I'd remove some older shoots right down to about 6",but leave some to do the following year, and to provide food the plant whilst it produces new shoots from the base.
I cut my Fatsia down to around a foot tall from 6ft all the way round in May two years ago I hadn't intentionally decided to be that heavy handed but everytime I stood back I felt it wasn't quite right and carried on! It recovered brilliantly and I haven't touched it since and presently it looks fab at 6 foot again. May do the same next May...It seemed to really refresh it. Just don't do it any earlier than May or the last frosts.
It's interesting that a few of you know this as castor oil plant. I always thought the castor oil plant was the highly toxic Ricinus communis. The leaves are similar.
Yes I thought that too but from the messages it looked as though everyone was talking about Fatsia Which I know lots of people do call caster oil plant even though it's not! I'll have to read back through the messages - apologies if I'm talking about the wrong plant entirely! Plant names eh! ?
That's why Proper Names are better than Common Names. All plants have only one "proper" name, but can have countless common names region by region, country by country.
Fatsia Japonica is the plant I've had in every garden I've owned. I had one about 6' tall when I moved in, in a South-East position against a fence in the NW of England (by the coast though so mild).
I wasn't going to reply to this post on first reading because I don't see anything wrong with the plant in the picture, it looks fabulous in my opinion, it must be happy where it is.
What is the problem? It isn't crowding anything out (there's no planting underneath), it's healthy, architectural and looks like the star of its spot.
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I find the foliage forms a bit of a frost umbrella for what's underneath. Especially if it gets early morning sun.
If I was to cut it right back to the base would that be the end of it or will it recover and become a small shrub again?
It's a mature plant you have, so I'm not sure it would recover from that...
Perhaps someone has done that and can advise though.
Or is that your way of keeping the wife happy, rweldon?
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I'd remove some older shoots right down to about 6",but leave some to do the following year, and to provide food the plant whilst it produces new shoots from the base.
I cut my Fatsia down to around a foot tall from 6ft all the way round in May two years ago I hadn't intentionally decided to be that heavy handed but everytime I stood back I felt it wasn't quite right and carried on! It recovered brilliantly and I haven't touched it since and presently it looks fab at 6 foot again. May do the same next May...It seemed to really refresh it. Just don't do it any earlier than May or the last frosts.
It's interesting that a few of you know this as castor oil plant. I always thought the castor oil plant was the highly toxic Ricinus communis. The leaves are similar.
Yes I thought that too but from the messages it looked as though everyone was talking about Fatsia Which I know lots of people do call caster oil plant even though it's not! I'll have to read back through the messages - apologies if I'm talking about the wrong plant entirely! Plant names eh! ?
Copperdog says
"Plant names eh! ?"
That's why Proper Names are better than Common Names. All plants have only one "proper" name, but can have countless common names region by region, country by country.
Fatsia Japonica is the plant I've had in every garden I've owned. I had one about 6' tall when I moved in, in a South-East position against a fence in the NW of England (by the coast though so mild).
I wasn't going to reply to this post on first reading because I don't see anything wrong with the plant in the picture, it looks fabulous in my opinion, it must be happy where it is.
What is the problem? It isn't crowding anything out (there's no planting underneath), it's healthy, architectural and looks like the star of its spot.
What is the problem? Help me out here!
This is my Castor Oil plant or
Ricons, the seeds are inside the red cases.