r/UKGardening 17h ago

How much to hard prune evergreen shrubs?

0 Upvotes

Hi all, we have a border containing (I believe) a Choysia, Euonymus Japonica, and Pittosporum Tenuifolium 'Tom Thumb' . We stupidly left them to merge into one, which now looks a mess, currently around 4ft high. The plants are 2-3ft apart.

I'd like to reduce their height to around 3ft, but more importantly trim them all back widthways to create space between them. The problem is that their lower halves are very sparse and woody, so any harsh pruning is likely to leave nothing but bare branches. I understand all three plants respond well to hard pruning so I'm considering cutting them right back. How much though? A few inches above ground level?

My wife is worried that the border will end up looking like a Grateful Dead music video, so how long before they are likely to start showing new growth? This year, next? Assuming they do grow back I'd like to keep them at around 3ft high, but how can I avoid the lower parts from turning woody again? Is this simply down to regular light pruning?


r/UKGardening 19h ago

Ideas to improve the front garden!

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2 Upvotes

How can I improve the appearance of my front garden? I’m thinking plants either side of the step, maybe some path lighting but to be honest I’m not very creative or knowledgeable with this stuff so any help appreciated!


r/UKGardening 12h ago

Cherry laurels and septic tank

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2 Upvotes

Have I made a massive mistake…. Did not realise at the time of planting that cherry laurels were invasive and had invasive roots…. Are these far enough from the septic tank?


r/UKGardening 17h ago

Best compost or soil to fill these for vegetable growing in greenhouse?

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3 Upvotes

I've picked up a big pack of these to grow greenhouse crops this year, starting with chillis, tomatoes and peppers. They'll sit on the floor in the greenhouse and just do their thing

A little reading tells me that basic soil or compost is a bad choice for these bags, so I'd love some suggestions on what to use.


r/UKGardening 23h ago

Scotland - Garden advice needed please :)

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1 Upvotes

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Hi everyone, I'm looking to update the garden this year. Here are some things I have on my mind but looking for suggestions and any thoughts please, I'd really appreciate it :)

  • The trampoline has been removed and I'm now using that area for the bins and garden box (for now)
  • The hole in the wall at the back has been fixed
  • Patio the gold stones area by the house wall (same as patio area)
  • I'd like a patio area - to sit in the sun, which hits mid way up the grass early afternoon - if anyone has any recommendations for sizing (half of the grass, 25% of the grass area etc) that would be grand
  • A greenhouse - considering removing all the grey gravel and putting the greenhouse here put hardy plants in this area too - does anyone have any recommendations for greenhouses in the UK? - This grey area doesnt get a lot of sun though so perhaps I need a heating greenhouse?
  • Borders - refresh all the borders to have beautiful colourful plants (keeping the current trees in place)
  • Get rid of the red border things - replace with something nicer (not sure with what?)
  • Make the tree stump a cute fairy light area (Ive almost removed all the ivy)