Beginner Gardening: shaping a seven sons (heptacodium Miconioides) into a tree?, 1 by growin

growin wrote:
Hi cobrisco,

I've got one of these in my front yard and they are quite vigorous. Pick the most upright and straight stems, preferably in the centre of the plant, and prune the remainder at the base of the plant. You will get suckers growing at the base and instead of pruning them, twist the suckers until they are removed. This is one way of preventing the suckers from returning as it damages the growing point.

I tend to prune mine at about 4/5' at any time of the year and the shrub just grows happily back. I like enjoying the white blooms in the fall at eye level.