I know I don't do this until the spring, but how do you prune winter jasmine?

kc.sdic

I know it isn't the right time of year to prune a winter flowering Jasmine, but since mine has started flowering I am even more confused about how to prune it. I have searched and searched online but when I do find anything about pruning there is such conflicting information. Hopefully there will be picture below. I am trying to keep the Jasmine trained flatish against the shed. I thought what I had to do was create a network of branches and then sideshoots /laterals came off the those  branches and they would be  the stems that would have flowers on. Then in the spring I cut those sideshoots to within two or three pairs of buds of the main branch whilst leaving the framework intact. However, mine is flowering all the way along what I would say is the main framework?? Is this because my plant is very young and therefore not developed its laterals? Do I therefore (in the spring) need to prune the unbranched stems to a pair of buds to create laterals and then having done that once, in future years I just leave the framework in place with the laterals then flowering rather than what currently looks like the main stems flowering? If this makes any sense? What I don't want to end up with is an untidy birds nest of tangled growth. I know I don't have to do any of this until the spring, but as I watched the flowers opening, I realised I still didn't understand the fundamentals of Winter Jasmine pruning. 

nutcutlet

the shape of that looks great. I wonder if it's about how old wood has to be before it flowers and that those extended parts will flower next year

kc.sdic

nutcutlet said:

the shape of that looks great. I wonder if it's about how old wood has to be before it flowers and that those extended parts will flower next year

Hi thanks for your reply. Most of the growth is new as I only planted it last year so it did most of the growth this year. From what I have read it flowers on "the previous summer's shoots" so I thought that meant last year (2017) but it is flowering slowly right up the long stems, so maybe this means previous to autumn so this year's shoots? This is when I started to get confused, as I thought the long whippy stems would be the framework (non-flowering) and then laterals off that would flower? I just want to prune it to keep it nice and tight with the shed. I have seen this done but just don't know how :O) 

nutcutlet

I'm sure someone will have some ideas kc, I would interpret 'the previous year's growth' just as you did. My experience with this plant was previously just removing the corpse. Now trying another which was failing where I placed it in the garden, dug it up, potted and awaiting a new site. So no practical help from me  

Borderline

There is no need to get too technical with this shrub. Since you are training it in the first few years, simply continue with training main stems to how tall or wide you prefer. Any stray whippy growth that stick out drastically can be snipped out in late spring into summer. This should not disrupt the flowering for next year in late winter.

kc.sdic

Borderline said:

There is no need to get too technical with this shrub. Since you are training it in the first few years, simply continue with training main stems to how tall or wide you prefer. Any stray whippy growth that stick out drastically can be snipped out in late spring into summer. This should not disrupt the flowering for next year in late winter.

Hi thanks for your reply, but there really aren't many side shoots ? So if I  don't  prune the stems to stimulate lateral growth, if it flowers on the previous summer's growth it wont flower down these long stems next year (as it is now doing) will it (?) only on the bit where it grows, yes? I need to keep it within the 12 foot panel of the shed. So logically I think I do need to prune these long whippy stems (forming the framework) back to a pair of buds, to get it to send out laterals and then I prune those in future years to provide the flowers, maybe? However, if I keep pruning the main framework back to keep it within the 12 foot am I going to end up with a lot of  birds nest growth? Sorry, here I am overthinking this, when you have said there is not need to get too technical :O(  
I have looked for videos /drawings online but not had much luck, so much so that I went to the library (can you imagine!!) and photocopied from, I think it was the RHS pruning book, and thought I understood, until mine started flowering all along the framework stems!! And online I keep reading:

"Simply cut back the flowered shoots, to below where the flowering started - as soon as possible after flowers have finished. " 

 Which would mean cutting every stem on my plant back as it is flowering all along the main stems. Just to counter all the over thinking, I do have to say I LOVE these shrubs and it is so lovely to look out of my window and see these beautiful yellow flowers. I only have a very small garden so every plant has to work. I wish I could just let my Jasmine do what it does naturally and flop over a beautiful stone wall. 

Lizzie27

Jasmine is very tough and can stand any amount of hacking about, so you do not need to get very technical about it. Just prune out what you don't want, when it has stopped flowering in the spring. 

Borderline

Lizzie27 has more or less given you the short answer. Since you are wall training the shrub, you will need to experiment according to your local conditions (how fast or slow it grows per year), but generally, you will need to cut a portion of the stems back every year because the shrub will need rejuvenating every year if you want flowers lower down. Once the branches mature and form more of a network of branching, you can just prune back stray growth after flowering.

I suggest you take half of the long stems back by half or two thirds in late spring next year. Then the year after that, prune back the other remaining stems you did not cut back, in exactly the same way. You will find that shrub will branch more and more as it matures. This should not cause issues with the flowering. In the first few years, the flowers will be a bit sparse, but the more the shrub thickens, you will eventually have more flowers.

Artemis3

Lizzie27 said:

Jasmine is very tough and can stand any amount of hacking about, so you do not need to get very technical about it. Just prune out what you don't want, when it has stopped flowering in the spring. 

I would totally agree too.  That's how I treat it and it thrives.

kc.sdic

Thanks everyone for replies and for  your really informative long reply Borderline. Sorry it has taken so long to get back and  respond but life has been somewhat frantic! I think the confusion came about because I thought the long whippy shoots was the framework,  where in actual fact, I think the framework I am supposed to be concentrating on is the older growth which currently is only a few feet tall with the long whippy shoots coming out of it. In other words the pruning instructions I had been reading referred to an older plant with a framework of older branches with the lateral flowering shoots coming off those branches. I will follow your advice Borderline and hopefully have a nice tidy winter jasmine with flowers for many years to come. I DO LOVE looking out on the wonderful yellow flowers through the winter.