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Hedge Identification

wdcaaklm64806wdcaaklm64806 Posts: 1
in Plants



Hi, is anyone able to identify this hedge please?

I am told that this particular type of hedge requires trimming every 6 months. Because we haven't been maintaining it since we moved into the house 4 years ago, the hedge has grown grotesquely out of shape. I am told that in its current overgrown state, any trimming will (1) strip away the green leaves and make the hedge look barely and crawly, and (2) make it grow even more aggressively in future, so we'd be better off uprooting the lot. Do you agree with this advice?

Posts

  • AthelasAthelas Posts: 946
    edited December 2023
    Looks like a type of pittosporum (Pittosporum tenuifolium?)

    I’ve not got experience with it as a hedge — but I did keep mine closely trimmed once or twice a year from the start. I’m sure someone will be able to advise
    Cambridgeshire, UK
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    I don't grow pittospormum but most non-conifer hedges respond well to pruning. Yes it will look bare at first (I don't know what you mean by "crawly"), but it should make new growth from just below/behind where you cut it. The RHS advice is here https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pittosporum/growing-guide - it says regrowth can be patchy, but I would think it's worth a try for relatively little effort and expense (compared to replacing it). The time to do it would be in the spring.  If you don't like the results in a year or two's time you could replace it then.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • KeenOnGreenKeenOnGreen Posts: 1,831
    I'm a huge Pittosporum fan, and have been growing about 10 varieties for 15 years or so. Despite mild (ish) Winters in the South East, we lost quite a few of our plants last Winter. I won't buy any more, and probably wouldn't recommend them for a hedge, as you generally need lots of plants (and therefore risk losing lots of plants).  As a specimen plant I would recommend them for milder parts of the country.

    I would get rid of those plants. Our experience is that they take ages to regenerate from bare wood, especially more mature plants. 
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    I agree with @KeenOnGreen, I'd consider replacing them.  I've only got one  Pittosporum, kept as a small dome shape which I trim once a year.  Your plants, as you suggested, have been neglected, and will need patience to attempt to restore and then result in possible disappointment.  If you have the time and budget to replace your hedge, there are lots of suitable alternatives, depending on your soil, location and aspect.
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


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