# How to Prune Scarlet Hedgenettles
Scarlet hedgenettle (Stachys coccinea), also known as Texas betony, is a spreading herbaceous perennial. It does best as a tall creeping cover in moist desert canyons, uplands and mountains. Scarlet hedgenettle attracts hummingbirds and repels deer, so it is commonly used in ornamental gardens. In this setting, it can quickly grow out of control because of its spreading nature. Pruning scarlet hedgenettle is an extremely simple process since this aggressive perennial is practically bomb proof.
Things You'll Need
- Bypass pruners
Instructions
-
-
1
Reach under the scarlet hedgenettle and locate the spot where the outermost branches emerge from the crown. Use your bypass pruners to remove the outer layer of branches if the plant needs to be trimmed back.
-
2
Spread the foliage apart from the top and selectively cut out branches near the crown to thin the plant. Select branches spaced away from one another to maintain the fullness of the plant.
-
3
Cut off spent blooms 1 to 2 inches below their bottom to deadhead the hedgenettle. Trim the plant in a similar fashion, but remove as much material as necessary to maintain a mounded shape. The blooms form at the end of the branches so it may take a while for blooming to begin again.
-
1
- How to Prune Outdoor Hibiscus
- How to Prune Flowers on a Bush
- How to Prune a Decorative Tree
- How to Prune a Boxwood Bonsai
- How to Prune a Purple Magnolia
- How to Prune Blackberry Canes
- How to Prune Patchouli Plants
- How to Prune a Chinese Snowball
- How to Prune a Clover Bush
- How to Prune Lower Branches of a Rhododendron
- How to Prune Espalier Magnolias
- How to Prune Scarlet Hedgenettles
