i’ve done a large amount of pruning probably 30% if not more over the past few weeks as these two different Bougainvillea that are growing on either side of this arbor have been not pruned at all for at least five years and have been only sheared to create a hedge. it does give us privacy from the street but only flowers now at the very edges and is a mess of sticks in the middle. I’ve done a huge amount of pruning and I’m wondering if I should basically take it completely down to a skeleton or if I’ve done enough. i’m in Oakland.
by suttla333
5 Comments
20% more
Another 1/3 cup of blood.
If you like it this way then it’s good, looks like a nice haircut to me. I would keep it shoulder height on a sturdy ladder. I don’t want to be trimming stuff above my head once ir twice every year. That’s hard work.
I would just be trimming it multiple times yearly. But i wouldnt worry about taking off heights. I would get in there and pull out all the deadwood. The dried up dead sticks and twigs. That will give it much more sunlight and breathability. I would say trimming this is more so about preserving it. Not trying to make it look perfect. It already looks beautiful though.
There was a time when you could have trained it to grow a certain way, but that time has passed. The thing looks really nice. I would just be fertilizing it and keeping it off the walkway so people dumped up into it and stuff.