

    Hi Chriss, hope this information helps you with your beautiful burning bush. Trim when the plant is dormant.

    3 Ways to Prune Burning Bush - wikiHowwww.wikihow.com › ... › Growing Flowers


    Sep 10, 2019 - When you decide to prune a burning bush for the health of the plant alone, ... Use pruning shears to cut away any dead branches or branches that have ... so it is best to remove them completely instead of trimming them down.

  • Cindy Cindy on Jun 24, 2020

    Hi Chriss. We use hedge trimmers on all of our bushes. They make nice even cuts and make it easy to trim the bushes. My husband maintains them by cleaning and sharpening them regularly. Good luck Chriss. I hope all is well with you.

  • Cynthia H Cynthia H on Jun 25, 2020

    Check out the trimming equipment at a local hardware store. You want the snips to be large enough to cut through the branch, but, a comfortable size and weight to use. I like smaller pruning tools because I find them easier for me to use. Good luck and stay safe!

  • Lifestyles Homes Lifestyles Homes on Jun 25, 2020

    I would buy both large long sheers for overall shaping of leafy parts and

    also small strong pruning sheers for reaching into the bush and selectively cutting out dead branches.

    Loppers are for pruning very large branches and wouldn’t be much fun trying to use inside the bush.

    I suggest not buying the cheapest ones as they won’t last more than a few years.


  • Cheryl A Cheryl A on Jun 27, 2020

    I bought loppers and they come in different sizes because I have so many shrubs, trees, plants that need some more than pruning shears- they work great you can find them at Home Depot, Lowes and even Walmart