What can i do to rejuvenate an established hedge and encourage lower growth?

[Jason97]

I’ve just moved into a house with a very old, overgrown hedge that I’d like to try and restore instead of ripping it out. I’m not even sure what type it is yet, but the main issue is that it’s become really woody and sparse at the bottom with all the growth up top. Is it possible to encourage new, dense growth lower down on an established hedge, or have I missed the window for that kind of rejuvenation?

[LoganRJ]

Yes, you can sometimes coax new dense growth lower down from an established hedge, but it depends on the plant and how it’s been treated. If the lower part has been bare for years, the base may still throw new shoots if you give it time and do a careful rejuvenation prune that leaves some live wood. Don’t yank everything back at once.

[Joseph.R]

I tried a version of that last year. I cut the top back fairly hard, mulched the surface, and kept the bed evenly moist through a hot summer. After a season or two, I saw a few brave new shoots along the lower stems, but the result was slow and patchy, not the dense fill I was hoping for.

[MarkTJ]

Could be the light or the soil more than the pruning. A few plants recover once you clear a bit of shade or loosen the bed, but if the root area is compacted, the new growth might stay weak at the bottom anyway. I added compost and moved a sprinkler to reach the base area, and watched the lower growth start to firm up a little, then stopped paying attention and nothing dramatic happened. Still not sure if that was right, or if I should have gone deeper.

[JerryM]

Do you know what species it is?