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How hard back can I prune Pyracanthia?

historymanhistoryman Posts: 141
in Plants
Just taken over new plot and it has a Pyracanthia hedge about 20ft tall how hard back can I prune this and when - as it is in full bloom and the birds/butterflies like it and the birds will like the berries which will follow flowers I obviously do not want to prune at the moment.
Thanks
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Posts

  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,355
    I took an inherited, well established pyracantha back from 3m to 1m to allow for fence repair. Wouldn't have minded if it had turned up it's toes - but (sod's law!) it came back stronger and healthier than before.

     I would therefore say you can cut back hard - but I'd get some more opinions first.
    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • historymanhistoryman Posts: 141
    Topbird  Thank you - I don't want to loose it as it will be good for security. It seems that hard back prune will be OK, just checked it again and the birds are nesting there !
  • PianoplayerPianoplayer Posts: 624
    Hi, you can cut them back really hard. I had an overgrown hedge and it got a really hard prune, continued to grow vigourously. Probably best in the autumn, when the birds have gone, but just be aware that you will likely lose a lot of the flowering wood so likely not have a good display next year.
  • historymanhistoryman Posts: 141
    Pianoplayer
    Thank you - if I don't get a good display next year do you think it will eventually come back good?
  • PianoplayerPianoplayer Posts: 624
    Hi - I think eventually, yes, as once it is to the shape/height you want, you can then just trim it to maintain. All I can say is that mine has patchy flowering after a couple of years, but I was BRUTAL to it! I probably also should feed it in the spring, but I don't...

    Maybe someone more expert than me on here can advise how to prune AND get flowers!

    Good luck - they are wonderful plants.
  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,355
    @historyman

    What would be the ideal height for you? Just to give us some idea how hard a prune we're talking about.

    My gut thinking is that if you pruned it down to even a quarter of it's height autumn / winter (ie lose 75% of it) then gave it a good feed, water and mulch in spring - it would be fine. Maybe not much in the way of flowers & berries next year but plenty thereafter.

    If you're not that brave you could reduce by about a third each year for several years.

    Personally, I'd bite the bullet.
    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    I prune mine hard around Christmas, after the birds have had a feed on the berries and I get full flowering the following spring. It's a mature plant but it pretty much doubles its volume in from Dec to May. I don't notice that a hard prune reduces "flowering wood".

    Do commenters meant that there are fewer flowers because there is less plant, or that new wood generates fewer flowers? If the latter, I haven't seen that on my plant.
  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,355
    @Fire I was only thinking that could be the case as quite a few shrubs respond to very hard pruning by putting their energy into new growth rather than flowers. 

    The inherited pyracantha I mentioned in my original post did that I think. It did have some flowers and berries the next year but fewer than before. But (as you say) maybe it was just more noticeable because the shrub was significantly smaller.

    Certainly I cut it back by about 2' (on a 2.5m shrub) each year after that with no loss of flowers etc. They put on a lot of growth if they like the conditions.
    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • PianoplayerPianoplayer Posts: 624
    @Fire fewer flowers because it flowers on old wood. Quote from RHS:
    `Pyracantha flowers mainly on shoots produced the previous year, so when pruning try to retain as much two-year-old wood as possible`

    Or maybe you are just more green-fingered than me.
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    Same here @Topbird, my overgrown inherited hedge came back healthier and more vigorous than before, think it’s pretty indestructible!, I topped it by a metre and pruned the sides back really hard as well. It didn’t flower the following year but the year after it flowered prolifically. Wouldn’t have been my choice of hedge, still got the scars from the vicious thorns!
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
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