How should I revive my Mighty Tuff hedge?

[lilly_5]

Hello Team,

Our mighty tuff hedge has developed patches without leaves, and I'm uncertain about the cause behind this issue. Could you please advise if these areas will recover on their own, or if they are irreversibly damaged? Your insights would be greatly appreciated.

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @lilly_5. It's great to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about your Might Tuff hedge.

A couple of those sections look completely devoid of life; the others look like they are on the way out. You might like to clear out the dead material and see what you're left with. You can then replant new bushes to replace the dead ones. Test the dead-looking and greyed-off branches to see if they are brittle and snap easily. If those branch sections are still alive, you'll see green material inside them when broken.

Mighty Tuff is a brand, do you happen to remember what type of plant it is? That might help our members identify the issue at hand. How often do you water the plant, and is that section of the garden bed waterlogged at all?

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell
 

[mich1972]

Hi there @lilly_5 Mighty Tuff is a brand name. Could you please tell us what the actual name of the plant is please? It’s hard to identify with these photos. 🙂 They don’t look too happy, I was going to suggest to cut them right back, but I can’t tell if there are any new shoots at the base. @Noelle  what do you think ? I’m wondering if it’s best to remove them and plant something else ? 

[Noelle]

Hi @lilly_5 

As has been suggested, I'd cut out all the dead stuff and see what you're left with - it won't be a hedge but you might be able to replant in-between the remaining plants if you can determine what the original plants are. On the other hand, it may be more prudent to start over again after some remediation work to ensure there's no disease or drainage issues in the soil/bed that could have caused the original die-back.

[lilly_5]

Thank you so much, @MitchellMc, @mich1972 & @Noelle , for the warm welcome and all your assistance!

My apologies for my lack of experience in gardening; I recently purchased a new house with a garden a few months ago.

Thank you, @MitchellMc, for the detailed explanation and advice – it's incredibly helpful! The hedge in question is "Cistus Salviifolius."

We are currently watering it once a week, only if there's no rain. Waterlogging doesn't seem to be an issue in that area. Following your suggestion, I checked and found that one section is unfortunately completely dead, so I'll need to replace it. On a positive note, another section still has some green, and I'm hopeful it will bounce back eventually. Is there something I could do, to maintain it better? or enhance a faster growth?

Regards,
Lilly

[MitchellMc]

Hi @lilly_5 

The plants are quite sickly, so reviving them to full health will be a battle. You'd need to identify the issue that caused them to die back and resolve it. Without knowing exactly what caused this issue, removing the sickly plants and replacing them with healthy ones might be better, giving you a fresh start. You could try applying some Seasol to them and see how they go.

Mitchell

[lilly_5]

ah! Thanks @MitchellMc I'll give that a go starting with Seasol and probably plant new ones, with remediation work done first, as @Noelle guided!  Is Cistus Salviifolius a good hedge or would you recommend I try something else, when we plan on replanting. 

Regards
Lilly

[Noelle]

Sage-leaf rock rose (Cistus salvifolius) is more of a ground cover than a low hedge and it can be a little straggly, rather than growing upright into a neat little shrub.

Have a look at Bunnings' Screening and Hedging Plants

Look for small hedging plants like Euonymus Tom Thumb, Dwarf Japanese Spindle Bush (Euonymus japonicus microphyllus), Dwarf heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica Dwarf) etc - all low growing to around 60cm or so but responding well to planting close together and regular trimming to form a neat hedge.  There are lots of options depending on where you live - choose plants suited to your climate and planting location (full sun, part shade, and so on).

[lilly_5]

Thank you so much @Noelle this has been so helpful! I'll go over these! I might have follow up questions but definitely have a plan of action  

Thanks Again,

Regards,
Lilly