Prune Shiny Xylosma – Cut Back at Planting, Then Shear

Cut shiny xylosma back when you plant it, then shear it as a hedge with the base wider than the top. Prune to live leaves, not to bare wood.

Cut it back when you plant, then shear for a hedge

shiny xylosma takes frequent shearing, so it is a good formal hedge. At planting, cut the shrub back so it branches low. In Arizona heat, extension takes the top third. In the San Joaquin Valley, Master Gardeners cut six to eight inches. [1] The next year, shear about half of the new growth. By the third season you can hold the shape you want. After that, trim when new shoots stand a few inches to about a foot above the line. [2] Site and water live on How to Grow Shiny Xylosma.

1. At planting, cut the shrub back so it branches low — the top third in hot desert plantings, or six to eight inches in milder valley heat.
2. The next year, shear about half of that new growth so the plant fills from the base.
3. From the third season, hold the shape with regular shearing after spring growth, then as needed through the year.

Keep the base wider than the top

A hedge that is narrower at the bottom than at the top shades its own lower branches, and those leaves drop. Keep the base a little wider so light reaches the skirt. Round, peaked, or slightly sloped tops need less follow-up than a razor-flat box. When you reduce width, cut to live leaves. Bare old wood on this evergreen often stays bare. [3]

1. Shear so the base stays a little wider than the top, and so light hits the lower leaves.
2. Take only a few inches of green at a time on a tight formal hedge, so you do not open leafless stubs.
3. If you must reduce width, cut back to foliage, not to smooth brown trunks.

If it is overgrown, cut it hard in spring

An old, vigorous xylosma hedge can take a hard rebuild. In spring, before bud burst, cut the stems about twelve to eighteen inches above the ground. New shoots come from below those cuts by midsummer. Then thin about half of them and cut the rest to mixed heights so the canopy is not a solid mat. [4] The same large shrub can be trained as a small tree if you start while it is young: pick one trunk or a few stems, and keep suckers off the base as it grows. An established solid hedge that was skinned at the bottom may put out a little adventitious growth, but shaded trunks often stay bare, so do not count on a full green skirt coming back there.

Cut a new plant back so it branches low, shear with a wider base, and prune to live leaves. If the hedge is overgrown, wait for spring, then cut hard.