How to prune pyracantha or firethorn and why it stands out 

Irish Examiner gardening columnist Peter Dowdall discusses a plant that requires different grooming treatment to others 

Often grown as a wall shrub, pyracantha can also be grown as a hedge offering excellent security benefits. Picture: iStock

Pyracantha is one plant that I didn’t deal with last week when offering some general pruning guidelines and in a way, it deserves to be answered all on its own as you prune it quite differently to most other plants. 

Indeed, you can hack it back to coin a horticultural term and it will, most likely survive, as pyracantha is a tough old character in the garden.