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Overgrown Hebe

hachimaghachimag Posts: 36
in Problem solving
Hi I am hoping someone can help.   I have two very large Hebe = Black Beauty    They have grown very big but have empty space in the middle.    Can I trim them back 

Posts

  • BorderlineBorderline Posts: 4,700
    When you say empty space in the middle, do you mean the weight of the branches have caused the whole shrub to splay out from the middle?

    Yes, you can prune them now if the branches are heavy and pulling outwards. But be careful not to prune into wood that are over 1cm in thickness, or into old stiff wood, they tend to take ages to rejuvenate. For this reason, it is always best to maintain Hebes when they are smaller because they struggle when pruned too far back. In some cases, some Hebes fail to recover.
  • hachimaghachimag Posts: 36
    Thanks a million for that.   Do I prune every year and if so when would be best time to do it
  • BorderlineBorderline Posts: 4,700
    Hebes can flower from summer into early winter, so it's always best to wait until they flower and then prune back a bit. But, if your shrub is overgrown, and branches are weighing down, I don't see any harm in pruning now since most plants grow their fastest between now and autumn, so your flowers may be produced in autumn to early winter.
  • hachimaghachimag Posts: 36
    That's brilliant.  Thanks again for your advice
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