Severe Pruning Wax Myrtle

Pruning and caring for common myrtle.

Severe pruning wax myrtle. The tree tends to grow sprouts from the roots. These suckers are stealing nutrients and water from the tree and make the planting look messy. 20 to 25 feet. Wax myrtle will need pruning to keep it specimen beautiful.

You can increase the blooming by often. Removing excess shoot growth two times each year eliminates the tall lanky branches and reduces the tendency for branches to droop. 15 to 25 feet. Wax myrtle is very forgiving of pruning and we saw several different suggestions when we searched on the internet.

Step 1 remove sprouts growing along the base of the wax myrtle in the summer. How to prune myrtle. Irregular outline or silhouette. Some landscape managers hedge the crown into a multi stemmed dome shaped topiary.

Other common names common myrtle myrtle family myrtaceae genus myrtus are evergreen shrubs or small trees with aromatic leathery leaves and solitary bowl shaped white flowers followed by fleshy often edible berries. If you do it right away before new growth starts to show up you can prune them now don t wait until it starts to get hot. Prune the sprouts by cutting them where they meet the tree trunk or ground. Wax myrtle can withstand heavy pruning easily and can grow several feet each year.

Don t get too severe and boxy in your pruning as that. Although not pruning at all will suite the shrub fine since it rarely exceeds 16 feet 5 m in height you can balance or reduce the breadth of your common myrtle at the beginning of spring pruning delicately. Prune or cut back stems or branches selectively in the interior of the canopy making cuts within 1 4 inch of. When your climate calls for drought tolerant plants you don t need to forego the lush look of a flowering evergreen shrub.

To keep a compact appearance prune the year s new shoots back to half their length after the blooming.