Hedging your bets...
SPECIALIST TREES
Pristine conifer hedges, clipped to a smooth green wall, are one of the sights of a traditional garden. Whether they are medium size or form a high boundary to an enclosure, their mass of dark green offsets more exuberant plantings.
Monterey Cypress, Cupressus macrocarpa, most successful in mild, coastal areas
But a lanky, overgrown conifer hedge has just the reverse effect. Brown patches, bad trimming into old wood that will not regrow, and a general lack of maintenance will have as much impact – of the wrong sort – as an overgrown lawn.
July and August are the main
months for clipping conifer hedges, as they won’t grow much more after this, although they may need a light trim again later. And a fairly light trim is all that’s necessary even at this time of year, not a drastic cutting back. Cut into old wood and the branches will not grow again.
Once your conifer hedge has reached the height and width you want, don’t let it go beyond that so that you are tempted to cut back into old wood. The only conifer that will take that treatment without damage is yew. It can be cut back into very old wood and will still grow again.
Traditional hand shears are thought to be the best tool to use, rather than a power hedge trimmer, which can bruise the growth. But if you have a long, high hedge, then you may prefer to go carefully with a power hedge trimmer and any bruising should be minimal.
If you want a level top to the hedge, it’s best to fix a post at either end and tie a length of twine between them at whatever height you require. Trim the sides first, moving upwards, so that the trimmings will fall away and you will be able to see where you are going.
Make the hedge wider at the bottom and narrower at the top, to give it stability in all weathers. Trim the top lastly, using your twine as a guide. Don’t rush at it – keep stepping well back, to look at your work, and think about it. Make sure that if you are tackling a high hedge, that your ladder is safe and stable.
What do you do if the hedge has got out of hand – or has to be reduced because it is too high and the neighbours have
Yew – taxus baccata, classic formal hedge, slow growing but very dense
complained? There is legislation in place concerning the height of evergreen hedges, and trying to cut it down without killing it can pose a problem.
Firstly, don’t renovate a conifer hedge at this time of year. Leave the job until the middle of next spring, as conifer hedges that need a lot of renovation do better when in active growth and the risk of frost damage has passed.
Before starting, check that there are no birds nesting in the hedge. It is an offence under the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act to damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while it is in use or being built.
Then reduce the height by up to a third of its size, in April. Thin out the side branches, removing selected ones right back to the trunk, leaving the other branches as they are, to allow more light and air into the area.
Mulch and feed to encourage good regrowth, water well in dry spells in this first growing season following the thinning out, and allow at least a full season for the hedge to recover.
These are good conifers for hedges
taxus baccata, makes the classic formal hedge, dense and slow growing
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana, ‘Green Hedger’ and ‘Stewartii’ are popular cultivars
Thuja plicata ‘Atrovirens’, bright green, neat and fast growing
Cupressus macrocarpa, most suited to mild, coastal areas
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Country Gardener
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