Escallonia
Veronica Noble
it was 8ft tall. I have since reduced the height to 4ft, the sides have
also got out of hand. Would it be too drastic to cut the sides back at
least 18inches? Believe it or not I do want to keep it but under control!!
Tim Longville
think taking a chunk off its horizontal dimensions is going to be either
here or there: either it'll survive both or it'll pop its clogs from either.
Usually escallonias are toughies and will stand any amount of pruning but,
obviously, the best approach is via smallish regular amounts rather than a
sudden onslaught, particularly when you're dealing with a shrub of a
considerable age. Still, I'd lay odds on its survival - though it'll
probably take a year or two to recover. If you can bear to, I'd suggest
leaving the side-attack until the spring, though. By then you'll be able to
see how it's managed to survive the winter after having been beheaded! - and
if you do go on to Phase 2 at that stage, I'd also turn some of those
prunings into cuttings, as an insurance policy, just in case the second
attack is too much for it. Escallonia is very easy from cuttings - you could
probably get them to root if you took some now, even - and v. quick growing,
so if Gran'pappy *does* depart, it won't take long to fill the gap.
Tim
"Veronica Noble" <veronic...@btinternet.com> wrote in message
news:9rgnjh$rp3$1...@uranium.btinternet.com...
Ceitag
> news:9rgnjh$rp3$1...@uranium.btinternet.com...
> > We have an Escallonia bush that is at least 20 years old. Until
yesterday
> > it was 8ft tall. I have since reduced the height to 4ft, the sides have
> > also got out of hand. Would it be too drastic to cut the sides back at
> > least 18inches? Believe it or not I do want to keep it but under
> control!!
Tim Longville <tim.lo...@BTinternet.com> wrote in message
news:9rhelr$gvr$1...@plutonium.btinternet.com...
> Veronica - Given that you've whacked 4ft off its vertical height, I don't
> think taking a chunk off its horizontal dimensions is going to be either
> here or there: either it'll survive both or it'll pop its clogs from
either.
> Usually escallonias are toughies and will stand any amount of pruning but,
> obviously, the best approach is via smallish regular amounts rather than a
> sudden onslaught, particularly when you're dealing with a shrub of a
> considerable age. Still, I'd lay odds on its survival - though it'll
> probably take a year or two to recover. If you can bear to, I'd suggest
> leaving the side-attack until the spring, though. By then you'll be able
to
> see how it's managed to survive the winter after having been beheaded! -
and
> if you do go on to Phase 2 at that stage, I'd also turn some of those
> prunings into cuttings, as an insurance policy, just in case the second
> attack is too much for it. Escallonia is very easy from cuttings - you
could
> probably get them to root if you took some now, even - and v. quick
growing,
> so if Gran'pappy *does* depart, it won't take long to fill the gap.
>
> Tim
> >
A friend had na escallonia hedge that she wanted to bring back into line.
She beheaded it one year, then cut it back to the bone on one side the next,
and then did the following side the next year. it did survive, but we didn;t
do a comparative trial and cut one plant back all the way in one year, so I
don't know. Beheading it should make it a lot bushier and fitter, anyway.
Ceit
Chris Hogg
Back in the spring, I took a short length of 6ft high escallonia hedge
down to about 3 inches, which was the lowest and thickest my loppers
would cope with. The intention was to grub out the stumps, but I never
got a round tuit, and it's now back up to 6ft again :-(
--
Chris
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