Pruning abutilons
Yes, you do, as by doing so you will get lots of fresh new growth and a well shaped plant. Usual rules apply, ie use sharp clean secateurs, and make the cut just above an outward facing bud point. Pruning can be undertaken at the following points in the season:
EARLY SEASON.
This is when you should cut back hard to encourage vigorous new growth and so guarantee a season-long flowering display. Don’t be afraid to be seemingly quite severe in how far back you go; most people are probably too cautious in wielding the secateurs. This video is a good demonstration of how to do it.
Do I need to prune an abutilon?
MID SEASON.
During the growing (and flowering) season, it is a good idea to do some light pruning to keep things in shape and to avoid your abutilon shrub becoming leggy. You don’t need to cut back too far, just enough to maintain bushiness.
LATE SEASON.
We like to cut back our abutilons before the winter, around late October or early November, before we put them in their pots into a nice cosy (unheated, mind you) greenhouse so they are out of the worst of the winter weather. How far back we cut them varies: some might be cut back pretty much as in spring, others we might take back to about two thirds of their current height. This rather depends on where an individual plant is going to be overwintered. The latter would apply to plants grown outdoors, so reducing their height to prevent them catching too much wind (though hopefully they will be in a well sheltered spot!) but not butchering them.