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March 25, 2007 : Trimming the Physic Garden Hedge
Back to wet, rainy weather and some garden clean up.
In between the various major project work that is being done to add extraordinary new collections to the UBC Botanical Garden, we are working hard to get on top of the usual upkeep that all gardens require. The surprising amount of snow that we received this winter really did a number on the yew hedge (taxus x media 'Hicksii') that encloses the Physic Garden. So much snow collected on parts of this hedge that the branches bent completely over, nearly touching the ground. The hedge bounced back quite well (much better that many other plants in the garden that were very badly damaged) but was still looking pretty scruffy until Brendan came along and tidied it up beautifully.
The Physic Garden is filled with interpretive signs that explain some of the medicinal or traditional uses of the plants. Here is what yew hedge sign says:
"The hedge around the Physic Garden is a hybrid between the English yew (Taxus baccata) and Japanese yew (T. cuspidata). The English yew was considered a useful ingredient in witches brews and was planted in graveyards, possibly because the great age of the tree was thought to give immortality. The wood was used for making bows by the Anglo-Saxons. The generic name Taxus comes from taxos, meaning bow. Taxol from the bark of the Pacific yew (T. brevifolia) is now being used to fight certain types of cancer."
Posted by Andy Hill at March 25, 2007 6:31 PM
Comments
Posted by: Dennis at April 2, 2007 4:36 PM
I have tow questions. First, I have a camilia and what to know if I can trim it now or after it has bloomed in the spring? It is growing into the gutters on the roof.
Next, I have a cedar hedge and I trimmed it last year, but the part I trimmed has gone brown. What time of year do I trim it so that I don't kill it altogether. Thank you for your advice.
Posted by: Bernie Jalbert at September 8, 2007 11:11 AM
Bernie, sounds like great questions for the UBC forums. See the link to these right above the words “Post a comment”
Posted by: Daniel Mosquin 
at September 9, 2007 11:13 PM
Re: getting the top exactly level
This is especially problematic when the hedge I am trimming has not been trimmed in decades. Any sugestions?
Thanks for your advice
Michael
Posted by: Michael at October 18, 2007 11:17 AM
We have smaragd hedges. We are told that pruning debris and natural needle drops provide fertilization and therefore need not be removed.
Currently there are clumps of needles all throughout the hedge which can be removed by the fistful. The ground underneath is also littered with debris. The hedge is turning brown. It looks to me to be in the first stages of dying off. What do you suggest to return the hedge to health?
What is the best time to install a new hedge (smaragd)?
Also, what do you know about Sudden Oak Disease on Vancouver Island (Victoria)and how this may affect a cedar hedge.
Thank you,
Gina Happich
Posted by: gina happich at November 15, 2007 10:05 AM
Gina, I'll repeat what I mentioned to Bernie: these sound like great questions for the UBC forums. See the link to these right above the words “Post a comment”
Posted by: Daniel Mosquin at November 15, 2007 10:16 AM
I also need some information about the Sudden Oak Disease and how it effects a Cedar Hedge.
Posted by: Buy Plants Online at November 13, 2009 4:54 AM
Please share your comments about the write-up and any accompanying photographs. Telling a story about the subject of the write-up is also much appreciated! If you have a gardening question, the best place to ask is on the UBC Botanical Garden Forums. Thank you!
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UBC Botanical Garden Blog is a project of the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research, located in Vancouver, British Columbia Canada. UBC BGCPR is a department within the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at The University of British Columbia.
Looks like a good plant for hedges, which is what I am looking for right now.
How old is the hedge in the picture? Does any one happen to know of any sources for the 'Hicksii' hybrid in BC?
thanks