- 1). Wait to perform major pruning until the mid- to late fall when the leonotis plant has ceased blooming for the year.
- 2). Look for stems that have no foliage on them, which indicates they are dead. Follow all dead stems back to the surface of the soil and cut them off flush using a pair of hand pruners.
- 3). Cut the tips off of the remaining stems using pruning shears or electric hedge trimmers to make the job go faster. You can prune the last 1 to 2 inches off just to neaten up the shrub if desired. You can also cut it back severely by as much as half to significantly reduce the height.
- 4). Rake up all of the dead flowers and pruned portions and toss them into a compost area to decompose.
- 5). Wait until the late spring after any spring flower blooms have faded and and trim 1 inch off of all tips using the pruning shears. This pruning is not required and is mostly performed to neaten up the plant. The leonotis will grow rapidly in time to bloom in the fall.
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