What to do, to two plants?

Hi,

I have recently "inherited" two plant, that I'm not sure what to do with. The first is (I believe) some sort of hebe. It has recently finished flowering and now looks terrible, I would like to prune it back, but most of it looks like old wood.



And a close up:



The second plant is possibly a phornium (after a lot of Googling). This was apparently the size of a pot plant originally, but is now threatening to take over the patio. I'm not sure what to do with it (flamethrower?), could I cut around the bottom and reduce it in bulk?



I would prefer to keep the plants if possible, although the phornium is very big at present.

 

Personally I would bin the first one, the phormium is fine, but the first one won't recover into anything worth looking at.

 

I sort of agree with you Lollipop although if you were inclined to be patient Vibrant, you may be able to resurrect the Hebe. Here's what I've discovered:
[align=left]
Larger growing varieties (of Hebe) can suffer damage in winter months - either by weight of snow or severe frost damage. In this case, if it is not sufficient to prune out the damages stems/branches, they can be cut back quite hard. This is best done in two stages. Firstly cut around one third of the branches quite hard, then when the these start to re-generate into new growth - usually after just a few weeks - the remaining two thirds of the branches can be pruned out.

So, it depends whether you can be bothered or would rather start again. I've got the same problem with a leggy, unproductive Hebe that's now growing in a tangle of brambles. I did think about cutting it back hard but have decided to grub it out as I have a scheme in mind using the box plants I've been nurturing. If it's successful, I may post some pics. Watch this space!

Chris[/align]

 

Most Hebes will take a hard prune, so I would cut it back by about 2 thirds. What you have to remember about the phormium is that, what you think is one plant, is actually dozens om plantlets. Rather than cut it back, wait until the dormant season, then dig it up and separate it, like a perennial.:gnthb::gnthb:

 

Thankyou all for your replies.

Being very patient and not liking to remove any plant, if I can renovate it, I think I will try Boghoppers Hebe pruning advice.
The Phornium is a bit of a problem, I think I will have to tidy it back as best I can, as it is currently badly blocking the patio.
But I will dig it up later in the year and try dividing it. I have a space further down the garden, where one of its offspring can grow as big as it likes.
I think I may use the patio spot for a Potentilla (one of my favorites), perhaps a red one.

Many thanks everyone.