Sibe

I have a massive hebe in my tiny garden. How do I go about pruning it to a more manageable size?

Lynne

Our gardening expert replies

Hi Lynne.

Many hebes can be cut back quite hard into old wood and will successfully grow new shoots from near the base. Very hard pruning done in this way will often rejuvenate an old overgrown and poorly flowering plant. If you are going to attempt this, a good time would be after the hard frosts of winter have finished in your area, but before new spring growth takes place on the hebe. You can cut it back to a size you are happy with - just use garden shears and clip it back evenly.

Be aware, however, that not all hebes will respond in this way and occasionally they will not regrow at all. This does not happen very often but it is a possibility. If you are particularly attached to this hebe I suggest that a safer, and in the long run more satisfactory, solution would be to take cuttings and grow on a new plant. Then completely dig out the old plant, replace the soil underneath and regain the lost ground of your small garden. If you then insert and prune the new plant immediately after flowering each year you will succeed in keeping its size restricted.

The method of taking cuttings is to remove shoots about 3in (7.6cm) long from stems which have not flowered during July and August. Insert these in a mixture of peat and Perlite or peat and sand in a cold frame, in a shady place, and keep moist. If you can keep frost-free until next spring you can then move the cuttings into small pots and plant the young plants in their new positions in September or October. Younger plants will be more frost tender, so in severe winter conditions you may need to cover them with fleece until conditions improve.

It's quite amazing how large some hebes can grow. A number of years ago I planted a cutting of Hebe brachysiphon at my allotment. After a few years it became very useful - I used to sit behind it when taking a tea break during winter digging sessions with strong northerly winds blasting across the allotment site, and the shelter was much appreciated. After it proved so useful I just left it to grow and now, believe it or not, the plant is 12ft (3.7m) high and 15ft (4.7m) across!

It looks good when it's covered in white flowers, with a scent which reminds me of soap powder. For the past few years there have been robins nesting near the top so it looks like it is safe for quite a while.

Happy gardening,
Sibe

For more practical tips, see Pruning Tips and Propagation.

Met UKTV Style's Gardening Expert, 'Sibe'.