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Pruning overgrown Osmanthus to shape

Gardener_JoanGardener_Joan Posts: 27
in Problem solving
Our Osmanthus has grown massive over the last two years and I wanted to bring it back to its original parashute shape .
Should I start with pruning the lower branches after late summer autumn flowering ?
My Gardener thinks it should be ok with a heavy prune but I read otherwise.

Posts

  • RubyRossRubyRoss Posts: 124
    Interested to see any replies you get because I just pruned out all the lower branches of mine.
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    I usually give my Osmanthus delavayi a light trim after flowering in the spring.  I keep it dense low down.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I only grow O. burkwoodii and just take branches off when I want, but it flowers in late winter/spring, so that's quite easy. I don't think it would be a problem to prune it back quite hard after flowering, but it looks fine low down, so are you just wanting the top reduced in size all over @Gardener_Joan to keep the shape it is just now but just have it smaller in height?
    Taking off the lower branches would change the shape quite a bit, and leave bare trunks, if I'm understanding what you were planning to do.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Gardener_JoanGardener_Joan Posts: 27
    Thanks .
    Yes I would like to take off the lower branches and bring it close to its shape when I bought it - see below .
    Then to reduce its high I would like to reduce hight as well.
    Flowering is in August so I am thinking of doing this in before winter.

  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    Yours probably isn't "delavayi".  Never mind, the same rules apply:

    Prune soon after flowering.

    Prune to a shape that you like.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    You can certainly take off stems/branches from those lower, heftier ones, to give you some clearer trunks. Always best to take your time and keep checking it, because it's easy to go too far at one go!
    As far as the canopy is concerned, you can take some individual branches out - quite far back, and again - stand back and check as you do it.
    That will reduce the height, but will leave a looser shape overall, which is usually much nicer than just shearing everything off and leaving it looking like a toadstool/pudding. You can then go back at a later date, or next year, and do some small adjustments, or take more branches right out, depending on how it looks and how satisfied you are with the result.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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