Question
I live in Staten Island, New York and I moved into my house about a year ago. I have a hedge in the front of my house right under my window - about 8 ft wide. The top of the hedge is nice and green but the front of it looks like sticks, especially when my husband trims it. Is there any way for it to get back to its original state? Any help would be appreciated. It would be a such a big job to pull this hedge out plus it could be very pretty.   Thanks, Lisa


Answer
Lisa, what is the plant? is it an evergreen, or dicidious plant? if it were a lilac, you could cut it down to the ground, and it would come back, dogwoods the same way. an evergreen, and you may have a few more problems, as you cannot prune them to much, and expect them to come back. the top is green and healthy as it gets most of the sun, the sides dont, therefore the leaves do not grow as well. some people will trim the top a bit narrower than the sides, so they get more sun. the variety will also make a difference.

Good luck and happy gardening.

Mark