Helpful Advice for Hedge Trimming

Do you need to get a better handle on your shrubs or hedges before they get out of hand? Trimming your shrubs and hedges regularly can help your garden look more put together and is recommended to keep them in the best possible health.

When hedges are trimmed, it can help them grow effectively in areas where they aren't as full, it can aid in better blossoms and fruit production, it can decrease some disease problems, and it can remove old development that could become questionable.

Any garden would benefit greatly from adding an attractive and robust hedge. You will find all the information you need and a wealth of helpful tips on how to trim hedges in our blog.

Best Time to Trim Hedges

The spring and the summer are the typical times when hedges are in their growing stages. As a result, it is best to prune hedges after the conclusion of each growing season. If you wait until the hedges are dormant, you can trim them more frequently; however, if you trim them while they are actively growing, they will recover from the trimming much more quickly.

Most hedges are grown from shrubs that go through two distinct phases of vegetation during the course of a single year, the first of which occurs in the spring and the second of which occurs toward the end of the summer.

If you want the form, you give them to last for a longer period of time; it is best to wait until these growth periods begin to slow down.

Having said that, there are a few notable exceptions. During the growing season, traditional evergreens like boxwood and privet should have their branches trimmed back. Also, after the middle of August, the conifers should not have their needles trimmed.

Extra advice: 

• Do any pruning after the plant has flowered or after the spring growth period has ended.
• Hedge plants that grow in the summer are easiest to prune in the winter when they are dormant.
• Hedgerows can be trimmed whenever they are not flowering to eliminate new growth that is out of control.
• To direct the growth of young hedges and ensure that they remain healthy from an early age, they require more frequent attention (trimming).

February is the month to do necessary trimming and rejuvenation on overgrown hedges.

Before they begin to form buds in the middle of February until the end of the month, hedge plants still have plenty of sap and can take significant cutting if it is necessary to keep them within their boundaries. In addition, there won't be any birds that breed there to cause any damage to the branches. Hedge plants such as box, thuja, and coniferous cypress should get their annual haircuts right about now.

Hedge trimming performed in the early part of the year, particularly on hornbeam and field maple, stimulates vigorous new growth. Unfortunate as it may be, this is also an excellent opportunity to deal with overgrown hedges that require significant reshaping or rejuvenation. If you have a hedge that has become overgrown, it is recommended that you do severe pruning on only one side of the hedge at first. This will allow the plants to recover a little bit before you perform severe pruning on the other side of the hedge in February.

After flowering, flowering hedges should have their branches pruned.

You will need to leave it until later in the spring to prune flowering plants such as forsythia, viburnum, and jasmine. This is because you will first need to let the plants flower before you begin pruning them. When you do so, be extremely careful not to spook any animals that may be nesting nearby.

After blossoming at the end of June or the beginning of July, many types of hedging plants produce a second round of blooms in the summer. If the weather is not excessively warm at those times, it is possible to prune these flowers again. But remember that this second pruning should only be mild to maintain the neat appearance of your hedging.

Finishing up the summer with some light pruning.

Beech, privet, and evergreen hedging should all have their annual trimming in the month of August. However, it would be best if you use caution while pruning conifers, as postponing the process beyond this month may result in forming permanent bare patches.

How frequently does trimming certain types of hedge plants need to be done?

Cherry laurel, barberry, thuja, yew, and cypress should be pruned once a year.

On alternate years, privet, hornbeam, field maple, and common beech are pruned.

Every time you cut your hedge, you give it a boost to its growth potential. Regular, minimal pruning ensures that it will become dense over time, providing that it receives enough amount of water, warmth, and light.

A strategy is required before beginning to trim a hedge.

If you have a strategy laid out, trimming hedges will be a lot less of a hassle for you. To begin, it is important that you have a good understanding of the plant species that you are pruning, as this will assist you in determining the most appropriate time to pull out your hedge trimmer.

1. It would be best if you attempted to cut your hedges during times of the year when there is little humidity, clear skies, and colder weather. This can assist in lessening the likelihood of an infection or disease taking hold of your hedges and causing them to perish.
2. If you have recently observed the appearance of fresh buds on your hedge, now is the perfect time to tend to them.
3. When pruning or trimming hedges, it is best to make as few cuts as possible in order to prevent pathogens like bacteria and fungi from penetrating open wounds.
4. The first thing that has to be done is to remove any dead weight and older growth from the area where it all started.
5. When you are cutting inwards with a restricted view of the major branches, make sweeping cuts that are narrow and slightly slanted. You may thin down the hedge in this way without having to cut through one of the major trunks.
6. After this, the selections for the training are determined. Because of these cuts, the branches will be able to grow in the way that you want.
7. If at all possible, you should try to model the shape of the shrub or bush after its natural form. This will, in the long term, make life a great deal simpler and will result in less need for trimming and shaping.
8. When trimming a hedge using a battery-powered hedge trimmer, the quickest and easiest approach to achieve the desired shape and height is to begin at the base of the hedge and make large, sweeping cuts in the direction of the hedge's growth.
9. By the sides have been trimmed, the tops may be readily levelled off after the same procedure.

