| I have the pink dwarf oleander plants as a hedge around our lanai (ten plants). They are blooming beautifully but are already 3-4 ft tall and wide after only one year since planting. If I wait until winter to prune, they will be too big, sparse and woody at the bottom. Can I prune back now without losing the entire blooming season? If they get too large, they will be unsightly. |
| Robert, If you prune now that it is spring you will be removing blooms. However, it may be necessary to build some lower branching and shape the plants into more full specimens. Pruning at the end of the bloom period would be better. If you plants are still blooming in September, which is likely, go ahead and prune them then. Pruning later can adversely affect the following spring's growth, and make the plant more susceptible to cold weather. I'm not sure which Monrovia variety you have but it may be that those plants won't get much larger than 4 feet. Monrovias two pink dwarf types are 'Turner's Carnival' which reaches 3-4 feet, and 'Turner's Tickled Pink' which reaches 4-6 feet in time. Thanks for the question. Please stop in again soon! |
