Shrub, what is it and what to do with it?

a_patch

Hi. recently we did our garden, but we really liked shrub, as it is perfect place for sparrows. And looks quite nice in May with white flowers all around it. I will not lie we never touched it, but now it looks a little bit big, and we are looking for help. What it is actually? How can I prune it? Should I take some professional to "fix" it for us?

macraignil

Looks like a hebe to me. I don't have that variety but I have worked with a landscaper who took out some of the side branches on a smaller similar looking one before to make it less wide but this may make the bare areas at the base of the plant more noticeable.

a_patch

Thanks for reply. Cutting all branches by half is not a option?

runawaybishop

a_patch wrote: »

Thanks for reply. Cutting all branches by half is not a option?

Try trim back an inconspicuous one by half,see what happens. A lot of shrubs and trees have apex dominance, leaves at the top send a chemical back down the stem that stops new buds lower from forming. Alternative look down lower for a bud or node and slice a small horizontal line above it to prevent the chemical reaching the node. If it starts to leaf up then you should be safe trimming it back hard.

wildwillow

Look closely at the base of the branches and cut just above an emerging bud. There may not be many but you might find enough to regenerate the plant. Only do about a third of the plant at a time and it is worth a try.

It is a short lived plant so you could take a few cuttings and replace next year.

Edit to say that similiar advice has been just posted.

a_patch

Thanks for your helpful input @wildwillow and @runawaybishop. I did look closer to branches and I did see some new tiny branches there. I did cut 2 less visible ones. Will see how it goes.