Hebe

Need some input on these too. Can we cut them back to encourage growth at the base?

 

Hi, Trux. Although it is not necessary to cut back Hebe, it is good to cut back any straggly ends and give it a good shape and in doing so it will encourage new growth. The best time is around May when any danger of frost has passed.

 

Just be careful, Trux. Hebes don't like to be cut back harshly - if your ones are getting leggy, you might be better off getting new ones. If all they need is a light trim that's fine.

We've just been talking about this in another thread, might be worth doing a search on "Hebe" in the time period of the last 3 days.

 

Here we go again my dear, dendro. I massacre lavender and rosemary, but to everyone's dismay, cutting into hardwood ...

I recall Hornbeam telling me not to cut back into my rosemary in the Autumn, but I did and I've just posted a picture in my Garden showing it blooming now.

My theory is ... cut it back, if it fails, then replace it.

 

My dear LoL you are SO assertive at times.x

 

And you're into repeating yourself today!!! :D

If it works for you, don't knock it! But that's the advice you'll generally get re straggly hebes - get a new one.... :rolleyes:

 

Oh, dendro, I'll repeat what my dearest roders has just said to me ... "you are SO assertive at times".

I only repeated myself because I answered one and then saw another person asked the same question.

Hebes in England (in the South and you've been there) live for donkey's years, why replace them unless they are VERY old (a bit like me perhaps) and seriously need replacing?

 

I'd just like to say that I think some hebes can be cut back hard and others dont like it.
As a guess I would say the larger growing kinds recover better, those small dwarf types, tend to die, or sprout out lopped sided.

 

Hi, LoL! Look above and you'll see what I meant - duplicate posts! I had notice the rather similar question in BGD, but that wasn't what I meant.

IMO you're best to treat hebes carefully, and assume the worst, so if you're going to have to hack it back, take loads of cuttings, as they take well, and you'll get plenty of nice little hebes as a sort of long-term insurance.

We had another thread where several of us sai much the same thing, although one person, I think Palustris, said he hadn't had much luck with cuttings......

 

Sorry, my little thistle. Our system has been up and down like a yo-yo this week ... had an earthquake on Monday (5.8 then a second at 2.5) and our bad weather since.

I didn't feel the earthquake ... was busy at the market buying jeans and other essential items ... but t'other half felt the shudder on his computer and our friends nearby also did.

Our system is going on and off all the time with our funny weather ... that's my excuse and I'm sticking with it ...

 

Most people just say their finger slipped....

I can imagine the scene at the market - everyone falling down, stuff falling off shelves, and LoL busily occupied with checking the new jeans, 2 sizes smaller, not noticing! :D

To get back on thread, though..... if you ave a hebe that's getting leggy, which is a common prob with them, if you look into the centre, and there's new growth, you're ok to cut back - but very often there isn't.

Pete - I'd say the problem is more with the middle range ones - the really big ones aren't such an issue, in my experience, and neither are the little ones - it's the ones that have a height and spread of about a metre that have caused problems.

 

You, my Scottish thistle know best and I don't argue with you!

I'll graciously back out of this one ... and do my own thing ... :rolleyes:

 

:D

 

So what you're saying is, if you dont know the variety/ species, its not easy to say.
LOL, a wise decision,... think I might do the same.

 

Well, pete, I think I'm saying one thing and dendro is saying another ... surprise ....