Overgrown griselinia - what to do?

andybookie

http://imgur.com/a/SdqLEAR

I moved into a house with an overgrown griselinia which has never been cut back.
See images.
It has grown to maybe 18 foot tall and is 8-10 foot deep.
I need to cut it back to regain my garden and put down a lawn.
The trunks are up to 8 inch across.
Is it to overgrown to grow back well?

I want it to grow normally back and not grow out too deep.

Where should I cut it back to?

andybookie

I've had contrasting recommendations.
One person said cut down to stumps, one person said to top to 6ft. But if I top to 6ft I'll still need to cut all the branches back as it is 8ft deep.

Thanks

andybookie wrote: »

http://imgur.com/a/SdqLEAR

I moved into a house with an overgrown griselinia which has never been cut back.
See images.
It has grown to maybe 18 foot tall and is 8-10 foot deep.
I need to cut it back to regain my garden and put down a lawn.
The trunks are up to 8 inch across.
Is it to overgrown to grow back well?

I want it to grow normally back and not grow out too deep.

Where should I cut it back to?

standardg60

andybookie wrote: »

I've had contrasting recommendations.
One person said cut down to stumps, one person said to top to 6ft. But if I top to 6ft I'll still need to cut all the branches back as it is 8ft deep.

Thanks

Cut it back slightly further in height and width than you want it to end up eventually.
That way you'll only end up trimming the new growth in future.
It's fine to cut to where ever you want now, it will grow back fine

andybookie

Thanks.

When you say grow back fine...will it always grow so deep. It currently is 8ft deep.
Is there anyway to encourage it to be a neat hedge instead of so deep?

Thanks

Andy

standardg60 wrote: »

Cut it back slightly further in height and width than you want it to end up eventually.
That way you'll only end up trimming the new growth in future.
It's fine to cut to where ever you want now, it will grow back fine

Tails142

You can pretty much cut that back to anywhere and it will keep putting out new shoots from the trunk or other old branches. It will look patchy for a while but the patches will fill in.

standardg60

andybookie wrote: »

Thanks.

When you say grow back fine...will it always grow so deep. It currently is 8ft deep.
Is there anyway to encourage it to be a neat hedge instead of so deep?

Thanks

Andy

Yes there is.. trimming it!

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Ours was about 30ft high. Cut it back to 20.it serves as a windbreak but was blocking sunlight at that height

andybookie

Thanks very much

standardg60 wrote: »

Yes there is.. trimming it!

rugbyman

hello Andy, I did not know what my hedge was called till I looked at your pic.

I cut the daylights out of mine six or more years ago. I now have a nice ish hedge. I left looking like a scorched earth scene. mine was /is about three feet deep, against a wall between me and my neighbour. so it grew away from the wall a bit. it was nine to ten feet high at its worst. one part grew 25 feet , like a tree. I have considered taking it out and planting a smaller hedge close to the wall. this would give me 40ftx 2 ft more space.

during this lockdown have discovered a lot about my garden and about birds.

regards