PlantAdvice.co.uk

Hi,
New member here and need some advice please,
I have planted 40 red robin photineas in June.
they are all doing well and seem to be fine.
They are between 4 - 6tft tall varying in height,
Although i would like them to fill out more in terms of density
I would like to encourage them to grow into a thick dense hedge ending up about 6-7ft tall,
When & how should i prune to encourage the above results,
Many thanks in advance for your help,
Regards,
Phil

Hello Phil,

If you want to create a thick hedge, it is important that the plants are thick and well clothed at the base. If they are not already nice and thick at the base with plenty of leaves and shoots I would prune the plants quite low in April or May to encourage such growth and give you the desired thickness at the base.

However, I would always be careful to leave plenty of foliage on a Photinia when pruning, I would feel a bit uneasy about removing all leaves from evergreen plants by hard pruning, in my experience some respond brilliantly, others sulk and the stress proves too much for them.

Because Photinia are quite vigorous plants I think you could trim them little and often (after the initial harder prune) between April and September to get the desired thickness and shape. Maybe 3 or 4 times per year.

Many thanks for your advice
How much growth should i expect per season,
Many thanks
Phil