Tips for the care and maintenance of hedges

The first years of a hedge’s life are the most important. Naturally the hedge will develop into an upright bushy form unassisted, but this alone will not produce a good hedge, what is desired in a good hedge is a dense, uniform growth habit with a uniform shape and height and length. desired width. Regular training and careful pruning from the year of planting is the only way to achieve this, after a hedge has been neglected for some time it is very difficult and sometimes impossible to restore it to a desirable appearance. Hedges should be pruned at least twice during the growing season and once at the end of the growing season, although flowing hedges should be pruned after flow has occurred.

Hedges large or small, formal or informal are very important features of a garden. They can be used to give privacy, mark boundaries and provide protection from the wind. In larger gardeners, they can even be used to divide the space or act as a background or backdrop for other plants. Smaller hedges such as box hedges can be used in formal gardens for a more abstract design.

The future of your coverage is determined by how your future coverage is managed. In the early stages of a hedge it is often necessary to cut it fairly hard to achieve the desired shape, but this also encourages growth. Hedges with smaller leaves are considered more formal as they are easier to trim and shape. Another factor to take into account is whether your hedges are necessary for screening, in which case it would be necessary to choose an evergreen specimen, which retains its leaves throughout the winter.

Many freestanding hedges can be pruned into decorative forms when they have matured, they can also be trained to do this from young plants.

Make a spiral cone

1. To make a spiral cone from a mature bush, first start by marking out a spiral cone with string, attaching the string to the tips of the branches at regular intervals.

2. Stand back from the bush and check that the coils run at even intervals from each other and that you are happy with the shape.

3. Using pruning shears or a pruning saw, remove all stems and leaves back to a main stem or truck.

4. Over time foliage will grow to hide bare surfaces and this shape must be trimmed to maintain its spiral effect.

It is important to prune a hedge with the correct equipment and always use proper tools. Hedge trimmers are good for cutting specimens with small leaves, for example privets, to achieve a formal hedge. Other specimens, such as laurels, should be trimmed with pruning shears, as hedge clippers will only cut the leaves and damage the edges, which will then turn yellow and brown, creating an undesirable appearance.

hedge trimmers

Hedge trimming is a quick way to trim a hedge, but it is also dangerous. When buying a hedge trimmer, it’s important to buy one with as many safety features as possible, such as blade extensions that prevent objects larger than 1 cm from being cut. The blades should also stop within a fraction of a second after releasing the throttle. Both hands should be placed on the hedge trimmer at all times and the need to clear debris with one hand should always be avoided. Some hedge trimmers come with a device that will not work unless both hands are attached to the machine.

formal coverage

Cupressocyparis leylandii – This is an extremely fast growing, vigorous hedge option, an excellent choice for providing quick detection. This specimen can grow in direct sunlight or light shade and can grow up to 3 meters tall in less than 6 years.

Taxus baccata – Also known as yew, this is a slow growing evergreen hedge option and has dark green leaves, it is a brash and tolerant specimen and grows in most conditions. It can reach 2 meters in height in 20 years.

wild fagus – Also known as the common beach, this is a deciduous hedge and although it does fall off, it does a good job of retaining its dead leaves for most of the winter and does a good job of providing a protection against the wind and a screen. It has bright green young foliage that turns deep green as it matures. After 6 years it can reach a height of 1.3 meters.

Informal hedges

Pyracantha – This is an evergreen specimen that produces red berries. Pyracantha prefers a sunny position and has sharp spines that are slightly poisonous. It can reach a height of 1.2 meters in two years.

Berberis x stenophylla – This species forms an attractive wide evergreen hedge and uncovers clusters of golden flowers in spring and purple berries in autumn. It grows in sunlight or light shade and can grow up to 1.2 meters in 3 years.

Escallonia macrantha – This is an evergreen shrub that has deep green leaves and bright red flowers in the summer. Although only medium hardy, it is resistant to salt winds. This specimen prefers full sunlight and can grow to a maximum height of 3 meters.