How to Prune a Coppertina Shrub

Overview

One of the most colorful varieties of Ninebark is the Coppertina shrub (Physocarpus opulifolius "Mindia"). New growth offers a coppery-orange display and matures to rich red in the summer. Small white flowers in the spring are followed by red berries in the fall. Coppertina shrubs grow 6 to 8 feet tall and wide. The multi-stem shrubs contain arching branches and peeling, cinnamon-colored bark. Prune Coppertina shrubs in the late winter or early spring before new growth appears.

Step 1

Cut limbs up to ½ inch in diameter with hand pruners. Cut larger limbs with lopping shears. Make cuts at a 30-degree angle at a joint or bud.

Step 2

Remove dead, injured or diseased limbs at ground level with hand pruners or lopping shears. Disease symptoms include dead or dying leaves, split wood, cankers, or slimy areas of bark.

Step 3

Cut off any crossed or bent limbs with hand pruners or lopping shears to open up the interior of the plant.

Step 4

Prune suckers, and old and weak growth at ground level with hand pruners or lopping shears. This will thin out unproductive growth that is crowding the plant and encourage healthy new growth.

Step 5

Clip any limbs that spoil the shape of the plant with hand pruners or lopping shears. The natural form of Coppertina shrubs is upright to arching, with no floppy, drooping limbs.