Hedging Maintenance

With a great hedge comes great responsibility. You might not need permission to plant or indeed grow your hedge as tall as you like, but its upkeep is in your hands.

Hedge maintenance is more than just a quick trim; prune at the wrong time and your hedge will be looking forlorn instead of flourishing; cut back too far and your hedge will find it hard-going to recover.

When trimming, it’s important to remember that this means the top and all sides of your hedge: those you can access from your own property and those that may mean you need your neighbour’s permission.

If any part of your hedge hangs over neighbouring property, also remember that your neighbours do have the right to cut back any branches that breach their boundary, as long as it doesn’t damage your hedge. But to help avoid the need for this, it’s best to make trimming your task, so you can prune to perfection.

So what’s the best way to keep your hedging contained to avoid any misshapen mishaps and neighbourly nuisances?

When you first plant your hedge, it’s not as simple as leaving it to grow. Did you know that most new hedges benefit from early pruning? Formative pruning – usually done in the first years after planting, help your hedge to thrive. Keep the bottom of the hedge wider than the top so the plant can get much-needed sunlight for healthy growth. Once established, you can then begin routine annual trimming to keep it neat. But how often you need to prune depends on your desired result, and the type of hedge you have.

Growing season for many types of hedges is between May and September, so formal hedging will need trimming regularly during this time. Our team will be able to advise you on your chosen hedge’s growth season, the best time of year to trim and how often – that way, if you’re unsure you can commit to its maintenance, we can offer you suitable alternatives.

Beech hedging is a fast growing hedge reaching heights of five metres when mature, but you can easily trim this down to a low height of around one metre as grow-back is fast, at around 30-60cm a year. Prune your Beech hedge in late Summer or early Autumn, to ensure brown leaves remain on your hedge providing Winter coverage. If the hedge has become unruly, hard pruning can be carried out in February whilst the plant is dormant, unless the weather is very cold.

One of the most popular hedges in the garden, Privet grows between 40 and 60cm a year and is easily maintained at a height of anywhere between one and four metres. To keep it neat, trim twice a year in May and August, or more often if you want a very formal hedge. Left untrimmed, you’ll see flowers on your Privet hedge that are followed by berries that are highly attractive to wildlife.

Low maintenance and easy to grow, Laurel can be trimmed for a formal hedge or unpruned for a natural appearance between Spring and Summer. Spreading to fill gaps around its planting site, Cherry Laurel can be trimmed into smaller forms if you wish. Achieving a growth of around 30-60cm a year, Cherry Laurel reaches an impressive height of up to five metres when mature.

English Yew is an ideal hedge for a formal garden as it’s easily trimmed into all kinds of curving shapes. With a growth rate of 20-40cm a year, it can reach up to four metres. A popular choice for those who want a hedge that’s low maintenance, Yew doesn’t need regular pruning but won’t suffer from a trim from time to time.

Hornbeam grows to up to five metres but you can choose to have a lower hedge of around 1.5 metres if you wish to trim it down. A low maintenance choice, Hornbeam requires only one annual trim in mid to late Summer to encourage Winter foliage cover.

Popular for quick privacy cover, Leylandii is still a good choice despite it’s reputation. Compact and very fast growing at around 75-90cm a year, Leylandii is a great formal evergreen hedge if it’s kept tidy reaching heights of up to six metres. Careful cutting is essential however, to keep Leylandii healthy – you can’t cut it back into old wood and so pruning should be kept to between April and August, with a maximum of three trims to keep it healthy and neat. Don’t trim after August, as you may end up with bald patches in your hedge.

No matter which type of hedge you choose, always remember to check for nesting birds before you trim, as their nests need to be left undisturbed. Need advice? Speak to us for help if you’re not sure which type of hedge is best for the maintenance you can manage.