Pruning a bottle brush tree

Question

I want to prune my bottle brush tree. I bought it from a nursery a couple of years ago. When I bought it, it was about four feet tall and had a single trunk. I was told that it would develop a height of approximately twelve feet high and would grow to about 8 to 10 feet in diameter.

My intention was to let it grow to full height and use it to shade the front porch. The trunk is about 4 inches in diameter at the base. I want to trim the foliage back from the pedestrian sidewalk and at the bottom so that I can get a lawn mower or trimmer underneath for the grass.

My original idea was for the canopy to be about six feet above the ground. So I need to take about three feet off the bottom and varying amounts around the perimeter. Think upside down bowl….It is planted in a 7 foot by 10 foot rectangle of lawn surrounded by sidewalks leading to the porch.

Answer 1

Here are some articles on bottle brush pruning that will help you:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/bottlebrush/pruning-bottlebrush-plants.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/bottlebrush/growing-bottlebrush-plants.htm