Choisya pruning as inspired by Bloomer and now updated for her

34 comments

After reading Bloomers blog on Friday about hard pruning her Choisya I decided it was time to cut back the one outside the back door. The forecast was good for yesterday so it was the first job on the list. I planted the border 10 years ago and the Choisya was a small plant in a bag from Sainsburys, also there is a Climbing rose ‘New Dawn’, a Spotted Laurel ,Lonicera japonica Halliana and Ivy which has crept along the fence. Although they do get a regular trim the whole area has gone rampant in the rain and become very overgrown.

This is the Choisya taken earlier this year, very pretty but you can see how far it is encroaching onto the patio

Taken from the back door yesterday. This is all you can see from the window now where there used to be a view down the steps

After cutting back all the branches to about 3ft with the help of OH, I decided to trim back the dense Ivy….Well 2hrs later it looked like this

Mmmm better keep going then

By now it was 5 o’clock and at this point I decided it all had to go

The Ivy is now cut back to the original planting which can stay. The rose had become very tall and was forced to flower well beyond the height of the fence, any advice on how low I can prune it now would be useful (although maybe not from Bloomer!) The Honeysuckle has had a good haircut and all the dead wood removed and the Spotted Laurel no longer covers the window.
But…..now the Choisya looks odd, so OH was dragged back out to cut it down lower.
I finished clearing up at 9.45 last night, tired but happy that it was all done. The fence looks bare at the moment but the Rose and Honeysuckle will soon cover it and the next chance I get I will dig and divide shade lovers from around the garden to plant underneath them.
Thanks for the inspiration Bloomer :o))

The new view, will be more attractive when planted and sunny :o)

Stumpy for Bloomer the Butcher ;O))

16 Jul, 2012
14 likes

Comments

Niverdeen

Oh my goodness there seems to be an epidemic of prunitis and it is spreading at speed !!!!!!!!!!! lol ...........
You certainly have been busy I would maybe prune the rose down to an obvious bud ,at different points thus encouraging flowers low & middle and leave flowers at the top I'm no expert though ,someone with more knowledge might advise differently... good luck :o))

16 Jul, 2012

Bloomer

Well,Annella,just because I butchered my Choisya,you don't have to follow suit! Lol...and which one was it,may I ask ?? is it that bunch of sticks in the middle,? .Is it a competition ..spot what was once a Choisya ? LOl..sorry,but I have laughed so much..you will certainly have a viewing point now...!

16 Jul, 2012

Annella

It was a bunch of sticks but now it's a stump! I thought of you when I nearly fell A over T pulling out a big clump of Ivy that turned out to be 5ft long Lol!!

16 Jul, 2012

Bloomer

Now that's a pic I would have liked to see,Annella..where was your OH with the camera? Lol..so are you going to grow something up the stump ? LOL.:o))

16 Jul, 2012

Annella

He was watching the golf silly! That stump will rejuvenate into a healthy bush...just you wait and see!! Annella the Annihilator xx

16 Jul, 2012

Bloomer

Of course he was..!..I think we should both take a pic in about a month,and see how they are getting on..or not !
Annella the Annihilator,versus Bloomer the Butcher ! LOL.hee hee x :o)))))))))

16 Jul, 2012

Annella

Hee hee Wheeeeeeee!! Bob the builder can fix it, we can kill it!!

16 Jul, 2012

Bloomer

Shame we didn't get him in before the 'cowboys' had a go..:o))

16 Jul, 2012

Cinderella

Well done girls ! You certainly know how to 'butcher' a shrub. Be interesting to see what happens there now Annella. Ah well, if you have killed it, whats a few pounds and a trip to the GC eh!

