We have a 9ft tall flesh pink flowered Oleander in the corner of our
garden, been there years. It's now got too big and floppy for itself.
Can I prune it hard back into the old weed? I did take cuttings last
year which have taken so there are some tiny backups.

--
Regards.
Bob Hobden

On 21 Feb 2021 17:46, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Sun, 21 Feb 2021 14:58:55 +0000, Bob Hobden
wrote:

We have a 9ft tall flesh pink flowered Oleander in the corner of our
garden, been there years. It's now got too big and floppy for itself.
Can I prune it hard back into the old weed? I did take cuttings last
year which have taken so there are some tiny backups.

Looks like now's a good time to do it.

From https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/popula.../growing-guide

Pruning and training

Flowering occurs in late summer (July to October) on new shoots of the
current season’s growth, so prune in late winter or early spring.
Gloves should be worn when pruning as the sap is potentially harmful.

Remove all thin, crowded shoots
Cut off the tips (a few centimetres/inches) of the branches/shoots to
encourage side shoots to grow and make the plant bushier
Cut flowered shoots by half and the side shoots to 10cm (4in)
If over-wintering large plants is difficult, reduce the plant’s size
in late autumn
Plants can be left un-pruned to grow into large bushes where space
allows in conservatory beds or where plants are regularly re-potted
Plants restricted in containers will flower less and become less
vigorous over time and will need to be replaced


Also see
https://hellogardening.co.uk/nerium-...wing-and-care/
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/orn...der-shrubs.htm


Thanks Chris, my problem is I need to hard prune it and I cannot find
out how it will respond to that treatment. Think I'll go down the usual
trick of half this year and the rest next if it works OK.
--
Regards.
Bob Hobden

On 21/02/2021 18:35, Bob Hobden wrote:
On 21 Feb 2021 17:46, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Sun, 21 Feb 2021 14:58:55 +0000, Bob Hobden
wrote:

We have a 9ft tall flesh pink flowered Oleander in the corner of our
garden, been there years. It's now got too big and floppy for itself.
Can I prune it hard back into the old weed? I did take cuttings last
year which have taken so there are some tiny backups.

Looks like now's a good time to do it.

From https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/popula.../growing-guide

Pruning and training

Flowering occurs in late summer (July to October) on new shoots of the
current season’s growth, so prune in late winter or early spring.
Gloves should be worn when pruning as the sap is potentially harmful.

Remove all thin, crowded shoots
Cut off the tips (a few centimetres/inches) of the branches/shoots to
encourage side shoots to grow and make the plant bushier
Cut flowered shoots by half and the side shoots to 10cm (4in)
If over-wintering large plants is difficult, reduce the plant’s size
in late autumn
Plants can be left un-pruned to grow into large bushes where space
allows in conservatory beds or where plants are regularly re-potted
Plants restricted in containers will flower less and become less
vigorous over time and will need to be replaced


Also see
https://hellogardening.co.uk/nerium-...wing-and-care/
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/orn...der-shrubs.htm


Thanks Chris, my problem is I need to hard prune it and I cannot find
out how it will respond to that treatment. Think I'll go down the usual
trick of half this year and the rest next if it works OK.

From
https://homeguides.sfgate.com/can-keep-oleanders-pruned-short-75689.html

"According to Floridata, most backyard oleanders are trimmed to about 10
feet. If you prefer a small tree, remove suckers and all stems but the
strongest. Prune oleander each year, taking out the oldest stems at
ground level because unpruned plants can have thinner foliage and fewer
flowers. To keep it short, just prune down individual stem tips to the
desired size."

From
https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/trees-and-shrubs/shrubs/oleander.html

"Some gardeners severely prune plants in early to late fall to stimulate
new growth. Since oleanders bloom on new wood, this can stimulate
flowering, but fall pruning isn't necessary. Regularly removing dead,
damaged, or infested branches can improve plant health."

Looks to me as though it can be, and is, done.

--

Jeff

On 21 Feb 2021 18:49, Jeff Layman wrote:
On 21/02/2021 18:35, Bob Hobden wrote:
On 21 Feb 2021 17:46, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Sun, 21 Feb 2021 14:58:55 +0000, Bob Hobden
wrote:

We have a 9ft tall flesh pink flowered Oleander in the corner of our
garden, been there years. It's now got too big and floppy for itself.
Can I prune it hard back into the old weed? I did take cuttings last
year which have taken so there are some tiny backups.

Looks like now's a good time to do it.

From https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/popula.../growing-guide

Pruning and training

Flowering occurs in late summer (July to October) on new shoots of the
current season's growth, so prune in late winter or early spring.
Gloves should be worn when pruning as the sap is potentially harmful.

Remove all thin, crowded shoots
Cut off the tips (a few centimetres/inches) of the branches/shoots to
encourage side shoots to grow and make the plant bushier
Cut flowered shoots by half and the side shoots to 10cm (4in)
If over-wintering large plants is difficult, reduce the plant's size
in late autumn
Plants can be left un-pruned to grow into large bushes where space
allows in conservatory beds or where plants are regularly re-potted
Plants restricted in containers will flower less and become less
vigorous over time and will need to be replaced


Also see
https://hellogardening.co.uk/nerium-...wing-and-care/
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/orn...der-shrubs.htm


Thanks Chris, my problem is I need to hard prune it and I cannot find
out how it will respond to that treatment. Think I'll go down the usual
trick of half this year and the rest next if it works OK.

From
https://homeguides.sfgate.com/can-keep-oleanders-pruned-short-75689.html

"According to Floridata, most backyard oleanders are trimmed to about 10
feet. If you prefer a small tree, remove suckers and all stems but the
strongest. Prune oleander each year, taking out the oldest stems at
ground level because unpruned plants can have thinner foliage and fewer
flowers. To keep it short, just prune down individual stem tips to the
desired size."

From
https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/trees-and-shrubs/shrubs/oleander.html

"Some gardeners severely prune plants in early to late fall to stimulate
new growth. Since oleanders bloom on new wood, this can stimulate
flowering, but fall pruning isn't necessary. Regularly removing dead,
damaged, or infested branches can improve plant health."

Looks to me as though it can be, and is, done.


Thanks Jeff.

--
Regards.
Bob Hobden