Frost damage to bottle brush bush

Question

Cold and frost damaged my bottle brush bush. It is all brown. Can I save it? Should I prune it all the way down?

Answer 1

When plants have been damaged by a freeze, it is best to avoid pruning right away even if parts of the tree look dead. Pruning can allow further damage from cold weather to happen, and even if all the leaves fall off, the tree might survive and grow back next spring. The best course of action is to wait until spring to see if the leaves grow back. Then if there are dead portions of the tree, you can prune those away. Here is additional information that should help: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/tips-for-saving-cold-damaged-plants.htm