Cutting Back
"Spider" wrote in message
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"louisxiv" wrote in message
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I was newbie here a few years ago. Haven't posted for a while and what do
you know, in terms of knowledge and skills at least I'm still a newbie!
I have a lot of Lavender and Hebe in my garden. They look great but I'm
unclear as to what to do once the summer is over. Should I be chopping
them back for the winter? If so, when and how vigorously?
Oh, and Ceanothus too. I left mine alone over the past two winters as I
liked the size. It now fails to flower to any significant extent and I'm
wondering if it's because I didn't prune it. Any suggestions?
Expect more basic questions to come!
Thanks in advance for any advice...
MA
You can cut all of them back after flowering, but with the Lavender and
Ceanothus do not cut back into old wood or they will not reshoot; cut back
an inch or two above good, healthy growth. Ceanothus is very prone to
die-back (a fungal disease), so cut out any sick or blackened shoots. It
also has a fairly short life span; 10 years being a fair average. If your
shrub is elderly, that may explain the poor flowering. If it's still
young, feed it with Tomorite to encourage it to flower next year.
You can cut the Hebe back a little harder. They generally come back quite
well. An elderly plant should be treated with some respect, as very
vigorous pruning can be a shock to them. Bare in mind, also, that not all
Hebes are fully hardy. They are very easy to take cuttings though, so you
could use your trimmings to grow on a replacement should the worst happen.
Spider
Thanks Spider
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