| My alyogyne (Zone 9--Sunset, Zone 21) bears beautiful flowers but has gotten too tall (about 7-8 feet). How do I prune it back to have it look full but within comfortable maintenance height? Is it possible at this point to bring it down to shrub height? Thank you. |
| Your blue hibiscus must be a beautiful sight! It should be pinched back and lightly pruned throughout the growing season to keep it bushy and compact. Yours has reached its full mature height (6'-8'). If you want to reduce the size, do it gradually, removing only about one-third of the live plant material in any one growing season. You could remove more, but you may compromise the health of the plant. Cut back some of the branches and stems now, then pinch out the growing tips in the spring to force new shoots to grow in the middle of the plant. The more you pinch, the bushier it will become. Then, when you have it at just the right size, continue to pinch and prune regularly throughout the year. |