16 Jul, 2012

Annella

I fear it's too late for that now Bloomer. I agree Cinders :o)

16 Jul, 2012

Bloomer

Do you think we could be related,Cinders? after all,there can't be many who would not know when to stop ! :o)

16 Jul, 2012

Clarice

Well done to you ladies.:)

16 Jul, 2012

Jane21

My god, I hope you never take a dislike to me............ lol. Jx

16 Jul, 2012

Youngdaisydee

I was trimming my 2 standard bay trees yesterday and i was saying to myself, Dont do a Bloomer, Dont do a bloomer hahaha and i didn't! next trim will be, Dont do an Annihilater lol..

16 Jul, 2012

Annella

Lol Ydd! Jane when Oh popped out to see how things were coming along he said whoa, steady on love and moved away. Do you thing his bits would grow back after a heavy prune? I'm lethal with those loppers and he knows it!

16 Jul, 2012

Numbty

Many years ago I had to" prune"my choysia and maybe went a little to far,sometimes a girl`s just gotta do what a girl`s gotta do...lol

16 Jul, 2012

Annella

Did it survive Numbty? Please give Bloomer the Butcher and I some hope :o))

16 Jul, 2012

Scottish

Like Bloomer - you don't do things by half do you Annella :)

16 Jul, 2012

Annella

I've spent years trying to cover my fences Scottish, I really enjoyed doing the reverse for a change Lol

16 Jul, 2012

Driad

Well , Annella , good to know I'm not alone .
OH had been nagging me to get on with the Philadelphus ; last year I was a bit drastic with it but we had wonderful blossom this year , so I found the same instructions (i.e. cut out one in three old wood ). It is compulsive though isn't it ? On I went , and now it seems to be half the bush it was . I'm not very hopeful for next year .
Hey ho ! At least you can put something new and exciting in . I'll bet that you are a bit achey after all your exertions , though .

16 Jul, 2012

Annella

It's as good as any work out in the gym Driad, well that's what I felt like I'd been doing this morning :o))

16 Jul, 2012

Sanbaz

think you got carried away anne there, poor thing, looks bare now, did you have to butcher the poor shrub so hard. even though big i thought it looked nice :o)

16 Jul, 2012

Samjp

Lol anella that's a haircut and a half. Lol you and bloomer must have studied at the same school. So annihalator did you find the experience therapeutic?? Lol

16 Jul, 2012

Numbty

Annella,no sadly the choisya didn`t make it I`m afraid,but I now have a new one to play with, so more care will be needed when I" prune "this one!!

16 Jul, 2012

Jane21

Er no, I don't think his 'bits' would recover at all. Definately keep the pruning shears away from them. lol. Now your fence is bare, what do you think you might put there - if the choisya doesn't make it!!! Jx

16 Jul, 2012

Annella

Lol Numbty, I wont hold my breath then and Sam I thoroughly enjoyed ever minute of it :o))

16 Jul, 2012

Annella

I'm expecting the Rose and Honeysuckle to be ok Jane but if that fails another cunning plan will be needed x

16 Jul, 2012

Karensusan63

lol....blimey! lots of new planting opportunities and a newly restored view of the steps....so it was worth it perhaps! I hope the Choisya revives though...I love Choisya!

16 Jul, 2012

Jane21

Roses and honeysuckle will now shine forth in all their glories. (which is more than OH will do if you get those pruners any where near him) :-)

16 Jul, 2012

Annella

I have 5 more Choisyas that could do with a trim Karen and don't worry Jane I quite like his glories attached to him!

16 Jul, 2012

Jane21

Best place for them I think. .... :-)

16 Jul, 2012

Wildrose

Sometimes you just have to keep on going! I did like it though, but you know what you have in mind for the fence. It's a shame when plants outstay their welcome and just get too big!

16 Jul, 2012

Annella

The patio looks so much bigger now Rose and the border will look better when the rain stops for long enough for me to plant it up :o))

17 Jul, 2012

Bloomer

Hi there Annihilator :o) Just to let you know I wasn't happy with stumps of dead wood on my Choisya..so the bad news is,OH had to dig it up for me..but the good news in,that two of the stems had rooted away from the main one..so now I have two little new ones!...wheeeeeeee:o)

18 Sep, 2012

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