It will eventually come back, next year. They are resilient shrubs & very thorny.

She should get regrowth within the next month or so, depending how cold the weather is, but it would be wise to give it a handful or two of Growmore, raked in at the base.

it will recover as bamboo says in the next month or so. I did something drastic like this 15 yrs ago and it is now well over 20ft and will need another firm prune to allow OH access to the garage without a face full of thorns ;o).

Hi, if this is a free standing shrub, then it's pruning group 1, which means minimal pruning, after flowering, in early to midsummer, cutting back any unwanted shoots to the main stem, [not just hacked back as in this case], wall trained plants should have any unwanted shoot cut back to the main stem, and any laterals that are needed to extend the framework, should be tied in, this just looks a mess, but as said, it will regrow, you just won't get flowers this year, Derek.

Hi, if this was my gardener, he would very soon be my ex gardener, ask to see his or her qualifications, Derek.

Thanks for all the info, I will pass on all that you have said, think the so called gardener will be getting the boot. :o))

Pruned with the hedge trimmer! From the photo it looks as if the shrub was starting to block the path and needed this treatment. It will green up again; no need to boot him for this!

If it was blocking a pathway, there was no choice but to hack it back - won't be long before its blocking it again, either, might be time for your friend to consider taking it out and planting something else...

Yes I agree with bulbaholic, pyracantha respond very well to hard pruning, it must have been well over the path, and so needed to be cut back, to non gardeners it may look drastic, but by the end of the summer that pyracantha will have greened up, you could adopt renovation pruning and cut it down to ground level and it will come back, your neighbour need not panic.

When I said next year, I was thinking in terms of flowering & setting fruit. Clusters of white flowers are followed by those prized orange berries in the fall which will persist on through the winter. Pyracantha sets buds the previous year. If a winter freeze don't get them, an early hard pruning would.

As Bamboo suggests; perhaps removing the who plant and replacing with something more friendly. This should have been kept much smaller by regular pruning or not even planted in the beginning. Not the gardener's fault on this occasion.

I agree, this is no place for a shrub with 4 inch spikes that can pierce through a leather boot. That's why I tore mine out and replaced it with a rhododendron.

Hi bathgate
I am Lady Essex1 friend
the owner of the Pyracantha.
Yours suggestion of replacing this shrub with a Rhododendron is not suitable for it if it is in full sun most of the day.
So any other suggestions to what I should replace it with?

do you like Choisya ternate, that will work and it is evergreen and responds well to pruning when needed. I'd also consider escallonia, skimmia , brachyglottis rosemary, fuchsia and spirea.

Thanks for your suggestions seaburngirl
You have given me some good choices to mull over. This time I will put the shrub I choose in a large Container or tub to contain its growth. Thanks once again.

Hi Freesiapersc - Nobody suggested you replace your shrub with a rhododendron. I was simply explaining why I tore my own pyracantha out and replaced it with a rhododendron. The kids ran into it chasing a ball and those spikes cause serious injury and are dreadfully painful. It's not a joke. A rhododendron is a little more friendly. That's my own property. Whatever you want to grow is your own business. Furthermore, my comment wasn't really directed at you specifically. It was a 'point of interest' on this public forum.

Hi Bathgate
I do understand that the Pyracantha shrub can be dangerous. This shrub is great if planted at the back of gardens, which I have, to ward of trespassers.
I do realise that this shrub in my front garden is a no no & that I was eventually going to replace it.
My friend Lady Essex, was just trying to show members to beware of some Gardeners who do not have the experience they claim to have, as this picture shows.

I have no option now but, to remove & replace. It is okay to get someone in just to cut the grass & tidy up, but to do anything else in the garden is a no no.

I apologise if I offended you in any way, & hope to keep in touch with you & everyone at some time on this Site.

I know how it feels, my own gardener tried to do me a favor and cut off all the buds to my hydrangea, which meant no flowers at all for a whole year. Then he hacked my Coral Honeysuckle to the ground which took me 5 years to grow to a decent size. That meant no more hummingbird visits. It never grew back. Good help is hard to find, :)

Yes, I quite agree on your last quote. Bathgate. So now that the warmer climes are nearing, it's that time we must venture in our gardens & prepare for Summer. I am really looking forward to it :=)

Me too. I tried planting some French Beans, but the birds ate up all the beans I planted before I got back inside the house. Yikes!

Freesiaperson, you've said you're thinking of putting a replacement in a pot to contain its growth, but if you choose a smaller shrub, that shouldn't really be necessary There's a big difference between putting in a new Choisya in place of this Pyracantha (which gets enormous) - choisya gets around 5 feet high and wide, making a nice rounded shape. Brachyglottis 'sunshine' gets a similar size, and responds well to being shaped or cut back, and both would be better off in the ground rather than in pots. It's simply a question of choosing something that fits the space and light levels available. If you don't mind a deciduous shrub, Physocarpus 'Lady in Red' gets about 5 feet high and about 3 or 4 feet wide and is an attractive flowering shrub, but will need some sun.