Advice On Aggrssive Pruning Of A Large Banksia

Question

I have a Banksia that has grown to 15 feet and it is shading my neighbors solar panels. I want to prune it back to 8 feet but that will cut off a large amount of its vegetation. Will the remaining branches sprout new growth. Can I do this now in September in California

Answer 1

It depends on the variety. About half of the varieties will tolerate hard pruning, the ones with lignotubers. There is a list of those in the second link near the end of the file. Most also flower on "old wood" so cutting into that will delay flowering. The best time to prune is after the main flush of flowering in summer.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/banksia/how-to-grow-banksia-plants.htm
https://arboretum.ucsc.edu/education/ray-collett/2-re-ucsc-ppt-banksias-sel,-design--applic-for-cultiv-13-oct-2019.pdf
https://apsvic.org.au/pruning-australian-native-plants/