euphorbia mellifera - pruning

[purplerain44]

OK, so I do this every year. I am not an experienced gardener but learning more and more as I go along. I love my euphorbia mellifera - it's big and bushy and well-established. BUT the top of it was going all yellow and dried out, and the whole thing was bushing out at the sides, covering up my delicate jasmine bush which is next to it. I tried to trim it yesterday - and now it looks ridiculous. There's a big dip in the middle (lots of green leaves coming through) and I got too scared to do anymore. I think I actually do this every year and then leave it looking completely lop-sided and silly. What should I actually be doing with this plant? And should I just carry on cutting it? The stems are really long so when I cut down, it really takes a lot of. Thank you!!!

It doesn't need pruning for its health, you are pruning purely to make it fit what you want. That said, it does seem to be fairly tough, with a strong will to live.

It's worth taking out any stems that are dying - I would follow the dying branches back and take out as low as possible - you may need a saw. And then rather than trim all over like a hedge, take out one or two major branches at just above ground level. In other words remove as much growth as you want to, in the fewest possible number of cuts.

I would also probably move the jasmine bush elsewhere. Or start a new E. mellifera from seed, and get that going elsewhere so you could take out the original.

You might want to leave pruning to the winter in the hope of getting less sap bleed. And please take the sap seriously and don't get it on your skin - it can cause photo-sensitisation. I have a patch of skin on my leg which develops a rash every time I get a lot of sun on it, caused by the sap of one of my other euphorbias.

It's a lovely bush, isn't it? Did you know the species name means "honey bearer"?