Hebes

[Mags22]

One of my hebes has gone very leggy - can I trim it back now or wait till spring?

[maggiebee]

I was looking for advice on this too and found this article:

PRUNING HEBES
An annual prune will do your hebes a power of good. It will keep the plant to a reasonable size and, especially with taller varieties, stop stems bending over and crowding the centre. If the annual pruning is neglected, most hebes will eventually become bare at the base with all the foliage at the top of the plant.
March is a good time to prune a hebe because new buds will be visible.

Never prune back into old dead wood, always prune back so that at least a couple of buds are still present on each stem.

With shorter and more compact varieties only prune to maintain a good shape. Removing the top 5cm / 2ins is about right.

With taller varieties prune back the top 20cm / 8in or so. Pruning a few stems back further (but

[maggiebee]

Rest of article:

(but always leaving two buds) will open up the centre of the plant and encourage new, colourful growth.

[Mags22]

Thanks,Maggiebee, will wait till spring then - one Scots Maggie helping another!