hibiscus help

[Dungandbother]

I have a beautiful hibiscus. It was put in several years ago by dearly departed MIL. I've never touched it and it has wonderful blooms.

But it's got a little big.

Could someone advise me on when, how to prune it?

A clueless gardener.

You've got a deciduous hibiscus, which is a pruning group 1 plant. It flowers late in the summer (they flower best with a long hot summer). So you need to prune it now, before it wakes up and sap starts moving in the stems. Technically it shouldn't need pruning, except to removing wayward or crossing shoots but if it's a bit big then careful snipping off of some of the worst offenders shouldn't bother it too much.

When pruning, you usually make sure you cut above an outward facing bud (otherwise it will grow shoots into the centre of the shrub, which you don't want - that will make it congested and more likely to get pests/diseases) and slope the cut away from the bud. If there are any dead shoots cut them off close to the branch. Dead shoots are more shrivelled and dry looking (and when leaf buds form, they won't develop on dead bits).

Don't cut any more than necessary, as it will affect its flowering this year. Is it right next to a path? That border is very narrow...

Yes it is in a very narrow bed. I have a small garden. Just the grass and the fence either side.

Thank you so much for your useful and helpful reply. Job for the weekend!