can you prune a bottle brush shrub

You'd normally prune this after its flowered - I remember someone in Australia said they hack it back whenever, but I suggest you leave it till next year and do it before June is out - wouldn't want to kill it by saying hard prune now,

I think it may be ok to prune now if you are in the warmer part of the country, although it is a surer thing to prune in the Spring, although you may cut off that years flowering growth. They can grow really big and leggy o it is a good plant to keep on top of it. Scratch the bark off on the woody stem and cut the branches back to a leaf node. The new growth should pop out from there.