Hedging and hedges – hedge trimming tips

Some people prefer informal hedges, some like geometric precision, but whatever you like, here are some basic tips that help you develop thick, healthy, natural-looking hedge:

Rather than crisp vertical angles with a flat top, go for a softly rounded shape which is narrower at the top than at the base. This means sunlight reaches the bottom of the hedge so it doesn’t die back or turn brown.

If you’re not especially good at cutting by eye, you can use a use a system of strings and tall stakes to give yourself guide lines to trim to. If you are confident that you can trim without a guide, make sure you step back frequently to assess progress. Remember a hedge has two sides and you need to look at both!

If your hedge is against a building, keep the top of the hedge in line with the horizontal planes of the building, even if the ground slopes, otherwise the eye becomes confused trying to work out if it’s the hedge or the ground that dips.

Trim evergreen hedges in mid to late summer which gives foliage will have time to grow back a bit before winter without getting ragged, and stops ends being damaged by early frosts. Avoid cutting into old wood, which will leave you with bare spots – you only need to prune new growth. The exception to this rule is yew hedging, which will cope with a really tough prune if it’s got out of hand.

Hedge gardening hedge cutting photograph by Haxxah and KraZug, used under a creative commons attribution licence

 

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