Hi I purchased a property with a lovley garden and I am very
new to gardening. I'm not sure what my hedge is but it is thinning
and the inside is hollow and filled with empty branches. Dead beaches
I'm guessing. Now theres holes in the hedge.
How do I revive my hedge?
Do I have to remove the dead branches and they will grow back?
Any help would be appreciated.
Without a photo Ray, it's difficult to tell. But many people plant natives to make hedges and they are notorious for dying off in the middle, just producing new foliage on the very outer edges. In general dead branches do nothing for the plant so pruning them back (ensuring you have sharp blades to make a clean cut) can maybe promote some new growth. Plants have remarkable sensory capabilities and a pruned branch can often stimulate new growth from the nodes close by. However this will mean you have gaps in your hedge for along time - and there's not much you can do about that but be patient. I'd suggest pruning it back in stages and see if new growth starts to show. You might need to wait a few months to see how successful this might be. Then if it is working then you can cut back more of the plant(s). By doing it in stages you at least have some hedge cover while the new growth comes through. However if it doesn't promote new growth - and some plants just don't respond to this approach - then it might just be better and quicker to rip it all out and plant a new hedge.