Willow-leaved cotoneaster (Cotoneaster salicifolius): when and how to prune

Willow-leaved cotoneaster (Cotoneaster salicifolius): when to prune it?

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Prune only to keep it in shape, in March–April, before new growth starts.

What else to prune in those months? March · April

Willow-leaved cotoneaster (Cotoneaster salicifolius): how to prune it?

1. Remove dead, damaged and crossing branches.
2. Cut overlong branches back to a side branch or to the base, so that the arching shape is kept.
3. Do not shear it into a tight shape: you would lose the flowers and berries.
4. Rejuvenate an old, bare shrub by removing a third of the oldest stems at the base each year.

How much to cut, and how often?

• One pruning period a year: March–April.
• Prune in moderation: never remove more than about a third of the shrub at once.

What does it mean for wildlife?

• Pruning in March–April can fall in the nesting season (15 March–15 August). Check carefully for nesting birds first: disturbing an active nest is against the law.
• Willow-leaved cotoneaster (Cotoneaster salicifolius) flowers in June, when it attracts bees.
• Prunings can go on a dead hedge or brash pile in a corner of the garden: shelter for hedgehogs, wrens and insects.

Common mistakes

• Clipping without first checking for nesting birds.
• Leaving a stub or sawing flush with the trunk: cut just outside the branch collar.

Nearby: related pruning guides

• Cotoneaster
• Bearberry cotoneaster (Cotoneaster dammeri)
• Franchet’s cotoneaster (Cotoneaster franchetii)
• Late cotoneaster (Cotoneaster lacteus)
• Wall cotoneaster (Cotoneaster horizontalis)
• Alder buckthorn

Plant profile: Willow-leaved cotoneaster (Cotoneaster salicifolius) · Pruning calendar and basic rules