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Frost damaged Choisia

Potty LottiePotty Lottie Posts: 45
in Problem solving
Hi all what is the best way to deal with frost damaged choisia please? it is brown on the top half with green underneath. One of them is quite big, about 6 ft tall and wide and if I chop the brown all off it will look awful. I also have 2 hebe’s that look completely dead. They were both very gorgeous. Any tips and hints appreciated. 

Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    You'll have no choice but to cut it [the Choysia] back unfortunately. It's best left until you see it recovering though. They often get damaged over winter here, but most will recover   :)
    Hebes hate cold, wet conditions, so they often suffer here after winter, and don't come back when pruned. However, it depends how much damage there is,  and what your conditions are like as to how well they'll return.
    Some varieties are far more susceptible to weather than others too. If they're in well drained soil, and conditions improve soon, they may come back. If there's no obvious life in them over the next month or so, then it's unlikely they'll return. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Potty LottiePotty Lottie Posts: 45
    Thank you for your thoughts, I think I just need to be patient! 
  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,355
    edited April 2023
    @Potty Lotty I think quite a few of us are seeing damaged choisias this year. I've not had this level of damage before - not even with the beast from the east.

    I always cut choisias hard back after flowering. This year I've already nipped off the worst bits of damage. This has left the bushes looking rather tatty - a bit misshapen and still a lot of dead foliage. My plan is to let them flower (plenty of buds) and then prune / reshape as soon as the first flush is nearly over. 

    They'll look a bit of a twiggy mess for a couple of weeks but, with a bit of TLC, they soon grow away again and give a second flush in late summer.
    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • Potty LottiePotty Lottie Posts: 45
    Thankyou! 
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