a pic will help confirm the specific plant ...

and then we can figure out if a rejuvenation process can make the plant young again ... meaning.. lower it .. which should encourage new lush growth ...

with no insult to the root mass .. and presuming its otherwise healthy ... plus your long growing season ... you might be surprised how fast it responds ...

done right.. its going to take some work.. but in the long run will be much more effective than a vine solution ...

is it in full sun ... or has it been shaded.. over the years???

ken

Yes: unless having become diseased or infested hedge probably is thin because of not having been pruned correctly - so that it is shading itself - and/or being shaded by another element present nearby. Such as taller plants.

Sheared hedges need to be pruned so that the upper half is always narrower than the bottom or the lower portion becomes thin. Also any hedge that is being repeatedly sheared back to the exact same distance from the center over an extended period may eventually develop a thinning and stubby exterior presentation. A remedy for this is to begin reaching back inside with hand shears and cutting bits of it back here and there to side branches from which new growth can sprout.

Hi, Thanks for all the input. Here are photos of the hedge. I am not interested in spraying the hedge. I would rather replace it with something that is native and attracts butterflies and birds.

Yes that is an ugly hedge. Is it Ficus benjamina? Need a closeup of the leaves to be sure what it is. You don't want a Ficus benjamina hedge. It looks small enough to rip out for something much nicer.

Does it have to be a hedge? Can it be a nice tropical flower bed of proper depth? Are you willing to let go of some lawn?

Yes it is a ficus, not my favorite. A flower bed would be lovely, although I would like some privacy from the neighbors. Their kitchen window looks out onto my yard. The hedge is on the east side of the house. Most of it gets pretty good sun, but part of it is shaded by the neighbor’s poinciana tree. I would need something that would tolerate full sun and part shade.

Marlberry, Ardisia escallonioides, is a flowering, Florida native that can used as a hedge. To make things look more a flower bed than a hedge row, add in one or two other types of plants or plant in front of the hedge.

You can wander around this nursery website for some more native plant suggestions to add in.

http://meadowbeautynursery.com/marlberry/

I went on this website and they are only 1 mile from my house!! Thanks so much. What areas do you work in?

Haywood County North Carolina with past lives in north Florida and the island of Maui.