My Leucophyllum frutescens has done very well the last four years. It has grown into a natural ball shape, complementary with other grey and green ball shaped plants in various lines of view, eg. the Chamaerops humilis adjacent. When in full flower it is spectacular, and alive with bees.
Trouble is, it is now too tall (1.5m). It is imposing on the view over the wall to the hills and sea, it is taking up space at ground level, and (minor point) the stonework of the wall is being discoloured.
The middle point may seem irrelevant, seeing as it is just gravel and a ring of rocks beneath, but one of my options is to prune to lift the crown and reveal the character in the rocks and in the 'trunk'. With an olive tree further along, I have raised the crown, and the base of the canopy is sufficiently high above the wall that the view is acceptably preserved. But with the Leucophyllum, it is not tall enough to do that. ...At least not yet. How tall can it grow?
I don't want to topiarize it. Yes, that might maintain the ball shape, but it has several negatives, not least being that it simply does not suit the subject, IMO. Pruning back sympathetically to retain the ball shape without shearing would be a possibility.
Bearing in mind I would like to:
- reduce its imposition on the distant view
- retain the spectacle of the blossom
- keep it complementary to adjacent plants in terms of form and colour
- expose the character in the underlying rocks and 'trunk'
- not have it break in high winds
- adopt a pruning and development strategy that I can stick with for many years
- be able to use prunings as cuttings
(or as many of those as possible)
How do you think I should prune it?
When and how often?
Thanks for your consideration, and hopefully experience,
Mike