overzealous gardener?

Hi everyone,

Im afraid I'm posting as a non/amateur gardener.

A few days ago I hired a gardener recommended by a friend of a friend. Unfortunately I had let the garden grow out of control for the last couple of years and needed someone to help me get it to get it to a point where I could easily maintain it.

My mother used to own the house and had spent a lot of time planting shrubs that have now been establish for about 30 years, including some lovely Jasmine that grew around the door. However the gardener has completely cut the Jasmine and other bushes back to stubs leaving the old looking wood and no new shoots that I can see.

I don't know anything about plants but Im really worried that it has been cut back too much. It hadn't flowered for a while but when I did it was lovely. Is there anything I can do to encourage growth?

I know its my fault for letting it get to this stage but I would be really sad to see this plant die.

Thanks
Anna

 

Hi Anna
Welcome to the forum.
I should imagine it will grow back as long as the roots have been untouched just give a good water every week and let it get on with it


Hope this helps

Spruce
.

 

Good evening Anna and welcome to the site. Let`s get one thing staright, it is NOT your fault at all, you didn`t wield the secateurs. However, as the " pruning " has been done all you can do is wait and see what happens. Any chance of some pics so`s we can, perhaps, give you a more positive outlook?

 

I may be wrong (I hope I'm not), but my money is on everything coming back really well.

The jasmine, if left to do its own thing for too long, becomes a woody tangled mess. Cutting it right back encourages it to send out brand new growth from near the base, effectively rejuvenating it. Many other shrubs behave the same way.

The only thing that worries me is that you said the shrubs have been cut right back and there's no sign of new shoots. For some plants that is unlikely to be a problem (its a bit of a gamble though). However, have you looked very closely? Quite often there will be immature buds on the old stem that are just waiting for their chance to grow. Sometimes these buds are so tiny, and almost the same colour as the wood, so you can only see them if you really look for them. Perhaps that's what your gardener did. At first glance it might look like he just went crazy with the loppers and secatuers, but it may be that he was down on his hands and knees looking for such immature buds, and making sure he left three or four per plant and cutting just above them.