How to Prune Texas Rangers the Right Way!

Q. I am new to my home and inherited several Texas ranger bushes. Two of them are on long stems with bushiness only at the top. If I cut these way down, will they bush out, filling around the bottoms of the plant or will I kill it?

Timely Texas ranger pruning allows flowering.

A. I am sure you are not alone with this problem. The short answer is yes, they will grow from the base if cut back. But Texas rangers are slow to grow back after they have been pruned. They are not like oleanders which can grow back quickly as suckers. They don’t sucker well from the base. Instead, they prefer to force their growth on existing stems just below the cuts. It may be necessary to prune all the growth back close to the ground. Leave about 2 inches above the soil or rock for new growth to sucker from the stems.

Pruning Texas ranger with a hedge shears results

            This is a common pruning practice by landscape companies that don’t know what they’re doing. They use hedge shears about twice a year to “shape” these bushes instead of pruning them. Shaping works, but only on hedges. That’s why they are called “hedge shears”.

            If you want to do it yourself then use a sharp lopper or reciprocating saw and cut these big stems back 2 inches above the soil surface and let them sprout from the sides. If there are too many sprouts, pull them off so that only the ones you like remain. It speeds up the growth if you do that. The best time to pull them off is in the spring otherwise you must prune them off. About every second or third year, prune two or three of the largest stems close to the soil surface and let the stems regrow from side sprouts.