A neatly manicured lawn and perfectly shaped hedge add beauty and value to your property. Hedges are easy to maintain and only require pruning occasionally. However, pruning and shaping a hedge may seem like a challenging. Luckily, you do not need to be a gardening expert. Whether you have a tall or short, evergreen or conifer, formal or informal hedge, you have to follow the basic principles in hedge pruning to achieve the perfect hedge shape that will be the envy of your neighbourhood.

Tools You Need For Pruning

Pruning Tips: Keeping Your Hedge in Perfect Shape

Pruning is a delicate task. You need the right, sharp tools to make the cut as clean as possible – no crushed and jagged edges – to speed up healing, prevent potential infection, and create a better seal.

  • Hand shears – These are essential for cutting live, healthy stems.
  • Anvil and ratchet pruners – Best for clipping off small, dry stuff.
  • Loppers – These are the larger version of pruning shears. Loppers have longer handles, giving you more strength and leverage for cutting branches as thick as 1.5 inches.
  • Folding saw – It enables you to cut in hard-to-reach branches.
  • Hedge trimmer – Use the one with extended reach and a pivoting cutting head for trimming tall hedges, as well as hard-to-reach areas.

Trimming Overgrown Hedges

Pruning Tips: Keeping Your Hedge in Perfect Shape

Neglected hedges can be an eyesore. It may look like a long and daunting task, but knowing where to start and what to cut can get them looking in their top shape.

Check out these four Ds of pruning from expert arborists.

  • Dead – Start trimming the dead stems, as they attract pests and increase the risk of disease.
  • Diseased – After removing the dead plant parts, snip off the infected branches or anything that looks wilted, dried, or weak. Prepare a bucket of 90 percent water and 10 percent bleach mixture. Dip the pruners into the mixture between cuts to prevent the spread of disease.
  • Damaged – Broken branches must be removed. Although it may seem healthy and can repair itself, it can potentially allow pests and diseases an opportunity to do further damage to your plant.
  • Deranged – Lastly, prune your shrubs to improve its appearance and promote optimal growth. The shrub will loop down to the ground and its branches will grow across each other, creating a messy appearance. Prune branches and stems that do not conform to the rest.

When To Start Pruning

Pruning Tips: Keeping Your Hedge in Perfect Shape

Garden experts recommend pruning hedges before they reach their full size. Pruning young hedge plants helps them grow denser. A healthy hedge should be thick all over, not just its top. For best results, trim young plants lightly regularly (remove about 2cm each time), even before they grow together to form a hedge. This enables them to develop denser growth and prevents them from growing taller and getting leggy. When they reach a good height, they become denser together, giving you a natural and visually appealing fence.

While most hedges are cut in summer, maintenance may depend on the type of plant you have. Some types of hedge plants only require a single annual cut, while others need frequent pruning. Cut conifer hedges in summer (all trimmings to be finished by August). Cut deciduous hedges such as beech and hornbeam once in late summer. Evergreen hedges, such as cherry laurel and box, need pruning twice or thrice a year, starting in late spring until autumn. However, prune hawthorn twice (once in summer and once in autumn). Cut privet thrice or even four times from spring to autumn to keep it dense.

How To Cut The Perfect Hedge

Pruning Tips: Keeping Your Hedge in Perfect Shape

Prune young, new hedges to establish the shape you desired and prevent leggy, unhealthy growth. Start shaping as soon as practical. This enables you to easily maintain its shape and prevent unhealthy growth. Use hand shears when pruning young shrubs. Make sure the shape of the hedge should be tapered (base is a bit wider than the top) to ensure that its lower part gets enough sunlight for healthy growth.

Use the lower section of the shear to prune the bottom of the hedge upwards. Never cut using the tip of the hand shears as it can cause dig-in or a pockmarked finish on the hedge. Reduce the height and width of your hedges to keep them in perfect shape. Although regular pruning is essential for denser growth, never cut beyond the green growth of your conifer hedges, except yew, as they will not regrow.

Many prune their hedges into a rectangular shape. Once the hedge reaches the size and shape you want, prune it regularly by following the existing line to maintain the shape. In case it requires extra pruning due to overgrowth, set up a string line. Stick four stakes into the ground at each corner of the hedge and run the string from one stake to another. Use the string line as your guide to pruning the edges. This will help keep your hand steady and eye on point.

When trimming overgrown hedges, angle your shears at a 45-degree angle to the hedge to remove the excess growth. Prune overgrown outer branches close to the main stems to promote growth along the branch. This will also help you see where to make the final cut. Position the blade flat against the hedge to achieve a neat finish.

When thinning out the interior of the hedge, check for any dead or broken branches and remove them. Pruning its interior promotes good airflow and minimizes the risk of mould or other pathogenic growth. Never prune more than 1/3 of the plant’s growth to avoid harming it.

Tidying Up

Pruning Tips: Keeping Your Hedge in Perfect Shape

For a quick clean up, place a tarp or two around the hedge. Snipped off branches and leaves will directly fall on it. Use your hand to brush the top of the plant or use a gentle grass rake to remove the prunings. Leaving them to die on top of the hedge will attract pests, block sunlight below, and cause bare patches. You can leave small amounts of prunings to decompose under the hedge and act as mulch. However, do not use diseased leaves and branches as mulch or compost as it can cause fungal disease.

Trimming takes time and practice to perfect the shape of your hedge. For neatly trimmed and shaped hedges, leave it to the experts. Dave Lund Tree Service and Forestry Co Ltd. is your go-to company for hedge trimming in Richmond Hill and nearby areas. Our ISA certified arborists use state-of-the-art trimming tools to ensure optimal shrub and hedge care.

Call us now at (905) 884-0511 to book an appointment or leave a message on our Contact Page.