What Type of Shrub is Best For Cloud Pruning? 

If you’re thinking of doing cloud pruning in your garden, there are several options you have. Some of these include Japanese privet, Beauty bush, Ilex Crenata, and Japanese holly. In this article, we’ll discuss a few of these options. 

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Japanese privet 

Japanese privet is a native of Asia, but it has been adapted to warm climates in North America. It grows well in dry soil and is drought-tolerant. If you want to try cloud pruning, it is best to start with a fully crowned tree. You can also try pruning it after it blooms. 

Privets grow between six and twelve feet tall, but they can reach 20 feet. Prune them as needed to keep them healthy and prune out dead and broken branches. You can also make thinning cuts to encourage light to enter the interior. To make your Japanese privet hedge look neat, you can shear off half the growth from last year. If you want it to look informal, you can prune the oldest branches to make them shorter. 

Beauty bush 

A beauty bush is a shrub that is best known for its flowers. These trumpet-shaped blooms appear in the spring in clouds of pink. The foliage is dark green and ovate. These flowers have wonderful fragrances. Beauty bush gets its name from the Greek word for beauty. It is also the name of the genus, which is named after the German botanist Richard Kollwitz. 

Beauty bush doesn’t have many pest problems and is deer resistant. However, you might have to deal with aphids, which are tiny insects that feed on the sap. Another issue is bacterial leaf spots, which can overwinter in leaf debris and attack the leaves. Luckily, this disease is easy to prevent by keeping the foliage clean and trimmed regularly. 

Ilex Crenata 

Ilex Crenata is a compact evergreen shrub with glossy black leaves, growing upright and in a pyramidal form. It has a slow growth rate and is best suited for cloud pruning. It can be trained into a topiary shape or pruned into a barrier hedge. Ilex crenata is also commonly known as Box Leaved Holly and grows well in most soils. 

One of the benefits of Ilex Crenata is that it is resistant to Box Blight. It also regenerates from old wood. Another benefit of Ilex crenata is its easy pruning ability. It grows well in most soils and conditions and is a popular statement plant. It is also one of the best plants for cloud pruning, which involves shaping a shrub into a rounded sphere. 

Japanese holly 

When pruning Japanese hollies, you want to select a variety that will grow well in the type of soil you have available. Generally, this plant does best in soil that is slightly acidic and not too alkaline. The best pH level for most garden soil is 6.0-7.0. Alkaline soil will cause the leaves to turn yellow or pale green. 

Immature trees are easier to prune, but mature trees can be shaped to suit your personal taste. If you’d like to create a cloudy look, you can prune trees with weird branching. You’ll want to prune off the laterals and growth from the rest of the branches, and then shape the remaining end-growth into cloud shapes. The branches will be short and close together. This style is best for trees that are fully crowned.