Now is the perfect time of year to prune this years growth on your hedges. The higher light levels between late July and late August mean the sex hormone is dominant over the growth hormone in the plant so pruning now will not result in vigorous regrowth which is the last thing you want on an established hedge. If you are pruning into old wood and want a lot of regrowth then April and October are your best bet. If you chose April check for nesting birds as it’s illegal to disturb them.
This is my beech hedge which needs a good haircut. Most of it’s in shot, it’s between 80 and 100 foot long and around 12 foot high. On the other side of the garden is a conifer hedge of a similar length but not as tall. And then there’s a handful of shrubs and trees dotted around that need attention. So I’ll be setting aside a whole weekend to take on this task, with shredding, tidying up etc it’s surprising how long it takes!
Don’t forget my free Land’s End Gift Voucher and Seed giveaway that I launched last week. All you have to do is leave a comment on the post, just click here. I’ll be drawing the gift voucher winners and despatching the seeds towards the end of the month.
Two Chances Veg Plot Blog 
Funny you should mention that I cut my hedge last weekend and got some pictures of it today, looking much better. There’s a lot to be said for petrol hedge cutters!
I bet your petrol hedge cutter made short work of it. I’ve got an electric one, the cable is a pain but it gets the job done!
I’ve been trimming my hedges too – took about 1.5 foot off the width ! we’ve got privet – almost grows faster than the weeds 😦
I have the odd bit of privet, not my favourite I must say. Sometimes it seems like they grow overnight!
We’ve no hedges but the apples need pruning (cordons) – I never know whether I do it right as the advice all sounds like gobbledigook – I just trust to instinct!
Hi Sue, pruning is quite confusing, I did a post in the pruning category on pruning apple trees if that’s any help?
Dear Damo, We’ve got three big hedges to cut and Ped usually cuts them twice a year in May September but I think we’ll try your method next year. Mind you, July’s been very dull and August’s not much better, to-day was like a mysteriously warm November.
It’s been very dull down here for a while now, grey, grey, grey. I’m hoping to do one cut a year as it’s a big job I need to keep it to a minimum time-wise. I hate these mundane must-do jobs like lawn mowing, hedge cutting etc. At least it’s outdoors and I’m not stuck at my desk staring at a screen I suppose!
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