Photinia fraseri 'red robin'

[Gary Prentice]

I've a client with a nice Photinia hedge, which has become far too wide.

 

I don't know if Photinia can be cut back hard and will rejuvenate, like beech, yew etc. IME with this shrub any pruning into bare wood seems to make it turn up its toes - but it doesn't do well in our own garden for some reason.

 

Previously this hedge has been maintained by trimming lightly, removing some of the new growth. To reduce the width would mean cutting back a couple of feet interior to the peripheral growth!

 

I suspect it wouldn't re-shoot, but don't honestly know. It's north of Manchester in the Pennines.

[Taupotreeman]

I've a client with a nice Photinia hedge, which has become far too wide.

 

 

 

I don't know if Photinia can be cut back hard and will rejuvenate, like beech, yew etc. IME with this shrub any pruning into bare wood seems to make it turn up its toes - but it doesn't do well in our own garden for some reason.

 

 

 

Previously this hedge has been maintained by trimming lightly, removing some of the new growth. To reduce the width would mean cutting back a couple of feet interior to the peripheral growth!

 

 

 

I suspect it wouldn't re-shoot, but don't honestly know. It's north of Manchester in the Pennines.

 

 

Can't say for the UK but you can cut it off at ground level in NZ and it'll resprout

[nepia]

It must be that Northern climate; darn Sarth the thing explodes back from a hard cut but looks awful as it lollipops into numerous wispy growths that go in all directions and then flop

[Gary Prentice]

Wow....

 

That's something I wouldn't expect based on my experience here. Most that I see are pretty sorry looking, disfigured by, I guess, foliar fungal colonization or insect predation, and looking for one more reason to give up the ghost and die.

[Gary Prentice]

It must be that Northern climate; darn Sarth the thing explodes back from a hard cut but looks awful as it lollipops into numerous wispy growths that go in all directions and then flop

 

The one by our garden gate which was cut back for access, not by me, looks like its waiting for its last rites.

 

Seems like I need some 'northern' responses:biggrin:

[Tom D]

Do it now so that it has a full growing season to recover, and feed it...

[Gary Prentice]

Do it now so that it has a full growing season to recover, and feed it...

 

I see you're in the Borders Tom. that could suggest that your climates effected by the gulf stream and is better than ours. Or I might be talking a load of nonsense:biggrin:

 

Looking at ours again, all the twiggy leaf bearing extremities have died due to the hard pruning. The whole gardens mulched with rotted woodchip, so I'll assume is well fed and moisture retentive.

 

Probably worrying about this too much, but I'm fearful of pruning hard a killing the hedge off. Currently I'm not confident that it wouldn't.

[nepia]

Gary, if you look here https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/94829/i-Photinia-i-%C3%97-i-fraseri-i-Red-Robin/Details?returnurl=%2fplants%2fsearch-results%3fform-mode%3dtrue%26query%3dred%2brobin%26aliaspath%3d%252fplants%252fsearch-results you'll see that almost the only factor missing from 'places it will grow' is in alkaline soil. Aspect, exposure, hardiness are not issues.

 

As the hedge in question is established (I presume) how about experimenting with a light reduction this year, e.g. cutting nothing bigger than 8-10mm?

Subsequent work could be based on the result of that.

[Gary Prentice]

Thanks Nepia,

 

I think that's a suitable solution, or at least one that I'm comfortable proposing to the client.

 

I've never tested our soil, but with the rhodies, camellia and azaleas in the garden I've always assumed it to be acidic. We do seem to have an odd microclimate, the road outside retains snow several days later than the surrounding roads and our last surviving Photinia is right on the boundary with it,

[NickinMids]

"I don't know if Photinia can be cut back hard and will rejuvenate, like beech"

 

 

Does beech come back well?