Tamarisk hedge care: pruning and growing tamarix in coastal Kent

Which tamarisk do you have?

Several species grow in UK gardens, but two groups matter for pruning: those that flower in spring on the previous year's wood, and those that flower in summer on the current year's growth.

Spring-flowering: Tamarix tetrandra

Tamarix tetrandra flowers in April and May on arching, dark-stemmed branches that grew in the previous season. The flowers are a soft pink-lilac, borne in feathery racemes that catch the light well in coastal gardens. Because the flowers come from old wood, cutting the plant back in winter removes the flowering shoots entirely: you get foliage but no colour the following spring.

Prune T. tetrandra immediately after the flowers finish, in late May or early June. Remove about a third of the oldest stems at the base, and shorten the remaining growth by a half. This keeps the plant compact and ensures a fresh crop of flowering stems for next year.

Summer-flowering: T. ramosissima and T. gallica

Tamarix ramosissima (five-stamen tamarisk) and T. gallica (French tamarisk) flower from July through to September on growth produced in the current year. Both are more commonly grown in British coastal gardens than T. tetrandra, and both are pruned in late February or early March, before growth begins. Cut the previous season's growth back hard, to a low framework of main stems 30-50cm from the ground. The result looks severe but the plant regrows vigorously and flowers better on new, long stems than on old congested wood.

T. ramosissima cultivars (Rubra, Pink Cascade) are particularly common in East Kent gardens as the deeper pink colour shows well against a grey sea-sky. T. gallica tends to grow slightly larger and coarser, and is better suited to open ground than a tight garden boundary.

Preventing bare patches at the base

The most common problem with tamarisk hedges around Sandwich Bay and Deal is gradual legginess: the plant grows tall and flowering happens at the top, while the lower half becomes a tangle of leafless stems. This happens when annual pruning is skipped, or when the plant is only clipped at the tips rather than cut back properly.

The fix is consistent annual pruning, as above. If the plant is already bare at the base, hard renovation in late winter, cutting the whole plant back to 30-50cm, will usually trigger regeneration from dormant buds on the old stems. The first growing season produces mainly vegetative growth; the second or third season restores a full, bushy habit. Tamarisk is one of the more forgiving plants to renovate: it tolerates this treatment well and rarely fails to respond.

Tamarisk as a windbreak hedge on the East Kent coast

Between Sandwich Bay and Kingsdown, the prevailing south-westerlies come in hard off the Channel, carrying salt spray that quickly browns the foliage of more conventional hedging. Tamarisk evolved for exactly this: its fine, scale-like leaves present minimal surface area to the wind and shed salt before it burns. A well-established tamarisk hedge at the bottom of a coastal garden can significantly reduce the wind load on everything else behind it.

Worth noting: tamarisk is semi-evergreen to deciduous depending on the winter. In mild seasons (which coastal East Kent often has), it holds much of its foliage through winter. In a harder frost, it drops. This means it does not offer the year-round screening of a dense evergreen, but the feathery, coloured winter stems are an attractive alternative.

A few notes for local conditions:

• The sandy, free-draining soils around Sandwich Bay and Worth suit tamarisk better than the heavier clay ground further inland. Rich, moisture-retentive soil produces soft, sappy growth that takes wind damage badly.
• On exposed clifftop gardens in Kingsdown and Sandwich Bay, a low shelter planting of tamarisk behind a wall or fence for the first two seasons helps establishment. Once rooted, it is genuinely wind-firm.
• Do not feed with nitrogen: tamarisk on poor soil is compact and wind-resistant; the same plant on a rich border becomes soft and floppy.

Wildlife value

Tamarisk in flower is visited by bees and hoverflies, though it is not a primary nectar plant compared with some other coastal hedging species. The denser established plants provide cover and occasional nesting sites for coastal birds. Whitethroat, linnet and dunnock have all been recorded nesting in tamarisk hedges along the East Kent coast. This makes the nesting-season rules (see below) particularly relevant for any coastal garden where tamarisk is present.

Tools and PPE

• Sharp secateurs for the main pruning work. Long-handled loppers for older, thicker stems.
• Hedge shears or a light electric trimmer for tip-tidying between main prunes, but the main annual cut is best done by hand.
• Gloves: the fine stems are not thorny but can be sharp at cut ends.
• Eye protection if using any powered tool.

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