Hedge at end of the garden

pok3st3r

Hi, First post so hello!

I have a hedge at the bottom of the garden which is about half a metre deep. the neighbour at the back one year hacked it down while I was away on holiday and it wont seem to grow back as thick.

 

it has a damson tree in front so the corner doesn't get much light. This is the other left corner which although is more bushy still has large holes.

I have been told to cut it right back, so take  1/2 meter off its depth, by the neighbour at the back but last time he cut it it didn't grow back any ideas on my best plan of action.

Thanks

Ladybird4

Hello pok3st3r and welcome to the forum. I don't understand why the neighbour is telling you what to do and it would be very helpful if you could tell us what plant the hedge is made up of - maybe take a close up picture of the leaves? Is it your hedge or your neighbours?

pok3st3r

Hi Ladybird4,

Thanks for the reply. 

Its my hedge but the neighbour is a bit of a busy body and when he cut it down last time I wasn't happy.

So this time he came around to ask me to trim the height which I will but I also explained i was trying to grow it back to a bushy hedge this is when he suggested I should cut it right back!

I can see into his garden hence Why I want it to grow back! thicker.

Not sure what type of hedge it is! but heres a picture of the leaves

Ladybird4

Well I don't recognise that hedging plant but someone on here will. In one respect he is correct, by cutting the hedge and keeping it clipped yearly, it will eventually thicken up but it may have got a little large. Is it an evergreen hedge? There is nothing wrong with lowering the height but he cannot 'order' you to do it if it is yours and he certainly has no right legally to cut it - apart from any branches which may overhang his property. We have had a few threads on here with some very unpleasant neighbours making life difficult for folks. You do what you want and tell him he has no right to cut your hedge (apart from what I said before). I notice the first time he did it he waited until you were away - that speaks volumes.

pok3st3r

it is all civil with the neighbour but it hasn't grown back since he cut it while I was away, this was a year ago! and I don't think he will again as he has already been told I was not happy. As i say tho its all civil now and I don't mind keeping the height to what I want and he seems to be happy now.

I'm worried about cutting it back as its in a shady corner and its not growing bushy just growing up to the light heres a photo of the full hedge its the right hand side behind the tree that seems to not grow back.

pok3st3r

Thanks for the reply Phillipa, We have come to an agreement and I am keeping it the height i want. After last time and me telling him he wont cut it without asking unless its on his side and overhanging. I cut it myself so he complains about the height sometimes but as Ive told him the tree cuts out the sun more than my hedge and now he wont touch it unless he asks me first. Sometimes I have left it as im trying to get it to grow back thicker and a few branches grow high.

Its an evergreen a privit i think? I haven't a clue how to trim this which branches should I target when thinning? I just give it a good trim twice a year with hedge trimmers but it doesn't seem to be growing back in the corner.

pok3st3r

I think its this Ligustrum ovalifolium - oval leaf privet

Mark56

Definitely privet, I have it here. It's usually very good at growing back even if cut into hard wood. It should only take a year, as the rate of growth is high, mine usually requires two cuts a year. The fact it's shaded could also be an issue as you state. 

Last edited: 21 August 2016 18:38:02

Dovefromabove

Definitely privet.

I think what your neighbour is trying to explain that the harder you cut it back the thicker it will grow.

Clear out dead leaves, ivy and weeds from the bottom of the hedge to let air and light in..  Give the area at the base of the hedge a feed with Fish, Blood & Bone (a slow release organic fertiliser) as per the directions on the pack and cut it hard back - watch Monty Don on Friday's Gardener's World  - he was talking about cutting the hedge a bit wider at the bottom than the top - this will make sure that the bottom of the hedge gets sunlight as much as the higher parts of the hedge - this will stimulate fresh growth.

pok3st3r

Thanks for the advice i'll clean up around the bottom, Also cut it making more of a wedge shape, do you think I should plant more around the bare area?

Dovefromabove

If you want it really thick I'd cut the whole thing down to about 18" high, and then it'll bush out from the bottom as it grows ... but you'll have to forgo the privacy for a few years ... your choice.