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Help! My flaxs have been sheared off!

Letap369Letap369 Posts: 3
in Problem solving
My gardener has sheared off our Flaxs and now looking up on the internet it appears they have been damaged and not recover. How long will it take to recover or have they been ruined? We are devastated as we are part of a private estate and moved in recently and didn't have prior knowledge to the plants in the garden. However our gardener is managed by the estate so we relied on his knowledge. What can I do?

Posts

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    It hasn't been killed, just given an unsuitable haircut from which it will recover.

    It belongs to this family - https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/12791/Phormium-tenax/Details and is pretty tough.

    The usual method is to remove whole leaves to the base as they die off and go brown rather than take a pair of shears to it.   It is evergreen s in a state of constant renewal and loss of foliage. I suggest you have words with the estate management and tell them of your concerns and ask them to make sure their gardener has some basic training and  qualifications before letting him near any more plants.

    You could also start to learn about the plants you have and how to care for them yourselves and maybe even plant some of your own.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • Letap369Letap369 Posts: 3
    Many thanks for your reply and will definitely have a word with the estate management. Absolutely will be on steep learning curve about the plants so we can give them some TLC. Thankyou
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Oh dear - but as @Obelixx says, they'll recover. It would be worth going in and taking those cut stems off right back to base. It'll all grow back with new leaves through the next few months.
    There's a house near me which had one on each side of their front door, and they did the same thing. Right through the middle of them. By the end of the year they looked fine  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    edited February 2021
    You don't say where you are but I would wait to do any major pruning of your flax until after the worst of the frosts are over as the remaining leaves will provide shelter for new shoots as well as continuing to feed the plants on sunny days when they can photosynthesise. 
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • Letap369Letap369 Posts: 3
    Many thanks for all your tips definitely will definitely be following them. We are based in South England.
  • rachelQrtJHBjbrachelQrtJHBjb Posts: 819
    If it's not going to rock the boat too much I would tell whoever manages the "estate gardener" that he is clearly not a gardener. I assume you pay for his services via a management company? They should employ someone suitably qualified as their efforts will pay dividends. 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Yes - I'd agree @rachelQrtJHBjb. It's a straightforward, and well known plant for anyone who's even had a garden, or gardened, for a while, let alone someone who is getting paid for it.  :/
    Just as well it's not a plant that could have been seriously damaged. 

    You'll be able to trim back those hacked leaves quite soon @Letap369, and it'll look fine  :).
    I give mine a good going over in spring as they get a fair bit of damage over winter. They come back very readily, even when they've had a big haircut. 

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



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • rachelQrtJHBjbrachelQrtJHBjb Posts: 819
    Sorry, that sounded harsh. It's just that I get incredibly annoyed with people purporting to be gardeners when they are not. Best exemplified by a friend who lost their job, bought a transit and starting offering gardening services not knowing anything. He targeted the Wentworth Estate in Surrey, charging £20ph. I employ someone part-time to help me 2 days per week and he holds RHS qualifications. When he came for the interview he planned to charge £15ph, which I told him was too little. I took him on, but at a higher rate. It frustrates me when I see plants damaged in the way yours has been. Rant over :)
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I agree with you totally @rachelQrtJHBjb. In this case - there's no long term damage, but it isn't the point. 
    I've seen some of the so called gardeners people employ round here, and frankly, I wouldn't pay them a fiver an hour for what they do, let alone anything else. 

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



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328
    Unqualified louts with a ladder and a chainsaw setting themselves up as "tree surgeons" are another bugbear...
    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
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