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With beautifully evergreen bushy foliage, Griselinia Littoralis hedges can be a great addition to your garden. If maintained correctly, you can benefit from a wonderfully hardy plant that is very unlikely to be impacted by sparse leaves, diseases, pests and other common hedging problems.
They are naturally capable of growing under very tough external conditions and can be planted in most common soil types, unlike fussier plant species. While griselinia foliage can be extremely dense, it can also be very fast-growing, with the plant growing up to 45cm a year under optimal conditions. This can result in your hedges losing their shape and appearing uncontrollable if left unpruned.
It can sometimes be confusing to determine when the best time to prune a hedge may be. This is because each species grows differently and requires specific maintenance to look great all year round, whether it may be low maintenance or high. Luckily, griselinia littoralis hedges are relatively low maintenance, and generally require pruning once a year.
This is recommended during late spring, up to the early summer months although it can still be pruned during late August up until September. You can also choose to prune twice in a year, which will result in your griselinia hedge becoming denser and a more formal ‘show garden’ look will be achieved.
The easiest way to prune a griselinia hedge is to set up guidelines from canes and string that have been cut to the height and width of your choice. These can then be used to guide your trimming tools, preventing your from cutting your hedge lopsidedly.
As hedges receive more sunlight at the top of the plant than the bottom, you will aim to trim back the very topmost foliage a little more than at the bottom, which will result in your hedge having gentle sloped sides to encourage better light distribution at the base.
With your string guidelines in place, you can use a pair of disinfected shears to cut down the new growth. While frequently referring back to the string for guidance, level down the top of the hedge and move onto cutting the sides after.
If you are satisfied with the top leveling and side appearance, you can finish off the griselinia pruning by clipping the ends of the hedge. You will want to keep the ends as sharp as possible for a cleaner look, with right-angles at the top and sides of the hedge.
Once you have completed the pruning process, remember to clear away any clippings as they may result in causing griselinia hedge problems if left to turn brown, potentially harbouring diseases. Be sure to also disinfect your trimming tools to prevent spreading any potential diseases that may exist on your griselinia to another plant.
Occasionally, gardeners may decide that they want to hard prune their griselinia hedges. The purpose of this is to drastically cut back a plant that is overgrown to remove any old foliage and promote the growth of new branches and leaves. While some hedges are not capable of withstanding rejuvenation pruning, a hardy hedge species such as griselinia will not be impacted as such.
If you have decided to hard prune your griselinia, you will want to trim it down during mid to late spring before buds begin to open. The ideal height for hard pruning is 15 to 30cm above the ground, which may seem a lot, especially if your plant is particularly overgrown, but it is necessary for rejuvenation.
When hard pruning griselinia, you will have to trim back the main stems of the hedge to the recommended height above, and cut back any side branches that exist below the first cuts to the plant. If you are unsure where to cut the stems, you can follow the general rule of thumb, which is ½ cm above an outward facing node or bud at an angle. Be sure to remove any old, damaged or diseased leaves as they can hinder with the growing process for the following year.
After hard pruning your griselinia, you will want to feed the plant with a general fertiliser or well rotted manure or garden compost applied as a generous mulch. If you are unsure which product to use, visit your local garden center for further advice on the best products for your plants. During mid-summer, you will want to trim any new shoots that form to keep the plant growing bushier and stronger.
If you are interested in purchasing a griselinia littoralis hedge or want to know more about griselinia littoralis pruning, why not contact us? Hopes Grove Nurseries are hedging specialists, with decades of experience in growing hundreds of hedging varieties. You can also check out our knowledge base for hedging advice, whether you have cherry tree bugs or want to know how to remove a hedge.