Best hedge trimming and pruning tools

You may make the task of cutting a hedge that has become overgrown with the assistance of a few tools that are currently available. Hand shears are suitable for use on hedges of modest size or less, but investing in a high-quality and long-lasting hedge trimmer will allow you to trim your hedge in a fraction of the time and produce consistently excellent results.

It is essential that you maintain your pruning and trimming equipment by giving them a thorough cleaning and applying oil to them consistently. In addition to ensuring that the illness does not move from one plant to another, cuts made using clean equipment are more hygienic and therefore heal more quickly.

Shears for the hand and a pruning saw are required.

Hand scissors and pruning saws are wonderful equipment to have on hand for removing little branches that are difficult to access. There are two primary varieties of hand shears available for use, and you can use either one of them. These are the shears with the scissor motion and the shears with the anvil cut. Shears with a scissor action feature a thinner blade that slips over a more substantial blade. Anvil-cut shears, on the other hand, have blades that are sharp and slide over a flat blade. Pruning saws, for instance, the Husqvarna foldable saw 200 FO, make short work of smaller and medium-sized branches, and they also assist in the removal of any larger sections that a hedge trimmer might not be able to cut through.

A skilled worker in the trimming of hedges

The upkeep of hedges, shrubs, and trees typically requires using hedge trimmers. They not only make the task of trimming your hedges a more fun one, but they also save you energy doing other chores related to your yard. Because of this, you will be able to enjoy your garden without having to labour in it as much.

Hedge trimmers, whether powered by electricity or gasoline, make light work of the backbreaking labour and physical strain of utilising hand shears. Additionally, compared to the overwhelming majority of manual hedge-trimming instruments, these are far safer. Because of these built-in safety safeguards, an electric hedge trimmer will only function properly when the operator has their hands on both handles simultaneously.

If you have huge hedges that require routine and consistent upkeep, investing in a professional hedge trimmer like the Husqvarna 522HDR60S is the best course of action. They provide a long-lasting solution for maintaining the shape of even the wildest hedges thanks to their design that maximises power and reaches.

Battery-operated hedge clipper

Hedge trimmers that are powered by batteries do away with the need for power cords and wires. You will no longer have to be cautious about slicing through electrical wires or tripping over them when you are using them. As a consequence of the addition of battery power, modern hedge trimmers are also much more silent, significantly lighter, and simpler to operate. It is unnecessary to make any sacrifices to save electricity, and a single charge is sufficient to take care of a complete garden.

There isn't a power outlet in the garden, is there? No issue. Battery-powered hedge trimmers have a longer reach than their manual counterparts, which makes it much simpler to cut tall hedges and shrubs without being constrained.

What is the main distinction between regular hedge trimmers and long-reach hedge trimmers?

Specifically for lengthy rows of densely planted hedging, hedge trimmers have been developed throughout the years. When it comes to pruning as well as horizontal and vertical trimming, the double-sided cutter is your best bet.

A long-reach hedge trimmer has a shaft that extends further, allowing the user to trim hedges that are exceptionally high, long, or wide. Furthermore to this, the cutter bar can spin up to 145 degrees, allowing you to choose whatever angle you desire.

How to cut bushes and shrubs into interesting forms with pruning

Using a wire mesh structure is ideal for shaping bushes into creatures and other inventive forms through cutting. This needs to be fitted all the way around the shrub; once that has been done, you can trim the shrub to fit just outside the contours of the mesh.

You'll need a pair of hand-held secateurs that are nice and sharp or another instrument that can make accurate cuts.

Each year, prune back any stems that are growing outward to allow the plant to fill in those spaces.

You'll probably have to wait a few years, but in the end, the project you're working on will result in an impressive garden sculpture.

To topiary and everything in between

When it comes to their shrubs and bushes, our arborists choose to do annual pruning to maintain a tidy appearance, while others let their inner artists shine through.

What exactly is the topiary?

Today, the term "topiary" is used to refer to the process of shaping plants, and it was originally obtained in a roundabout way from the Latin word "topiaries," which means ornamental garden. Put, topiary is a plant that has been artfully sculpted into an elaborate form, and the ability to do so is often regarded as an art form.

What kinds of plants make the most beautiful topiary?

Box and yew are two examples of dense bushes that work well for topiary.

How do you give a hedge its shape?

Strong branches, which continually divide into finer and finer pieces throughout the length of each stem, are what are used to produce the primary "bones" of the desired shape. Next, use wire to bind flexible branches together and train them to grow in the desired direction to create your desired shape.

Making cuts in geometric patterns

Even on plants with towering trunks, it is possible to cut accurate geometric shapes with the assistance of taut strings or a frame made of wooden slats. Then, spin the frame around the plant, clipping off any protruding shoots as you go. It's as easy as that, and this procedure makes it possible to create various shapes.

Hedge Trimming Tips:

We find that many people need to be made aware of the fact that the optimal times for cutting shrubs might vary. Many homeowners, in our experience, go out on vacation and trim everything all at once, but doing so might not be in the best interest of the plants in your care.

