How to Prune and Propagate Night Blooming Jasmine (Raat ki Rani) for More Flowers Night Blooming Jasmine ( Cestrum nocturnum ) is one of those plants that can transform an ordinary balcony into a fragrant evening garden. During warm weather, its small greenish-white flowers release a powerful fragrance after sunset. However, this fast-growing shrub can become difficult to manage in a container. You may have noticed long, thin branches spreading over the balcony railing, fewer flowers than expected, or a plant that produces plenty of green leaves but very few fragrant flower clusters. Sometimes, an older Raat ki Rani looks attractive for a few weeks during its flowering season and then becomes an untidy collection of long branches. Regular pruning can help solve these problems. It encourages branching, removes damaged growth and helps maintain a compact shape. Healthy branches removed during pruning can also be used to propagate new plants through stem cuttings....
Should You Cut Back Coneflowers Now or Wait Until Spring? What to Do for Better Blooms Next Year Your purple coneflowers may have looked spectacular from June through September. But now it is October, the petals have faded, and all that remains are tall brown stems topped with dark, spiky seed heads. If your first thought is, “It looks messy. I should cut everything down,” hold off for a moment. For healthy coneflowers, leaving the old stems standing through winter is often the better choice. Those dried stems and seed heads provide food for birds, shelter for insects, and some protection for the plant itself. Cutting them down too early can also remove a useful winter habitat. The important exception is disease. If your plants suffered from serious disease or certain pest problems, fall cleanup may be the right move. Quick Answer: Should You Cut Back Coneflowers in Fall? If your coneflowers were healthy this year, you can usually wait until late winter or early spring befo...