About Nemesia Trimming
Nemesia can be grown in USDA zones 9 to 10 as perennials and as tender annuals in other zones. It is an easy plant to grow and comes in a variety of colors and bi-colors. Nemesia prefers to be grown in well-drained soil in full sun but the blooms last much longer in hot climates when the plant is grown in an area of afternoon shade. Regardless, Nemesia blossoms in the spring and is done blooming by the time summer heat arrives. The good news, though, is that while Nemesia doesn’t need to be pruned, trimming back Nemesia will likely gain you a second bloom.
How to Prune Nemesia
Nemesia plant pruning is a simple process since all you are trying to do is remove the spent blossoms. Before pruning a Nemesia plant, be sure to sanitize your sharp pruning shears to mitigate transferring any possible disease. After the plant has blossomed, remove the spent blooms with the shears. Also, as the plant begins to die back in the summer heat, try aggressively cutting back Nemesia by at least half. This will give the plant some time to regroup and very possibly bloom again in the fall. If you want to encourage young plants to branch and grow, just hand pinch the tender tips back to just above the first set of leaves. Nemesia is propagated by both seeds and cuttings. If you wish to propagate cuttings, choose shoots with no flowers or buds and snip 6 inches (15 cm.) of a terminal shoot with sanitized pruners. Dip into rooting hormone and plant.
