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Pyracantha Hedge cut back?

#1 · 21st March 2023, 4:43 pm

Hello, I have a large Pyracantha hedge at the front of my property. It ranges from 5ft to 7ft tall about 3ft-4ft deep in places. It runs for about and length of 20m and I keep it trim in a box cut shape.
However it is protruding into the path too much - ideally I'd like to cut the depth of all it back by about 6 to 8 inches but I have no idea if this a good idea or if it will kill/harm the hedge.
I know once cut back it will be brown and twiggy looking which is fine, but will new green shoots emerge so it looks like a neat box hedge once again?
Also if it can be cut back is there a good time of year to do this?
Any help or advice would be great - thank you

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#2 · 23rd March 2023, 1:00 pm

Quote from Lee Garden Ninja on 23rd March 2023, 1:00 pm
Hi @ddangerous
Great question about this wonderful yet highly thorny hedge specimen, Pyracantha, also known as the Firethorn for good reason!
You're right to ask about the best time to prune this and how far you can go as the internet is full of contrary advice when it comes to pruning.
Pyracantha is a super thorny, though evergreen shrub. It provides a number of garden benefits, in particular as a hedge.
Benefits of a Pyracantha/firethorn hedge:
Provides evergreen year-round cover
Flowers in the summer with a white blossom
Red, orange or yellow fruits follow mid-season, which are great for birds
It's tolerant of nearly all conditions
Is great as a burglar deterrent due to the thorns
Helps stop road pollution spreading into gardens
Drawbacks of Pyracanthus/Firethorn hedges:
They are incredibly thorny meaning pruning requires gauntlets (checkout these gauntlets for an example)
Tools need to be razor sharp as their bark is tough to cut
They can be daunting to prune due to their densely spaced thorny branches
This page contains affiliate links for products I use and love. If you take action (i.e. subscribe, make a purchase) after clicking a link, I may earn some gardening commission which helps me keep the Garden Ninja Blog free for all.
What time of year can I prune Pyracantha?
The best time of year is early spring just as the bulbs are coming up in the garden and before the birds' nest. It's really important to check for nesting birds when cutting hedges, so you don't disturb them and in turn, weaken wildlife.
It will take a few months for the fresh leafy growth to emerge but it will soon repopulate itself.
Can I hard prune Pyracantha?
Contrary to what other sites tell you, yes you can! In fact, it's a great plant species to hard prune. It's tough as boots and will respond well. The only drawback is you'll probably lose this year's flowers but other than that early Spring ie March is the best time to hard prune Pyracantha.
You can even prune it back down to the ground if need be and let it regenerate. However, it will take a good few years to start establishing as a hedge. In your case, I'd take back a good ft or two and it will be fine.
How to prune Pyracantha
The best way to prune Pyracantha is with electric sheers vs secateurs. This is because they make light work of the many small thorny branches. You can use hand sheers, but it's hard work, and you end up scraping your knuckles if you're not careful.
For a light trim passing over cutting off 2-3 inches is enough to neaten a Pyracantha.
For a hard prune do several passes with the electric sheers. Take off 3 inches each time you pass over. That way you get a nice neat cut.
If you need more guidance my hedge cutting guide here should help.
https://youtu.be/_Dc3B2I7bu4
What to do with Pyracantha cuttings?
Whilst I always advocate home composting any super thorny shrubs like Pyracantha can be a problem as the thorns make handling the compost a bit of a nightmare. Use a thick pair of gloves and a heavy-duty plastic garden trug to collect the clippings ready to be composted or recycled. The best way to combat this is to either:
Use your recycling bin and the base of a trug once emptied into the bin (like this one) to push down the clippings to save your hands
Use a decent garden shredder to cut up the clippings into a fine mulch ready to be composted
The clippings will take about a year to break down due to their woody structure. They are very carbon-heavy so should be treated as brown compost matter not green (nitrogen rich).
I hope that helps in bringing you Pyracantha or firethorn hedge in check!
Do let us know how you get on.
Lee

Hi @ddangerous

Great question about this wonderful yet highly thorny hedge specimen, Pyracantha, also known as the Firethorn for good reason!

You're right to ask about the best time to prune this and how far you can go as the internet is full of contrary advice when it comes to pruning.

Pyracantha is a super thorny, though evergreen shrub. It provides a number of garden benefits, in particular as a hedge.

Benefits of a Pyracantha/firethorn hedge:

Provides evergreen year-round cover
Flowers in the summer with a white blossom
Red, orange or yellow fruits follow mid-season, which are great for birds
It's tolerant of nearly all conditions
Is great as a burglar deterrent due to the thorns
Helps stop road pollution spreading into gardens

Drawbacks of Pyracanthus/Firethorn hedges:

They are incredibly thorny meaning pruning requires gauntlets (checkout these gauntlets for an example)
Tools need to be razor sharp as their bark is tough to cut
They can be daunting to prune due to their densely spaced thorny branches

This page contains affiliate links for products I use and love. If you take action (i.e. subscribe, make a purchase) after clicking a link, I may earn some gardening commission which helps me keep the Garden Ninja Blog free for all.

What time of year can I prune Pyracantha?

The best time of year is early spring just as the bulbs are coming up in the garden and before the birds' nest. It's really important to check for nesting birds when cutting hedges, so you don't disturb them and in turn, weaken wildlife.

It will take a few months for the fresh leafy growth to emerge but it will soon repopulate itself.

Can I hard prune Pyracantha?

Contrary to what other sites tell you, yes you can! In fact, it's a great plant species to hard prune. It's tough as boots and will respond well. The only drawback is you'll probably lose this year's flowers but other than that early Spring ie March is the best time to hard prune Pyracantha.

You can even prune it back down to the ground if need be and let it regenerate. However, it will take a good few years to start establishing as a hedge. In your case, I'd take back a good ft or two and it will be fine.

How to prune Pyracantha

The best way to prune Pyracantha is with electric sheers vs secateurs. This is because they make light work of the many small thorny branches. You can use hand sheers, but it's hard work, and you end up scraping your knuckles if you're not careful.

For a light trim passing over cutting off 2-3 inches is enough to neaten a Pyracantha.

For a hard prune do several passes with the electric sheers. Take off 3 inches each time you pass over. That way you get a nice neat cut.

If you need more guidance my hedge cutting guide here should help.

What to do with Pyracantha cuttings?

Whilst I always advocate home composting any super thorny shrubs like Pyracantha can be a problem as the thorns make handling the compost a bit of a nightmare. Use a thick pair of gloves and a heavy-duty plastic garden trug to collect the clippings ready to be composted or recycled. The best way to combat this is to either:

Use your recycling bin and the base of a trug once emptied into the bin (like this one) to push down the clippings to save your hands
Use a decent garden shredder to cut up the clippings into a fine mulch ready to be composted

The clippings will take about a year to break down due to their woody structure. They are very carbon-heavy so should be treated as brown compost matter not green (nitrogen rich).

I hope that helps in bringing you Pyracantha or firethorn hedge in check!

Do let us know how you get on.

Lee

ddangerous has reacted to this post.

#3 · 23rd March 2023, 3:06 pm

Thank you very much Lee, amazing and thorough reply!

Am I a touch too late to do a hard prune this year? Say trim the depth of the hedge back 8inches - or will I be okay if I get it done by the end of March?

Thanks again

Damien