The Blue Daze plant (Evolvulus glomeratus) is a popular perennial in warm climates, cherished for its small, sky-blue, saucer-shaped flowers that appear almost continuously throughout the growing season. This low-growing, sprawling species is often utilized as a dense groundcover or placed in containers where its trailing habit can be appreciated. To maintain its characteristic dome-like shape and ensure the maximum display of its vibrant blooms, a strategic approach to pruning is necessary. Regular removal of spent growth and gentle shaping encourages a healthier, more floriferous specimen in the garden.
Why and When to Prune Blue Daze
Pruning Blue Daze serves multiple purposes, primarily managing the plant’s natural tendency toward “legginess” and maximizing its compact, bushy appearance. When left unpruned, the stems elongate, becoming sparse and woody, which reduces the number of flowering sites. Removing the tips of the stems redirects the plant’s energy, stimulating the development of lateral shoots and resulting in a denser mound of foliage. This process also allows for the removal of any dead, damaged, or diseased stems, improving air circulation and overall plant health.
The most substantial shaping should be scheduled for late winter or early spring, just before the onset of vigorous new growth. This timing allows the plant to recover quickly and channel its spring energy into producing lateral branches and fresh foliage. Throughout the warmer months, light maintenance pruning can be performed continually to manage size and encourage new buds. The plant responds well to these light, frequent cuts, ensuring a steady supply of new growth that carries the blue blooms.
Essential Pruning Techniques
Pruning Blue Daze involves two distinct methods, each used for a different purpose in managing the plant’s structure: pinching and shearing.
Pinching
Pinching is a targeted technique where only the soft, growing tip of a stem is removed, usually with the thumb and forefinger or a small pair of snips. This small action interrupts the flow of growth hormones (auxins) down the stem, thereby activating dormant buds in the leaf axils below the cut. These buds then sprout as new side branches. Pinching is best used on individual stems early in the season to establish a full, multi-branched structure.
Shearing
Shearing involves uniformly cutting back a larger section of the plant using sharp, clean hand pruners or specialized shears. This technique is applied when the plant has become slightly overgrown or needs a quick, overall reduction in height. When making any cut, it is advantageous to place the blade just above a leaf node, which is the small bump on the stem where a leaf or new branch emerges. Cutting just above this point ensures that the plant has a ready-made site to initiate new growth, minimizing the appearance of unsightly, unproductive stubs.
Regular deadheading (the removal of spent flowers) contributes significantly to the plant’s blooming capacity. By removing the faded blooms, the plant is prevented from putting energy into seed production, prompting it to instead produce more flowers. Since Blue Daze flowers are small and abundant, deadheading is often accomplished as part of a light overall shearing, which removes both spent flowers and growing tips simultaneously.
Seasonal Maintenance and Rejuvenation
Maintaining the appearance of Blue Daze requires a regular schedule that adapts to the plant’s growth rate. Routine maintenance involves light shearing or pinching, which should occur approximately monthly during the peak growing season, especially in climates where growth is rapid. These frequent, shallow cuts keep the plant in a continuous cycle of producing fresh, flowering tips without significantly reducing its overall size or bloom display. This consistent light pruning is far less shocking to the plant than infrequent, heavy cuts.
Rejuvenation Pruning
If the plant is neglected, its stems can become long, woody, and sparsely foliated, requiring a more severe approach known as rejuvenation pruning. For severely overgrown specimens, the plant can safely be cut back by as much as half its size, or even more if the stems are excessively woody. This hard cutback should be timed for the dormant period in late winter or very early spring to maximize the plant’s recovery potential.
Following a rejuvenation cut, the plant requires specific care to encourage a strong, healthy rebound. Immediately after the heavy pruning, the plant should be watered thoroughly to minimize stress and then supplied with a balanced, slow-release fertilizer. The combination of the physical pruning stimulus and the nutrient availability promotes vigorous basal growth, allowing the plant to quickly replace the old, woody structure with a dense, fresh canopy of flowering stems.