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What is this shrub/tree olease

Happy Christmas everyone! 🎄 can anyone help identify this shrub or tree please? Many thanks 

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  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 33,676
    Hibiscus
    Devon.
  • Thanks Hosta! I will let my daughter know, she’s just bought her first house with boyfriend. What is care on these please? Can you cut back hard if you need to? Xx 
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 33,676
    If it were mine, I'd cut that secondary trunk out to the base. I suspsect the branches will constantly be fighting against the wall.
    Devon.
  • Thanks for the good advice Hosta. Would we do that in March/April? Does this shrub stay that size or keep getting bigger do think? I guess it’s difficult to tell without knowing variety? 
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 33,676
    I'd remove it now, whilst dormant. I don't think it'll get much bigger than it is now. 
    The most popular varieties are H. Woodbridge, or H. Bluebird. My guess is that it'll be one of those.
    Devon.
  • Many thanks - happy Christmas Hosta 🎄 xx
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 33,676
    My pleasure. Yuletide felicitations  to you too.
    Devon.
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 28,792
    Here is some information on your shrub tho the flower colour colour could be blue, pink, deep red, white, with our without a purple throat depending on variety - www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/91031/i-Hibiscus-syriacus-i-Woodbridge/Details

    They can be very late to start showing new foliage after a hard winter so don't be surprised if buds open late.   You can prune out that lower thick stem that's heading towards the wall any time now on a day when frost is not expected.  Use a proper pruning saw, available at GCs and DIY shops.   You can also use loppers to prune back half the stems to take them back to main stems and thus thin the shrub.   Take out the other half the following year.   
     
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • Thanks Obelixx, much appreciated. Happy Christmas to you too xx
  • CopperdogCopperdog Posts: 516
    Just another quick question about the hibiscus in my daughters front garden.  should we trim the spent flower heads at the top similar to hydrangea pruning?
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