How to prune wintersweet

Immediately after flowering — late winter to early spring (February–March). Cut flowered shoots back by up to one-third to an outward-facing bud or a strong lateral. Remove any dead, diseased, or crossing stems at the base. If grown as a wall shrub, tie in new growth in summer to train against supports.

Annually (light tidy) — heavy renovation rarely needed. Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox) flowers on old wood and needs minimal pruning. Prune only to remove dead or weak growth and to maintain space, ideally right after the flowers fade in late winter. Hard pruning sacrifices next winter's blooms, as flowers form on wood produced in the previous summer.

Cut flowered shoots back by up to one-third to an outward-facing bud or a strong lateral. Remove any dead, diseased, or crossing stems at the base. If grown as a wall shrub, tie in new growth in summer to train against supports.