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  Darren Walters May 20, 2014 at 10:52pm

  Is it lonicera nitidia?
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  joe sheppard May 20, 2014 at 11:09pm

  Hi Darren

  I have to admit that I am not good with names, but I believe so..
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  Kieran Ray May 20, 2014 at 11:19pm

  It looks like it.

  I would preferably remove the whole thing and start again but if thats not an option, I would trim the whole hedge to the same height and then taper the sides in so that the top of the hedge is narrower.

  With Lonicera as long as you only do one side at once you can usually take it quite a way into the old wood, just be careful as they dont always grow back.
• PRO

  Seth Burgess May 20, 2014 at 11:38pm

  I agree with Kieran, remove it but if that's not an option trim it back and hope that it recovers.
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  pete May 20, 2014 at 11:45pm

  looks like nitida to me .. brrr - if neighbour agrees I'd want to reduce height by half and cut side(s) back only just to where it's all green again, because they're wobbly unless they have a fair width to height ratio - trim regularly to get it tight

  I use this book to identify shrubs

  And then "The Pruning of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers" can usually tell me what to do with them :)
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  Sarah Russell May 21, 2014 at 6:41am

  It is lonicera nitida. They are tough bushes, and regrow really well. As long as the client is happy for it to look dead for about 5 - 6 weeks, I would just cut it hard back to a good shape and let it regrow. Give it some granular fertilizer afterwards to give it a boost. My neighbour reduced his by half as it was hanging right over the footpath. You would never know now, and it looks much better for it!
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  joe sheppard May 21, 2014 at 8:04am

  Thanks for all your replies.. The customer is happy for me to do whatever is necessary but would ideally like to save it and the neighbour is onboard.

  I was worried that a drastic reduction would leave an eyesore that wouldnt recover for a long time or at all as you can see dead parts in the sides where it has been cut back tight before and the top would be below eyelevel. If it is likely to recover within a few months then this would probably preferable for the customer - has anyone tried running some wires through the middle after reducing to also help stabalising combined with regular cuts?

  If we started again I assume we would be looking at around 3 years before there was a half decent boundary again?

  Thanks Pete I will have a look at those tonight!
• PRO

  Phil Voice May 21, 2014 at 8:23am

  Hi Joe

  I agree with the advice given above.

  Lonicera normally recovers really well after its pruned. However - as a safeguard - you might wish to consider doing the top and leaving the sides until you see some re-growth before pruning back the sides..

  Couple of other things:

  Lonicera does tend to create a lot of deadwood as it grows, so it's really worth taking some time to pull/chop this out after cutting back.

  Even though Lonicera can handle dry conditions it's advisable to give the roots a good drink (and maybe a very dilute liquid feed) after pruning. Maybe a second or third drink until growth starts to appear.
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  Paul McNulty May 21, 2014 at 5:29pm

  I've renovated a lonicera hedge with great results. As with any hard pruning, I would agree that feeding, watering and mulching is a good idea.

  It's important to do one side only, and let that recover before doing the other side. Personally, I'd do the side this season, and the top/other side next year, in order to take the weight out of it and stop it collapsing further. It's a fast-growing, weak-stemmed shrub, so needs to be clipped regularly and not allowed to get too wide.
• PRO

  Red Robin Gardening May 21, 2014 at 6:29pm

  Always try and keep hedging in all gardens rather than remove as it takes a long time for hedges to mature. Check for nesting birds before doing any work too.