SHRUBS > HEBE > PRUNING
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Hebes are evergreen shrubs commonly grow for their visual prayer , with arresting purple , pink or bloodless flowers that blossom from outflow until autumn .
There are several benefit to pruning hebes , including maintain the shrubs to an attractive flesh , dispatch any fatigued and untidy flush and preventing them from becoming leggy .
“ Hebes are generally quite tidy shrubs that want little maintenance , ” explicate Horticultural Consultant Colin Skelly .
“ However , I like to put in a few dress sessions during the year to keep them looking fast in growth . I have discover that this also optimises life duad . ”
Pruning hebes is fairly simple-minded if you follow a childlike process for dress the plant :
This summons is explained in more depth below .
When To Prune Hebe
Hebe shrubs more often than not flower in summertime , although some varieties can bloom earlier in spring .
Here in the UK , hebes are well pruned in late summertime once the flowers fleet and if necessary , again in spring after a cold wintertime .
Charlie Bewley from Hic Bibi Hebe Nursery in Chorley , recommend pruning back after flowering , making sure not to leave it too late in the season , as this can cause strain to your hebe shrub .
1) Deadhead Spent Flowers
If the weather is mild , Hebe can flower for a foresightful season and from as too soon as April onwards .
Once melt , the flush may start to front untidy and can be deadheaded with a pair of secateurs , which will further further blooms and extend the anthesis period .
2) Prune In Late Summer
Hebe bush are comparatively dense rise and in general command little pruning , apart from keep them to shape and removing any idle or damaged forest .
Hebe shrubs are best pruned in tardy summer once the flowering menstruum comes to an end and when the shrub can be thin out back to shape using a clean and sharp pair of shear or secateurs .
“ Prune regularly and often , rather than all at once , as this can cause accent , ” notify Charlie .
As Charlie states , Hebe shrubs do not respond well to being hard pruned and do not lean to regrow if cut back into one-time wood , so a idle prune is all that is required .
At the end of summertime up to a maximum of one - third of the foliage can be pruned back to a bud or folio , so as to keep the hebe to a compact and pleasing shape .
3) Prune In Spring
Hebes are hardy shrubs and are rated H4 for hardiness , and will usually endure wintertime temperatures as low as -5 ° century to -10 ° C .
However , Hebe can struggle in extended low temperatures and during a more often than not cold and fuddled winter , peculiarly if the soil becomes saturated , leave to some dieback of branches .
In leap , as the temperature lift , it is advisable to mark off hebes for any dead or broken branches and stems and to remove them back to a healthy - expect bud .
Hebe bush prefer moist , but well - drained soil and if grown on compact or punishing filth that can become waterlogged it is advisable to contain some organic thing into the soil to improve the drain .
4) Hard Prune Worn Hebe Shrubs
Over clip , Hebe can become leggy , misshaped and wait as though they have passed their well .
Although oecumenical advice isnotto hard prune hebes , if you are get going to supplant it anyway it can be deserving trying to see if it regrows .
The best time to restore a hebe is in March , just before new buds begin to mould .
To hard prune , the stems can be thin back to a node about 30 cm above the stain using a sharp and clean pair of secateurs .
However , due to the high chance of the shrub not re - growing , it is advisable to take some cuttings in the previous summertime to replace it with .
For a less drastic and gentler approach , one - third of the stems can be cut back hard each year , leaving the rest of the industrial plant to bear on .
“ To prevent stress , cut back one-half of the bush in the springiness or summer , ” recommends Charlie .
“ Wait for it to regrow more or less and then do the other one-half . ”
