Setting Bud

When do I prune which shrub?  Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall - it depends on the shrub.  The one thing that seems to be true for all of the flowering shrub is that they are to be pruned after flowering, but before they "set bud".  

I get why gardening references don't say to 'prune your rhododendrons on April 23rd'.  It's way too specific of a time.  What if you still have snow on April 23rd and the flowers haven't even blossomed yet?  What if the flowers blossomed on March 23rd?  What then?

So they tell you to prune before the shrubs 'set bud'.  And this makes sense.  If you know what 'set bud' means.

As I see it, here's a year in the life of a shrub.

• The shrub blossoms.  
• The flowers die.  
• There's a spurt of new growth - leaves and such.  
• And then the plant kind of quiets down, just hanging out - not much going on.  
• Then there's another spurt of growth.  
• Then it chills out again.  
• Then it starts changing color, or it's leaves get dull looking, or they sort of curl up a bit.  
• Then I stop looking at the shrubs because it's too cold out and they're covered in snow.
• Then the leaves turn back to their regular color and it looks perky.
• Then the flower buds get really big.
• The shrub blossoms.

If you notice, nowhere in there does it say 'set bud'.  And how big is a bud when it sets?  Do I need a magnifier?  Just how precise do you have to be about this whole 'set bud' business?

It turns out you don't have to be that precise at all (unless you are going for the ultimate in flowering shrubbery - in which case you know all about setting bud - in which case you are most likely just reading this for a laugh!).  

After the flower dies, prune the shrub.

• The shrub blossoms.  
• The flowers die.  
• PRUNE NOW
• There's a spurt of new growth - leaves and such.  
• And then the plant kind of quiets down, just hanging out - not much going on.  
• Then there's another spurt of growth.  
• Then it chills out again.  
• Then it starts changing color, or it's leaves get dull looking, or they sort of curl up a bit.  
• Then I stop looking at the shrubs because it's too cold out and they're covered in snow.
• Then the leaves turn back to their regular color and it looks perky.
• Then the flower buds get really big.
• The shrub blossoms.

The shrub is going to set bud in the growth spurts, so prune before the growth spurt.

Or you can just prune when you cut some flowers to bring into the house.  I think that this is what I do most often.  Too easy and too pretty.