Honey fungus on hedges?

Phil4432

Hello all,

So I was cutting back my hedges recently, and noticed that the trunks aren't looking as they used to be. The hedges also aren't growing quite as thick last year. Some of the branches are dead and brittle.

From my online research, it looks like the hedge may have honey fungus. I've attached some pictures.

Quite depressingly, I understand I may have to take out the whole hedge. The hedge on the other side of the garden is very healthy and I really want to keep it that way.

Was wondering if there is any way around this? What a horrid start to the spring season!

Phil4432

Top of the hedge still healthy, though some areas are thinner and one branch is dead.

The_Warned

When a hedge is left to its own devices and stems become congested, it's quite normal for some of them to die. I see this on my hazels where no intervention has happened for over 10 years.

Your hedge is all top and the lower stem parts are barren. At least some of them should be cut back so that they are forced to form new branches, and then in subsequent years others may have the same treatment. That way you'll get a bushier hedge.

Here's info on honey fungus, but I don't see anything that seems to be it in your photos:

https:   //www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=180

(broken link after https: as I've not been around long enough to post them...

Phil4432

The_Warned said:

When a hedge is left to its own devices and stems become congested, it's quite normal for some of them to die. I see this on my hazels where no intervention has happened for over 10 years.

Your hedge is all top and the lower stem parts are barren. At least some of them should be cut back so that they are forced to form new branches, and then in subsequent years others may have the same treatment. That way you'll get a bushier hedge.

Here's info on honey fungus, but I don't see anything that seems to be it in your photos:

https:   //www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=180

(broken link after https: as I've not been around long enough to post them...

Thank you.  whatever it is, it also seems to have affected a couple of younger hedge plants also.  On the other garden, the hedge is perfectly normal.  Though I purposely kept the hedges in the pictures a bit wilder, that's how they look now they've been cut back.