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Myrtus Communis Tarentina - pruning to encourage bushyness

cooper.davecooper.dave Posts: 2
in Problem solving
Hi all
We have two Myrtus Communis Tarentinas that were hit hard by frost in their first winter. They are growing well now but are straggly rather than bushy (see picture).
How can we prune or treat them to encourage more bushyness in future years? Will they take hard pruning?

Posts

  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    Yes, you can give it a hard prune.
    Mine is about 8ft+ now and every few years I take it back to about 5ft and occasionally prune out low branches completely. I also cut out frost-damaged bits every spring.
    It soon regrows , but you will not get flowers the following year and maybe not many flowers the year after

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • cooper.davecooper.dave Posts: 2
    Thanks - that's helpful. Online it suggests waiting until spring, so I'll wait until then. All the best
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    We're only 4 days into summer..
    If you wanted to do it now, no reason why you shouldn't
    I hacked mine back a bit about 2 weeks ago - I can see new shoots appearing already

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • pmch091825321pmch091825321 Posts: 1
    My 3 Myrtus Communis (about 3ft high and wide) are all floppy and somewhat straggly, they grow out and down and not up. 
    How do I correct this? 
  • Novice23Novice23 Posts: 200
    I inherited a Myrtle, (asume it is the same as Myrtus Communis) which has always been big. Now about 9 ft high and the same wide.  I regularly prune it back after flowering, but with your comments Pete.8, I might try being more 'aggressive' with it next year as it has taken over a pathway.  Does it grow back if you cut into the older stems?   I would hate to lose it, so have been wary of cutting it too far back.
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    It's grown back strongly.
    By the time I'd removed all the dead stuff, the left side of the shrub was just thick bare branches.
    A few weeks later I noticed buds appearing on the bare branches and It's all greened up nicely now.

    Taken just now


    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • Novice23Novice23 Posts: 200
    That looks great. Thanks, will certainly cut it back more strongly next time, probably in the Spring.   Once again thank you. 
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