There are many ways to trim a hedge depending on the desired effect and the plants that make up the hedge. Smaller hedges will be used to delimit specific areas of the garden, while larger, straighter hedges will be used as fences around a property. Regardless of the style, a hedge requires regular maintenance, let's see how to proceed.
Pruning Times
Spring is the best time to trim shrub hedges. Proceed at the very beginning of spring before the vegetation has started to grow.
We prefer to wait until July for the pruning of conifers in order to preserve the beautiful colors of the new spring shoots. For the more fastidious, lovers of straight lines, green pruning should be done in three stages: at the end of April, at the end of June and at the end of August. This will ensure a clean and neat appearance.
How to proceed?
1- pruning an open hedge
An open hedge is composed of shrubs with decorative foliage or interesting flowers. They will be pruned in a lighter way using simple secateurs or a small saw, in order to remove the dead wood and the branches that cross. The goal is to clear the interior of the plant to let in light. This pruning can also be used to limit the height if necessary. Always try to keep a certain harmony and not to make holes in the whole.
2- Regular hedges
Interventions should be more frequent, every two to three months. For a successful hedge, plant two stakes on either side of the hedge and stretch a wire between them. Do not hesitate to adjust the height of the wire using a level on flat ground or a meter on sloping ground. Proceed in the same way for the pruning on both sides of the hedge.
Use hand shears if the length is less, motorized shears if the hedge is more important. The blade should be disinfected and sharpened beforehand. Then simply slide the shears along the wire used as a guide. Keep a light hand and do not press on the wire, as this would cause irregularities. Do not hesitate to prune frequently so that the hedge does not grow more than 10 cm per year.
To be dense, a hedge must be as wide as it is high, or even slightly wider at the bottom. It is possible, for more softness, to round the angles to create a more harmonious shape.
The various possible shapes
Here again, it's all a matter of taste and functionality:
- Rectangular: the hedge forms a real wall that doesn't let the light through, it protects from the eyes and from intrusions;
- Domed: the hedge is rounded at the top, the ideal solution to keep a natural look to the garden.
- Half sphere: mostly used on small shrubs to suggest shapes or delimit particular areas in the garden.
- Loose: to create a flowered wall at the bottom of the garden;
- Sculpted: reserved for virtuosos of the shears and for boxwood and yew hedges. All possibilities are then possible (volutes, windows, crenels and merlons ...)
