You can prune the long branches off in spring and it should regenerate. Yes - the winter rain will help it. It's probably struggled a bit with the summer weather this year, especially as you have quite a lot of other planting nearby, as well as the grass, so a lot of competition for moisture. We had a long hot dry spell [for us] but my fatsia was unaffected as it's in a shady, dampish spot. Plants will shed foliage more when under stress [and evergreens will always shed some in the course of a year] so in a normal year, that may not happen to such an extreme You could also take a different approach with it re the pruning, and keep the main trunks, and have a canopy of green at the top instead. If you want to keep it bushy, just prune back in spring.
Hi @Fairygirl I am wondering about your suggestion here to keep those main trunks and try to keep some canopy at the top. Here is a couple of recent side/aerial pictures ... as you’ll see some of the foliage is in the neighbors garden and the foliage at the top of the fall branches is a bit yellow, small and a bit floppy looking. All the decent green/fresher looking foliage is coming off a single younger vertical shoot right at the back.
That upper growth on the fatsia looks like it's shielding you from the rather ugly swing next door, so I'd be tempted to go for a cloud pruning kind of effort and leave the lower trunks clear of leaves. You could then grow something else underneath.
That upper growth on the fatsia looks like it's shielding you from the rather ugly swing next door, so I'd be tempted to go for a cloud pruning kind of effort and leave the lower trunks clear of leaves. You could then grow something else underneath.
Nearly all that lower growth comes from one stem coming from the base vertically upwards.
If I remove that at the base I think most of that low growth will go in that one cut … but I’m inexperienced with pruning and honestly a little terrified of removing so much healthy growth in one hit in case it just dies on me. What do you think?
If that was mine, I'd take all the yellow growth off, and let the rest of the plant grow on and get bushier. I think I said something similar earlier. It could do with a bit more room to grow outwards, but as it's against a fence, you can gradually create a shape over time by taking individual stems off in the right places. I wouldn't prune it until spring though. I don't know what your climate is like, but cold weather can knock them back a bit, so it's best to wait until then to avoid frost/ice damage to new growth. It won't die if you prune it back They like plenty of moisture, so if that border's a bit dry, and it's a sunny one, try and add some well rotted manure and keep it well watered in long dry spells. That should help it along. Theytend to get a bit pale in sunny sites. You can also give them a liquid seaweed feed occasionally, as that gives the foliage a boost.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Conflicting with the good advice above ; if mine I would cut it to the ground (about 6") in the Spring and let it regenerate into a controlled and tidy plant . This would eliminate the problem of the yellowing leaves . Feed and water it well and you'll get (in one season) , a nice green healthy shrub .
Fatsias respond well to a periodic drastic reduction , but don't do it at this time of the year!
They always look pretty poor when the leggy stems are too visible .
@Paul B3 I thought it was spoiling the view before but now I wonder if the tall branches add an architectural element now.
If I were to cut to the ground, would you suggest doing this early Spring (which in my head is late March) or in April or May? Also, would you say cut ALL branches, including those with the lower green leaves at the rear?
Personally I'd do it in March/April ,(keeping a close eye on the forecasts) .
Frosts at that time of year are not normally too severe unless the 'Beasts' set in again .
I have the variegated form which received the same treatment a few years ago ; I keep it now as a space-filler at around 6' high , and a nice domed shape .
I would hesitate to plant anything underneath a Fatsia , purely for the fact that the leaves can act like umbrellas , diverting precious rainwater away from where needed . Also the leaves cast an umbrage which would affect species growing in proximity .
Dappled shade and plenty of water are optimum conditions ; mine only receives about 4-hours of direct sunlight in Summer , living out its days mostly in the shade of a large Black Pine ! To give you an idea of its conditions in my garden , it sits alongside a large moisture loving tree-fern (Dicksonia)!
They associate well (contrary to a sub-tropical effect) with ferns and other moisture loving plants .
PS Looking at the images again now , I think I'd take the lot to ground when the weather permits .
Ok thanks @Paul B3 I can't quite get my head around no leaves and no photosynthesis not resulting in plant death! But if you've done it and it's worked I might give it a go, do you have any photos? I'm always looking for renovation videos and picture galleries for stuff I'm about to attempt :-)
You probably won't believe that I've seriously damaged two 'smart' phones and broken my digital camera in the last few weeks ! Oh , the glories of gardening !!
Have reverted back to my old JCB Tough-phone (no camera) ; this seems to withstand the trials and tribulations of my job .
No images at present I'm afraid .
It's your shrub and of course your choice ; if you don't feel confident enough to do this then by all means follow the other good advice .
I would not want to feel responsible for the expiration of your shrub ; it's easy to advise when it's someone elses plant involved .
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It could do with a bit more room to grow outwards, but as it's against a fence, you can gradually create a shape over time by taking individual stems off in the right places. I wouldn't prune it until spring though. I don't know what your climate is like, but cold weather can knock them back a bit, so it's best to wait until then to avoid frost/ice damage to new growth. It won't die if you prune it back
They like plenty of moisture, so if that border's a bit dry, and it's a sunny one, try and add some well rotted manure and keep it well watered in long dry spells. That should help it along. Theytend to get a bit pale in sunny sites. You can also give them a liquid seaweed feed occasionally, as that gives the foliage a boost.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
If I were to cut to the ground, would you suggest doing this early Spring (which in my head is late March) or in April or May? Also, would you say cut ALL branches, including those with the lower green leaves at the rear?