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Pruning Hebes

I have a Hebes on the top of the rock garden and it is getting too big for the situation; can it be pruned perhaps later in the growing season?

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  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,139

    Hi artjak image  There's an old thread on pruning hebes ............. here it is image

     http://www.gardenersworld.com/forum/plants/hebe-help/4223.html 


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

     I've pruned a few different ones which outgrew spaces but I found little and often was usually better than a severe haircut - some of them didn't like hard pruning, but that also may be down to weather here. They took a while to recover -  and sometimes didn't.... image

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • artjakartjak Posts: 4,167

    Dove, thank you for that link; problem is all the advice says to prune after flowering; but this hebe is in a pretty shady location and I can't really say that I have ever noticed it flowering! It is probably about 10 years old, small leafed and this year has become just too large.

    Any further thoughts?image

  • Lupin 1Lupin 1 Posts: 8,916

    I have one in a big pot that grew down and into soil. One I inherited so no idea what it is, it's never flowered but last year I cut a good amount from it and moved it. I was amazed at the sap that leaked out, I expected it to die. Some parts looked a bit black.

    It hasn't died, it has regrown leaves but hasn't flowered but not knowing much about them I don't know when it should flower. Just nice foliage sitting in a pot in an  "awkward " place. It has had a treat of FBB and I'll see what happens. Don't want it in the graden & don't want to re-pot, so we'll see.

    Basically no help to you at all Artjak image

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    I had a buxifolia type one in a pot at the front door of a previous house art. It got virtually no sun and only ever had a few flowers because of that - in fact it's a wonder it survived at all! I kept it more as a box 'replacement'  and trimmed it now and again to keep it tidy. Could it be that type?  I have three vernicosa ones at the moment which I've just put into big terracotta pots for that same purpose - they're similar to box too.  I can put a pic on if you want to compare. Perhaps you could prune it a few times over the course of the year and gradually get it back. 

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • artjakartjak Posts: 4,167

    when i eventually get off the phone from scottish power image i will go and take a photo. i may be quite old by thenimage

  • Lupin 1Lupin 1 Posts: 8,916

    Fairy I'd like to see a pic of your hebe to see if mine is same.

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    No probs KEF image

    Not a great pic but you should be able to enlarge. I can take a better one if necessary

    http://i1331.photobucket.com/albums/w595/fairygirl55/P3190012_zps5d331dd2.jpg

     

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    Here's a better one. I even went out in the rain to take it....imageimage

    http://i1331.photobucket.com/albums/w595/fairygirl55/P4220002_zps5b6ed706.jpg

     

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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