This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
Hebe - lots of brown leaves; what to do?
Winchester_flare
Posts: 46
I think this is a Hebe (doesn't flower but has lovely purple leaves). Up until a couple of weeks ago it was looking very healthy but since then at least half the leaves have gone brown. We had a cold spell (but only just dropped below freezing here in Hampshire) which may have caused this? I've been surprised how extensive the impact has been though as was a lot colder last year.
There are some new buds and growth towards the base so is my best bet cutting back the stems with brown leaves back to a bud (or base if no bud)? And then tidy up the remaining healthier branches to give it some shape? It's in quite a prominent place in the centre of the front bed so I'm wondering if just to get rid entirely. Any suggestions? And is it likely the cold did this or could something else cause the plant to look so un-sightly?
There are some new buds and growth towards the base so is my best bet cutting back the stems with brown leaves back to a bud (or base if no bud)? And then tidy up the remaining healthier branches to give it some shape? It's in quite a prominent place in the centre of the front bed so I'm wondering if just to get rid entirely. Any suggestions? And is it likely the cold did this or could something else cause the plant to look so un-sightly?
0
Posts
When you do prune it, use clean, sharp secateurs and take all the stems back to a good shape. You can use the healthy shoots your remove to take cuttings. Give the plant a good feed and it should be fine.