[sakigrant]

I planted an escallonia and olearia hedge 18 months ago. It has done well and is now around 4 ft in height. I live on an exposed coastal site and want the hedge to provide as much windbreak as possible. Should I prune it back or should I leave it alone??

[verge]

4 ft in height over 18 months ago is good going, what height were the plants upon planting.
On the subject of pruning, if the hedge is quite full, I would not top it until it reached above the eventual height you require. But if at 4ft it is quite sparse and leggy, the by all means lightly trim the top of it now to promote bulking of the mid-section. A light trimming of the sides can be done this autumn if you feel it looks scraggly, if not I would leave it for another year.

[sakigrant]

thanks for the advice - they were bare root plants so were about 2ft in height. A bit scraggly at the moment and some gaps to fill. Would I be better just getting a few more bare root plants and shoving them in?

[verge]

[sakigrant]

I planted them about 3ft apart...

[verge]