My Conifer Hedge Has Gone Brown — Can It Be Saved?

Conifer hedges, particularly Leyland cypress, are extremely common in the residential gardens of Grange-over-Sands, Kendal, Ulverston and across South Lakeland. They were planted very widely from the 1960s through to the 1990s, largely because they grow quickly and provide good screening. Many of those original hedges are now quite large, and brown patches or complete browning is a problem that comes up regularly in our work across the area.

The cause, and whether anything can be done, varies depending on the specific situation.

The Most Important Thing to Know About Conifers

Before anything else, there is one characteristic of most conifer species that every homeowner with a conifer hedge should understand. The vast majority of conifers, including Leyland cypress, Western red cedar and Lawson cypress, which are the three most common hedge species in Cumbrian gardens, will not regenerate from old brown wood if cut back into it.

This is fundamentally different from broadleaf hedges such as beech, hornbeam or hawthorn, which can be cut back hard and will regrow vigorously. Cut a Leyland cypress back past the green outer growth into the brown inner wood, and it will not grow back from that cut point. This means that a conifer hedge that has been allowed to grow significantly wider than the intended width may be impossible to reduce back to the desired width without leaving a permanent brown face.

This is the most common source of disappointment we encounter with conifer hedge management, and it is worth knowing before asking someone to cut your hedge back significantly.

Why Has My Conifer Gone Brown?

There are several possible causes of browning in a conifer hedge and identifying the right one determines whether anything can be done.

Natural inner die-back is normal in all conifers and is often mistaken for a problem. As conifers grow outward, the inner foliage that is no longer receiving adequate light dies off naturally. This is entirely normal and is visible if you look into the interior of almost any mature conifer hedge. It only becomes a visible problem externally if the green outer growth thins sufficiently to allow the brown inner material to show through, which typically happens on older, neglected or incorrectly pruned hedges.

Drought stress can cause browning, particularly in a dry spring or during a prolonged dry spell in summer. Conifers in shallow or free-draining soils, or those growing in positions where root access to moisture is limited, are most susceptible. Brown patches appearing uniformly across the hedge following a dry period are often drought-related. Younger hedges are more vulnerable than established ones.

Pestalotiopsis and other fungal diseases can cause brown patches in Leyland and Lawson cypress hedges, often appearing in specific areas rather than uniformly across the hedge. These are more common in hedges that have been stressed by drought, poor pruning or waterlogging.

Wind scorch causes browning on the windward face of hedges in exposed positions, particularly after cold, dry easterly winds in winter or early spring. The browning appears on the exposed face and is often temporary, with new growth covering the affected foliage as the season progresses.

Root damage from nearby building work, drainage works or hard landscaping can cause browning in the sections of the hedge above the affected roots, sometimes appearing one to three years after the damage occurred.

Old age and decline. Leyland cypress in particular is not an indefinitely long-lived tree. Hedges planted in the 1970s and 1980s are now over forty years old and some are beginning to show signs of natural decline. Once a Leyland cypress begins to decline significantly, recovery is limited.

What Can Be Done?

If the browning is due to drought or wind scorch on a younger hedge, watering during dry spells and ensuring the root zone is mulched to retain moisture can help recovery, and new green growth often covers affected areas in the following season.

If the browning is due to disease, removing affected foliage, improving air circulation through the hedge by reducing density, and ensuring the hedge is not being cut at the wrong time of year can slow progression. Fungal hedge diseases are more common in wet conditions, which in Cumbria means this is a genuine local consideration.

If the browning is due to cutting back into old wood, the area will not recover and the options are either to live with the brown patch, to fill it with an appropriately coloured fencing panel while you wait to see if adjacent green growth spreads to cover it over years, or to consider whether the hedge should be replaced.

If the hedge is old, significantly declining and the brown areas are extensive, honest advice is often that replacement with a new hedge is more cost-effective than continued attempts at rescue. We are happy to discuss hedge replacement and the species options available for your specific situation in Cumbria.

Get Advice on Your Conifer Hedge in Cumbria

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