Yes, but always prune back to just above green shoots as it's unlikely to sprout from bare wood. Take out any obviously dead wood before you start to prune back.
A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
I'd prune as Bob says - but I might only reduce it by half. I've killed rosemary with bad or over enthusiastic pruning
Rosemary grows on poor thin soils but I think they need a bit of sustenance if they're in a pot. You could repot it to replace the compost (make sure you incorporate plenty of grit or such like for drainage) or top dress it with new compost and slow release fertilizer pellets.
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
Thanks for the advice. When you say prune to just above green shoots, do you mean new growth or old stuff? When I got the plant it hadn't been looked after for quite a while. The new, green stuff at the top is what has grown since its been here. The lower down leaves are very sparse, but some are still there. Should I prune to just below the fresh stuff or can I go down as far as there are still leaves?
I know what you mean about over pruning. I posted a few weeks ago asking about lavender which I gave a hard prune last year. Have thankfully found some new growth this week so it's not dead.
Would it be possible to propagate a new plant from a cutting? As an insurance policy for my dodgy pruning?
Cutting back to healthy looking new shoots would be ideal but as long as there is live growth you should be ok. Definitely take cuttings as insurance - root them in gritty compost which is kept damp but never allowed to get too wet or dry out and you should be OK. Also try rooting a few cuttings in water (change every day or two and keep out of direct sun) as some folk have more success doing that before potting into gritty compost.
Edit: yes, removing and replacing the top layer of compost and feeding will help, but watch the watering as the roots can rot if kept too wet.
Last edited: 25 March 2017 13:26:59
A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
Thanks for the advice. Sorry to be so specific, I don't have m confidence yet. So with this stem, the top healthy stuff is since I had it. You can see just below it is is more sparse. Then the second photo shows lower down on the same stem. There are still leaves every so often. Where would be best to cut?
with this one, there is growth right at the top bit then the stem is bare all the way down. The second photo shows the stem that this one joins onto, and you can see that there are two healthy stems coming off it lower down. So should I get rid of the tall one entirely?
Are those little round things flowers? Can I take cuttings to root if there are flowers?
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Yes, but always prune back to just above green shoots as it's unlikely to sprout from bare wood. Take out any obviously dead wood before you start to prune back.
I'd prune as Bob says - but I might only reduce it by half. I've killed rosemary with bad or over enthusiastic pruning
Rosemary grows on poor thin soils but I think they need a bit of sustenance if they're in a pot. You could repot it to replace the compost (make sure you incorporate plenty of grit or such like for drainage) or top dress it with new compost and slow release fertilizer pellets.
Agree Topbird, best not to go mad with the pruning and it does look a bit undernourished.
Thanks for the advice. When you say prune to just above green shoots, do you mean new growth or old stuff? When I got the plant it hadn't been looked after for quite a while. The new, green stuff at the top is what has grown since its been here. The lower down leaves are very sparse, but some are still there. Should I prune to just below the fresh stuff or can I go down as far as there are still leaves?
I know what you mean about over pruning. I posted a few weeks ago asking about lavender which I gave a hard prune last year. Have thankfully found some new growth this week so it's not dead.
Would it be possible to propagate a new plant from a cutting? As an insurance policy for my dodgy pruning?
I don't think I'm going to have time to repot it this year. Would replacing the top layer of compost and adding a miracle-gro pot shot work?
Cutting back to healthy looking new shoots would be ideal but as long as there is live growth you should be ok. Definitely take cuttings as insurance - root them in gritty compost which is kept damp but never allowed to get too wet or dry out and you should be OK. Also try rooting a few cuttings in water (change every day or two and keep out of direct sun) as some folk have more success doing that before potting into gritty compost.
Edit: yes, removing and replacing the top layer of compost and feeding will help, but watch the watering as the roots can rot if kept too wet.
Last edited: 25 March 2017 13:26:59
Thanks for the advice. Sorry to be so specific, I don't have m confidence yet. So with this stem, the top healthy stuff is since I had it. You can see just below it is is more sparse. Then the second photo shows lower down on the same stem. There are still leaves every so often. Where would be best to cut?
with this one, there is growth right at the top bit then the stem is bare all the way down. The second photo shows the stem that this one joins onto, and you can see that there are two healthy stems coming off it lower down. So should I get rid of the tall one entirely?
Are those little round things flowers? Can I take cuttings to root if there are flowers?
Some of the flowers have now opened, should I wait for them to be finished before I prune?