Growing Advice
Pruning Serruria
Part three of our guide focuses on Serrurias. Pruning these varieties is not difficult, does not have to take too much time, and the rewards you will get for doing it will make it all worthwhile.
Pruning your Serruria is important to help build structure in your plant so that it can produce more flowers the following year. If you do not prune your Serruria after flowering, it will form new shoots very high up the stem and will be an uneven and untidy plant.
Late spring, or after flowering has finished, is the best time to prune. This is because the weather is still fairly cool and it is optimal to cut everything back before new shoots begin to form too high up the stems. Additionally, if you leave pruning too late, there may not be enough time for your plant to form flower buds, and you will miss out on flowering the following year.
Below is an example of pruning a Blushing Bride, however this method will also work for other Serrurias such as Pretty n Pink.
Before Pruning

After Pruning

Our aim when pruning is to create a good structure in the plant, which does not have branches that are overlapping that can cause crowding. This will lead to stronger stems for flowering in the following year. Remember to always use clean secateurs, and that you sanitize them with methylated spirits regularly while pruning.
Firstly, we will begin by pruning away any downwards facing, untidy branches (picture 1). You can prune these right back to the main stem (picture 2).

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Secondly, we prune back this season’s growth. You can see distinguish the current season’s growth by the colour of the stem, as the new growth will be a lighter green, whereas the mature stems will be brown and woody (picture 4).
Prune this season’s stems back to 10-15cm. Ensure that you leave plenty of healthy foliage, as your Serruria will not be able to form new shoots on stems without any leaves. If you are unsure of the correct length to prune your stems, your secateurs can give you an indicative guide (picture 5 and 6). Repeat this with all stems so that they are roughly the same length.

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To ensure your plant does not become overcrowded, it may be necessary to thin some branches. You can look at your plant from a few angles to see if any branches are overlapping or growing too close to each other (picture 7). Choose which stem you wish to keep, and prune the other right back to the main branch (picture 8)

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During summer, you will notice new buds forming where you pruned (picture 10). Keep your plant well-watered during hot weather to ensure these buds will grow into new stems

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Serruria’s have a one-year flower cycle and flower each spring. By pruning your Serruria once a year after flowering, you will be rewarded with beautiful blooms the following spring.