For example, azaleas and rhododendrons can only be pruned during a window of four to six weeks since, after that point, they start to set flower buds for the upcoming growing season. If you wait too long to prune them, you could destroy the plant's potential to produce flowers for the following year. People frequently ask us why they aren't getting flowers, and one possible explanation is that their pruning was done at the wrong time.

When inappropriate pruning results in problems with insects or diseases, this is an even more serious issue than the fact that it reduces the blossoming potential of your plant. While certain plants cannot withstand harsh pruning techniques, others can cope with them. Having knowledge of these kinds could result in these other plant health issues.

1. Make Sure You Use the Right Pruning Equipment

Another area where things might go wrong while cutting shrubs and hedges is in the approach that is utilised. Many households, as well as certain lawn care and landscaping businesses, will use shears powered by gas or electricity for all of their cutting needs. Boxwood, on the other hand, is one of those shrubs that absolutely must be pruned by hand with a sharp instrument; otherwise, you risk damaging the plant. Therefore, it is essential to understand which kinds call for hand-trimming and which don't.

2. Take Appropriate Care of Clippings

People have a lot of queries about what to do with the clippings, which is to be expected. First, protect yourself from making a major mess by wrapping a tarp around the base of any trees or shrubs you plan to move. It is especially important to keep this in mind if you have recently had your mulching done, as you will want to avoid removing the mulch by raking it up or blowing it away. After that, after the tarp is wrapped securely around the plant's base and gathered the clippings, it will be quite simple for you to peel the tarp away and transport the waste.

3. Pruning and trimming young hedging plants

It is not necessary to trim a newly planted hedge when it is first established. After the hedge has grown for a full year after being planted, you can begin to prune it into the desired form. Keep the main stem of the hedge intact until the desired height of the hedge has been reached, and prune the height of all other stems by up to half.

4. Putting in place missing pieces of your hedge

In most cases, the answer to the problem of making a hedge look fuller is as easy as providing it with an abundance of light. Remove any surrounding branches or other forms of growth that are casting a shadow over the gap, as insufficient light will cause small gaps to fill up quickly. The next step is to place a bamboo cane or other support across the space to provide more room and then affix a neighbouring branch to it. The trained stem will continue to grow in place once it has followed the cane.

5. Collect the excrement from plants

Remember to get rid of the hedge clippings after you're done cutting the hedges. If you leave the leftovers on the lawn, they will prevent the grass from growing and may even cause patches of baldness. We are recommended to collect the green clippings with a fan broom and then remove them with a cordless blower such as the STIHL BGA 56. An alternative option is to sweep the green clippings together.

You also have the option of laying down a textile underlay, such as an old sheet, before pruning the hedge to catch the green clippings as you go. This results in a significant reduction in labour, particularly in the case of hedges with extremely fine leaves, such as boxwood, because the trimmings may be collected and disposed of with relative ease.

6. At what height can I expect my hedge to grow?

The location of a hedge determines the maximum allowable height for the hedge. In many locations, the maximum height allowed is two meters. Get in touch with your local municipality to ensure that no issues arise.

7. Conditions that are perfect for cutting the hedges

If it is really hot and sunny outside, you should avoid trimming your hedge since there is a risk that the newly cut surfaces will become dried up and die. If the temperature is too low, the same rule applies; thus, if you are still routinely experiencing sub-zero temps when spring arrives, you should not trim your hedge since the cuts will require a long time to heal, and the cold will harm branches that are already more delicate.

Extra tips:

• When trimming or pruning mature hedges, it is important to begin by removing the branches that are the thickest to assist in healthier growth.
• It is recommended that the tops of hedges and shrubs in regions that receive snowfall or ice be rounded. This will prevent the plants from experiencing accumulation, which can damage the internal branches of the plant.
• When pruning evergreens. It is recommended to begin by removing the larger, individual stems.
• Evergreens with thin foliage should be trimmed when they are young to achieve controlled growth and increased health. This can be accomplished by doing the pruning.
• Evergreens that have broad leaves don't really require as much attention as other types of plants. They can survive many seasons without requiring extensive pruning. It is possible that new growth will be hampered if a significant amount of the old wood is removed. Aim to do fewer tasks more frequently.
• Manual The shears are quite user-friendly, so pruning the interior branches of a tree is a breeze with them. Before finishing the task with a strong and long-lasting hedge trimmer, use them to remove any branches that are particularly thick.
• Beginning from the bottom and working your way up is the best strategy. Hedgerows that have become overgrown can withstand severe pruning, but you must take care not to cut any of the major branches that are responsible for feeding the top.
• To achieve the best results, prune hedges in the middle of the morning. This is the point in the day when the dew has dried up, and there is very little moisture present in the air. If that can't work out, shoot for the late afternoon.

Summary

The type and size of the hedges in your yard will determine the method that is best suited for trimming them. If you want to maintain your privacy or block off certain areas of your yard, proper trimming is essential. In general, hedges should be trimmed at least twice a year during the times of the year when they are not growing. Hedge trimming is a task that many homeowners view as difficult, even though it is actually quite simple. If you want to maximise the benefits of your hedges, you should trim them according to these guidelines.