Esperanza Pruning Information
Should I prune my esperanza? Yes, but not too much. Esperanza, also frequently called Yellow Bells and Yellow Elder, is a remarkably low maintenance plant. It performs well even in very poor soils and has excellent heat and drought tolerance. It needs full sun in order to bloom to its fullest potential and to maintain a compact shape. It will still grow in partial shade, but it will form a long, gangling appearance that not even pruning will be able to fix. Pruning esperanza plants should be done only to encourage new growth. The shrubs should naturally form a bushy shape.
How to Prune an Esperanza Bush
The main time for pruning esperanza plants is late winter, after all blooming has stopped. Esperanzas are not frost hardy, and they will die back if temperatures drop below freezing. The roots are generally reliably hardy down to zone 8, however. If your esperanza plant suffers frost damage, cut it back to the ground and mulch heavily over the roots. It ought to come back with new growth in the spring. If your winters are frost free, wait until midwinter to cut back the branches. This will encourage new growth and flowering in the spring. Esperanza flowers appear on new spring growth, so be careful not to prune in the spring when flower buds are forming. Some deadheading during the summer will also encourage new blooming. Remove stems that are covered in spent blooms to make way for new growth and new flowers.
