Tamarix tetrandra or ramosissima: choosing and pruning a tamarisk hedge in Ramsgate
Prune a summer-flowering tamarisk in April and you remove every flower bud before it opens. Prune a spring-flowering tamarisk in February and you do the same. The two tamarisk species most common in Ramsgate and Thanet gardens have pruning windows that fall almost six months apart. Which one you have is the only question that matters before picking up the secateurs.
The two species: how to tell them apart
Most tamarisk hedges in Ramsgate gardens are one of two species. Tamarix tetrandra is the spring-flowering tamarisk: it produces its pink plume-flowers on the previous year's wood in May and into early June. Tamarix ramosissima is the summer-flowering species: its flowers open in August and continue into September on the new growth pushed during the current season.
For most of the year, the two plants look nearly identical. Both have feathery, grey-green foliage. Both have arching stems that build into a wide, informal shape when unpruned. Both are fully hardy across the UK. The flowering window is the easiest field identification: watch the hedge in late spring and again in late summer, and note when the colour appears.
A few older Ramsgate and Thanet gardens also contain Tamarix gallica, the common tamarisk, which is native to the Channel coast and has naturalised on some Thanet clifftops. It flowers in summer and is pruned in the same way as T. ramosissima. On a directly exposed Ramsgate seafront or cliff-edge, a wild-looking tamarisk clump may well be this native species.
| Feature | T. tetrandra | T. ramosissima |
|---|---|---|
| Flowering window | May to early June | August to September |
| Flowers on | Previous year's wood | Current season's new growth |
| Correct prune window | June-July (after flowering) | Feb-March (before growth) |
| Mature height (maintained hedge) | 2-3 m | 2-4 m |
| Thin chalky soil | Needs preparation and watering to establish | Needs preparation and watering to establish |
Tamarix tetrandra: prune immediately after flowering (June to July)
T. tetrandra carries its flowers on wood that hardened during the previous season. Every stem that put on extension growth through last summer now carries the flower buds for this May. Pruning before those buds break removes the entire season's display, which is why the March prune that works well for T. ramosissima is exactly wrong for this species.
Once the last flowers fade, typically in late June, the hedge is ready for its annual cut. A maintained T. tetrandra hedge benefits from a fairly hard cut at this point: remove most of the current season's new growth and shorten the previous year's framework stems by one-third to one-half. This keeps the arching, lax habit under control, prevents the plant from becoming top-heavy (tamarisk builds a wide crown rapidly if left unpruned), and produces the strong new growth on which next year's flowers will form.
On a hedge that has not been cut for two or three years, a harder renovation in late June is still the right approach for this species. Take it back to a compact, low framework of 30-40 cm if necessary. T. tetrandra responds well to hard pruning at the right time of year and will push vigorous new shoots within four to six weeks of a June cut. It will not flower the following May after a full renovation, but from the second year after the renovation the flower display is typically stronger than on a previously neglected plant.
Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, s.1: nesting season falls inside the T. tetrandra pruning window
The correct pruning window for T. tetrandra is June to July, which falls entirely inside the accepted guidance window for nesting birds (1 March to 31 August, RSPB and GOV.UK). It is an offence to intentionally or recklessly damage or destroy a wild bird's nest while it is in use or being built, and tamarisk makes productive nesting cover for small birds. A careful check for active nests before cutting is how you avoid committing the offence. If an active nest is found, defer the cut until the nest is empty and the young have fledged: do not cut round it. The post-flowering window for this species is June-July, not September, so the check is not avoidable. On summary conviction the penalty is up to six months in prison, an unlimited fine, or both, with the fine assessed for each nest.
Tamarix ramosissima: prune in early spring (February to March)
T. ramosissima carries its flowers on new growth pushed during the current growing season. The plant produces long arching shoots from late March onwards, and the flowers appear at the tips of those new shoots from August. This means that pruning in late winter, before the season's growth starts, has no effect on the flower display: the buds that will carry the August flowers have not yet formed. Pruning in early spring removes last year's tired framework and resets the plant for a season of strong new growth.
The February-March window is also the right moment for any harder work: reducing the overall height, thinning overcrowded framework stems, or bringing a neglected hedge down from a large multi-stemmed shrub to a compact, maintained structure. T. ramosissima varieties include 'Pink Cascade' (arching pink plumes, widely sold in UK nurseries), 'Rubra' (deeper pink) and 'Summer Glow' (deep rose-pink). All are pruned on the same schedule.
The one window to avoid firmly for this species is May through July. Cutting in May or June removes the developing flower shoots that are just extending, the same mistake that costs a pyracantha its berry display when trimmed in early summer. A light tidy of overhanging stems in September, after flowering has finished, is acceptable for tidying the outline before winter, but the main annual cut should always happen in February or March.
Thin chalky soil: what it means for Ramsgate gardens
Both tamarisk species are widely described as tolerant of poor, dry soils and exposed coastal conditions, and this is most clearly true on the sandy, free-draining ground where tamarisk naturally thrives. The practical point for Thanet is that many gardens have a thin soil over chalk, which dries out quickly in summer.
