Solanums are well known among gardeners for their generous cascades of violet-blue flowers with bold yellow stamens throughout summer. These climbing plants are vigorous and require regular pruning to flower abundantly all summer long.

Follow our advice for pruning and enjoying your solanums, whether climbing, bushy or standard-trained

pruning solanum

Bush solanum (top) and climbing solanum (bottom) are vigorous and require pruning

Required equipment

To prune your solanum, equip yourself with the following:

When and how to prune climbing solanum?

The climbing Solanum jasminoides, hardy in USDA zones 8 to 11, is a vigorous plant reaching over eight metres in height, slightly less when pot-grown. Solanum can quickly become invasive and requires support followed by annual pruning to balance or reduce its branching.

1- Prune in spring before flowering to encourage robust growth, then in summer if multiple prunings are needed;

2- Cut stems back hard to three or four buds (about 30cm from the ground), remove old shoots and broken stems - it will flower even better;

3- Remove dead wood, broken or weak branches;

4- Refresh the liana throughout the season to control its development and improve branching;

5- Never prune in autumn, as this would weaken your solanum before winter.

Best climbing Solanums

  • Solanum crispum "Glasnevin" is well suited as a climber for decorating pergolas, particularly in southern France.
  • The Solanum jasminoides 'Album' is a climbing liana with semi-evergreen foliage, developing on long flexible shoots that are easy to train. From July until autumn, it produces graceful clusters of star-shaped white flowers with a scent similar to jasmine.
  • The Solanum jasminoïdes is a classic of Mediterranean gardens, hardy in zone 8 and resistant to summer drought. It grows in well-drained, always well-loosened ordinary soil. Solanum is a climber without tendrils or climbing roots that needs support to climb. Once trained, the voluble stems of Solanum can stretch upwards. It's an ideal plant for quickly covering walls, pergolas and all kinds of trellises or wire fences. This liana can quickly become invasive if growing conditions are right.
climbing solanum

From left to right: Solanum album; Solanum jasminoides; Solanum 'Glasnevin'

When and how to prune bushy solanum?

The Solanum rantonnetii is a bush native to South America, perfect for flowering a terrace or very well-exposed courtyard. In late summer for many weeks, it becomes covered with mauve or blue flowers quite similar to gentians, earning it the nickname of gentian tree.

bush solanum

Solanum rantonetti tolerates regular pruning

To successfully prune your solanum, follow these five steps:

1- Prune in March;

2- Remove dead wood, branches broken or burnt by frost;

3- Preferably remove shoots growing inward or crossing to maintain the bush's structure;

4- Always use clean secateurs and cut just above an eye;

5- Thin out the centre of the bush to promote better air circulation.

How to train a standard solanum?

To train a standard solanum, it's best to choose the bushy Solanum rantonetii which forms a bush with often trailing shoots and less vigorous growth. It won't exceed 2m in height and will offer a very ramified silhouette at maturity.

To successfully train your solanum as a standard, follow these seven steps:

1- Prune your bushy solanum to keep only one shoot from the collar, choosing the strongest to support the entire crown;

2- Stake your shoot by tying it to a bamboo stake with not-too-tight ties;

3- Remove lateral shoots on the lower third of the bush as well as suckers from below the collar. Use clean secateurs. Be careful not to damage the bark;

4- Remove suckers appearing on the lower part of the trunk;

5- Prune the crown volume to gradually form a head. Cut each shoot by a third. Perform this pruning during the solanum's dormancy period, usually in December and January;

6- Always use clean secateurs and cut just above an eye;

7- Cut each shoot to the same length above an outward-facing bud to maintain a beautiful regular shape.

This crown must be maintained by regular pruning to prevent it from becoming too heavy for the still-frail trunk. Each spring, perform a simple pruning of the head while structuring the branching to prevent tangling. For a smooth spherical shape, cut branches to equal lengths until a regular shape is achieved. Once completed, your standard solanum can be placed in a sunny position in a pot on a terrace or in the garden.