Escallonia Hedge

MAYOMICK

I have an Escallonia hedge which is in a fairly healthy condition.This hedge was destroyed in the severe frost a few years ago.It all grew back again but it has very few flowers since and the flowers appear in September or October.I usually give it a shot of 7/6/17 in Spring but other than being good and green the flowers are no better.I have trimmed it in either Spring or Autumn but it makes no differece to flowering.Is there anything I can do to improve flowering?

Oldtree

Normally I would have cut a late flowering escalonia hedge after it has in the main finished flowering. Early September time.

If you have cut the hedge to be very formal that may be why you havn't got as many flowers. If you go for a more informal look by just cutting out longer shoots it will increase the flowers.

It may be that you cut like a formal hedge one year forsaking the flowers and informally the next year to give the flowers you want.

I'm not sure fertilising the hedge is a good idea unless the ground is very poor.

It does seem odd that the hedge isn't doing what it normally did, but maby it is trying to rebalance itself after the frost

How many years is it since the frost and is the hedge back to where it was in height and thickness.

MAYOMICK

Thanks. Yes I have it cut tight enough allright but I have to with where it is .Its beside a drive way and would encroach very easily if I let it.I will leave it this year without trimming and see what happens.

Oldtree

Are both sides adjacent to a driveway? Maby could try for flowers from the top only.