In many Ramsgate gardens you will hit chalk quite close to the surface. On that subsoil a new tamarisk can be slower to establish and more vulnerable to summer drought and wind than a plant on sandy coastal ground, and it may not reach the vigorous growth rate quoted for established coastal plantings.
There are two practical responses. The first is soil preparation: dig a wide, deep planting trench, remove the chalk rubble, and backfill with good topsoil mixed with coarse horticultural grit before planting. This gives the roots a year or two to establish before they reach the chalk layer, and it improves drainage, which tamarisk prefers.
The second response is to choose a different species for chalk-dominant plots. Griselinia grows on chalky soil without modification and is the more practical first-line coastal hedge choice for many cliff gardens. Elaeagnus is similarly chalk-tolerant. Tamarisk is at its best on sandy harbour-side plots and genuine beachfront gardens where the soil is naturally free-draining, and in those positions it is genuinely outstanding, producing a feathery seasonal windbreak with a flower display unlike almost anything else in the coastal hedging palette.
Coastal position guide: tamarisk in Ramsgate and Thanet
| Position | Soil type | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Harbour-side or beachfront | Sandy, free-draining | Excellent: ideal conditions, no preparation needed |
| Cliff-top front-row (direct sea exposure) | Chalk, some sandy pockets | Good with soil preparation (grit-amended trench) |
| Set-back cliff gardens | Chalk | Acceptable with grit amendment; Griselinia easier on this soil |
| Terraced gardens on shallow chalk | Shallow chalk | Possible with thorough preparation; not the easiest choice |
| Inland Thanet | Chalk, no coastal sand | Needs significant soil preparation |
| Town-centre gardens (well set back from coast) | Variable; mixed fill on older plots | Test-dig first; sandy fill plots are suitable, chalk-rubble fill is not |
Planting and establishment
Both tamarisk species are available as bare-root stock from November to March. Container-grown stock (2-3 litre pots) is available year-round at a higher price per plant and gives more planting flexibility: container-grown tamarisk planted in April or September establishes more reliably than a June or July container planting during Thanet's characteristically dry summer period.
Plant at 33 cm centres, three plants per metre, for a hedge that closes up within two to three growing seasons. Space at 50 cm centres for a more open, informal windbreak structure. Tamarisk does not need staking if planted in winter as bare root: the naturally fibrous root system anchors well in the first growing season. On a directly exposed Ramsgate cliff-top position, a temporary post-and-wire windbreak on the seaward side for the first winter reduces desiccation of the new transplants before they have developed sufficient canopy mass to buffer the wind themselves.
Water new plantings through the first dry spring and summer: on Thanet's free-draining chalk or sandy soils, a thorough weekly soak in a dry spell through May, June and July is a reasonable target. Established tamarisk is drought-tolerant once the root system is fully developed, typically after two growing seasons, and requires no supplementary watering.
Tamarisk compared with other coastal hedge species
| Species | Evergreen | Chalk soil | Salt rating | Annual cuts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tamarisk (Tamarix spp.) | No (deciduous) | Needs preparation on thin chalk | Excellent | 1 (hard, correctly timed) |
| Griselinia | Yes | Tolerates | Excellent | 1-2 |
| Elaeagnus | Yes | Tolerates | Excellent | 1-2 |
| Escallonia | Yes | Tolerates | Very good | 1-2 |
| Pyracantha | Yes | Tolerates | Good (sheltered) | 1-2 |
The most significant differences between tamarisk and the other main coastal hedging choices are the deciduous habit (tamarisk drops its foliage from October, leaving a bare framework through winter) and the soil preparation needed on thin chalk. On a directly sandy harbour-side or beachfront plot where chalk is not an issue, tamarisk has a clear advantage in flower and feathery texture over the evergreen alternatives. It is genuinely one of the best seaside hedging plants available in the UK when the soil suits it. On a thin chalky garden, the soil preparation is a real effort, and Griselinia or Elaeagnus deliver similar salt tolerance without it.
What affects the price of tamarisk work
Tamarisk produces a significant volume of airy, feathery clippings from a full annual cut. A maintained hedge cut hard in June (for T. tetrandra) or in March (for T. ramosissima) will typically fill a van or trailer. The things that move a quote are the length and height of the hedge, how hard the cut needs to be, and access for clearing the clippings. I quote a fixed price after seeing photos: a routine hedge cut typically runs £120 to £400 depending on length, height, species and access, and heavier reductions on overgrown screens £300 to £900. I take the arisings away and dispose of them at a licensed waste site.
Want this looked at?
Send a couple of photos and your postcode to hello@ramsgatehedges.co.uk or call 07763 100 477. We cover Ramsgate, Broadstairs, Margate and the Thanet villages.
Sources: Royal Horticultural Society plant records for Tamarix tetrandra and Tamarix ramosissima, and RHS cultivation guidance on pruning; Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 s.1 (legislation.gov.uk); RSPB and GOV.UK guidance on nesting birds; Met Office Manston 1991-2020 climate averages.