Hedge with holes

Hi Paula
I'm assuming that the hedge is privet or laurel. The problem you have is that with a hedge that is so tall and well established all the new and vigorous growth will be at the top. If you try to plant anything else there it is unlikely to grow much because the hedge will have taken all the goodness from the soil.

The traditional but drastic way to solve it is to coppice the hedge. It takes some years to get it looking healthy. You need to cut sections of the hedge down to within about 6 inches of the ground. It will then sprout new stems from the bottom and because the hedge is so well established the sprouts should grow quite well. Of course this will result in gaps for some time.

Sorry I can't think of a better solution :eek:

Maybe someone else has a better idea.

Good luck