Back in February we pruned an elderly strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo). It was tall and straggly, with green growth only at the tips of the branches. I was hoping a hard prune would re-shape and rejuvenate it, as it was a substantial structural evergreen in the garden, worth saving. After 3 months there was no signs of any new shoots on a major part of it, and I made a note to get it chainsawed off.
However re-visiting the garden today, we noticed lots of tiny shoots all over the old branches – this has taken 4 months!
So the tree has a stay of execution, and it made my day to see it springing back to life. It shows how long this can take; it is worth being patient.
What a timely blog! I was looking out the window at my potted strawberry tree standards which are both looking straggly as you describe. I feared pruning would just leave them looking worse still but you’ve given me hope. Would you advise I wait until next spring to have a go?
Sorry for the late reply! Pruning in June would probably have been OK, but early spring would be the ideal time for lots of new shoots to appear.