Hedging and hedges – removing

If your hedge is part of a boundary, you may need to take advice before removing it, because hedges that have a boundary with farmland or common ground or even a public right of way, may be protected under law.

Before removing a hedge consider if it can be laid or trimmed to improve its appearance or whether inter-planting new plants may help revitalise an old hedge. Often a hedge can be completely rejuvenated by a combination of laying deciduous plants and adding in new species to give more interest to the hedge or to replace dead ones.

If the hedge is formal, and you hate its blankness, consider cutting holes in it to act as viewpoints into the garden, or removing some plants (cut them to the ground, and treat the stump with brushwood killer) which can be replaced with others, like climbers or roses which will use the remaining hedge as supports and soften the overall appearance.

If, for whatever reason, you’re determined to go ahead with hedge removal, the only way to do this is to either dig out the individual plants or pull them out, perhaps by using a small digger to do the pulling out bit.

Cutting them down to the ground doesn’t work because you get re-growth from the stems and while using brushwood killer will kill the plant, you will still have to contend with a deeply interwoven and solid root system that will prevent anything else growing in the area.

Remember too, that hedges soak up a lot of water, so if you remove them, your lawn is liable to flood!

Hedge gardening roots photograph by eperales, used under a creative commons attribution licence

 

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