snipped


Nick - thanks for your reply. I believe that I have hornbeam mainly - and
this is what is too thin, but I also have holly dotted around the place
and
in one bit I have Forsythia (which is doing very well, thank you). The
hornbeam kept its brown leaves all winter but is really looking a bit
emaciated just now. Hope this helps.

Hi John,

Not sure if you need/want to reduce the height or depth of your hedge, but
both hornbeam and holly respond well to renovation, it's a bit late to do it
now, it's best to do this in December / January when the trees are dormant.
When you do come to renovate, you can prune back hard, but it's best to do
it in stages, say the top and front of the hedge one year, the back of the
hedge the following year.

For now sprinkle some growmore around the base of each tree, and or spread
compost to give them some food and water well in dry spells.

HTH.

Cheers

Nick
www.ukgardening.co.uk