What type of hedge is this?

hi,

We've bought a house and inherited this hedge! It's looking a little worse for wear (very sparse in places) and I'd like to try and save it but have no idea what it is. That doesn't say much as I know nothing about gardening!!!! Any help would be appreciated xx

 

Hi Carrie and welcome to Gardener's Corner.

I think your hedge is a Lonicera hedge. It looks like the previous owners haven't trimmed it for a year or two so it's got a bit straggly.

Now is a good time to trim it, as it will have a whole season to make new growth and thicken up again.

It's entirely up to you how much you want to cut it back really, if you want to keep it at roughly its present size, just trim off all the leggy growth to give it a more even shape and it will be fine.

If you wanted to though, you could cut it back much harder than that. Lonicera is pretty tough and will put up with being cut back hard, even to almost ground level, so if you want a smaller hedge you can reduce it to whatever height you want. This would also encourage it to make plenty of new growth, which would make for a 'greener' less woody looking hedge.

Hope this is useful, there are plenty of knowledgeable folk on here, they're a really friendly bunch too, so don't hesitate to ask if you need any more help.

 

Agree with @Trunky, I've got a small hedge of this and its very fast growing, I clip it three times a year just to keep it a bit neat looking.
The more you clip it the denser it will become.

 

Please do check for nesting birds if you decide to trim it. Birds are nesting and it is an offence to disturb nests, maximum fine of £5000 or six months in prison. If you do start trimming and come across a nest, stop immediately and don't resume the cutting until after the chicks have fledged.

 

Thank you everyone! I will follow all of your advice, including looking for nesting birds. Xx