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Help needed to rescue a hawthorne hedge
jowild
Posts: 2
We have painstakingly rid our hawthorne hedge of ivy over the course of last year. We dug it out as all forms of ivy killing products failed miserably.
It has left the hedge sparse and spindley with bare areas at the base and middle where the ivy had taken hold. The only growth is at the top.
I read somewhere that the best course of action is to cut it right back now and hope that it recovers.
Does this sound right? Has anyone had any success restoring a hedge in this state? I tried to add a photo but I'm not sure that it worked.
As a novice gardener any advice would be greatly appreciated, particularly how low to prune it and if there is a feed or anything that might help it's recovery.
Thanks in advance.
Last edited: 01 February 2018 13:46:56
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Posts
Hawthorn hedges are usually quite vigorous give half a chance. Ours in our Belgian garden grew 6' up every year and a couple of feet sideways so it was easy to keep it nice and thick by regular cutting. The one in this garden grows a lot less quickly but then we have just ended a 16 month drought.
You need to do some cutting back to stimulate dormant buds to grow lower down. I suggest you cut the top down as low as you need it to be and trim side shoots back to a uniform width, making it slightly wider at the bottom than at the top. Make sure the loppers and secateurs are clean and sharp so you don't get any rough edges and don't do it on days when frosts are forecast as this can damage newly cut tissues.
I would also advise you scatter generous handfuls of pelleted chicken manure along the base in early March. You can also give it a mulch of well rotted compost or manure if the ground isn't frozen or dry.
Feed and mulch every year and keep it trimmed regularly - once or twice a year - to maintain shape, size and vigour. It should thicken and green up nicely.
Yes, cut it hard back now ... as a farmer's daughter I've seen many hawthorn hedges cut hard back and spring into life and form thick bushy hedges which can be kept under control . ... you can either cut it hard to within a foot from the ground as if you were coppicing it, and it will shoot again from the base, or if you want to retain a barrier you can layer it ... lots of helpful videos on Youtube or you can get someone who knows how to do it if it's within your budget.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thank you! Will pluck up the courage and and cut it right back - just seemed a scary thing to do!
If you are worried, just cut it back by half this time. When you see how much it grows back you'll have the confidence to cut it back as hard as you need next year.
you could always lay it to increase the thickness in future years