Planting, trimming, and removing hedges
It is best to plant a new hedge in the fall before continuous frost begins. The young plants are then well-rooted in the following spring, can grow better and sprout more strongly. In this way, the hedge will reach the desired height more quickly and it will also become opaque more quickly.
However, before planting, check the boundary distance to the adjacent plot and make sure that the hedge does not fall below it. Then dig out the planting ditch and enrich the soil with sufficiently mature compost. That way, air, and water can get to the freshly planted plants better, later on, making it easier for them to form roots.
Then place the hedge plants and press the soil, mixed with compost, firmly. Then pour a lot of water and add some bark mulch. The mulch retains the moisture on the plant balls for an extra-long time.
By the way, good compost soil can easily be made yourself with the right tips. So you can provide your plants with valuable nutrients at any time. The way to get to compost in your garden, you will find here.
Man with hedge trimmer while pruning
If your hedge has grown well, it will quickly spread in all directions and grow in height and width. With a hedge trimmer, you can then easily shape them into the desired shape so that they fit perfectly into your garden.
With most plants, this is not very complicated. Nevertheless, a few useful tips are always useful to keep your hedge looking good after trimming and to ensure that it serves as a decorative element in the garden, as a privacy wall, or even as a protection against the wind.
Many gardeners regard St. John's Day on June 24 as the traditional date for pruning the hedge. It doesn't have to be exactly this day, but the first vegetation of the hedge has already been completed by mid/end of June. The second overgrowth follows shortly afterward. So early summer is actually a good time to trim your hedge.
Other gardeners swear by the fact that pruning twice a year ensures more even and dense growth. If you want to trim your hedge twice a year, you should start quite early in the year: in that case, you should trim the hedge for the first time already in mid/late February.
The early pruning has an advantage: the shoots of the plants are not fully juiced in February. This is why many hedges tolerate pruning so early in the year. Then prune the plants to the desired height and width. You should prune again at the beginning of summer, so mid/end of June. However, the cut can then be significantly lower.
The February pruning has another advantage over the June pruning: a hedge that has already been pruned in February takes some time to recover and often doesn't germinate again until May. Until then, your hedge will look well cared for, without having to do anything else after February pruning.
If there are birds on the hedge.
When trimming the hedge, you must take into account the animals that live or breed in the hedge. You should therefore not prune the hedge during the breeding and nesting phase.
Make sure you find out if there are legal requirements for this. In some countries, pruning is prohibited for certain periods.
It doesn't matter when you start pruning, always check for birds, nests, or other animals in the hedge before you start pruning.
Hedges of spring flowers such as blood plum or forsythia should not be pruned until after flowering. If you start pruning here in February, you will reduce the number of flower buds.
If you need to prune a second time, do it no later than the end of June. Otherwise, the plants will not develop flower buds for the next year.
A thuja hedge in the garden
Coniferous hedges usually do not tolerate pruning very well. If you prune the hedge back too far, it will often not sprout from the loose branches. For thujas, California cypress, pine, and spruce, you should therefore never cut further than where the plant still has left.
You can adjust the height of these hedges much more easily. The freshly sprouted side branches soon cover the shortened branches at the top edge. This makes the hedge nice and tight again.
Also, prune the flanks only to the needle base. The following also applies here: branches without a coniferous base will no longer sprout. The only exception is the yew tree: new shoots arise from the trunk itself.
If you want to rejuvenate an older hedge, you can prune cherry laurel, firethorn, privet, or even caperberries way back into the old wood. For deciduous shrubs, the best time to do this is very early spring, before the plants begin to sprout the first leaves.
When rejuvenating the hedge, all main branches of the plant should be pruned about 30 cm above the ground. If the plant germinates after pruning, make sure the hedge gets enough light and water. At the latest in spring, prune the new shoots back about a third. This makes the hedge nice and tight again.
In early spring, use pruning shears or a tree saw on the top and only one of the flanks to trim all the side branches. Leave only stump grinding with a slight side branching. The other side of the hedge is not pruned until the following year.
The remaining stumps have so-called "sleep eyes". From this, the hedge germinates again in a vigorous manner. However, some plants require some patience, as fresh leaves only grow in summer.
Trimming the top edge of the hedge
The best shape for hedges is the trapezoidal profile. The base of the hedge is wider than the crown. This creates slanting sides so that the leaves in the lower part of the hedge also receive sufficient light.
Under no circumstances should the hedge be narrower at the bottom than at the top. Then there is no light on the lower branches and the leaves and branches become bare. Some plants such as the thuja or the California cypress never bloom from bare branches. This creates very unattractive spots in the hedge.
The topline of the hedge should be completely straight. If it is crooked or wavy, the entire hedge will look shapeless.
A straight line can be obtained quite easily by stretching out a straight line while pruning. To do this, insert two sticks to the left and right of the hedge, which is higher than the plant. Stretch a rope between the sticks. You can then use this as a guideline when pruning the hedge.
If you prefer to trim without a twine, hold the hedge trimmer exactly horizontal in both hands and swing it evenly from the back to the left and right. Did you know that UniversalHedgePole 18 can be the perfect companion here? It also cuts high hedges very easily and accurately. This saves you the ladder and also protects the arm and back area when working on high hedges and overhead.
The sides of the hedge are trimmed in the same way: hold the hedge trimmer with your arms as straight as possible against the hedge and swing the device up and down evenly from your shoulders.
Smaller gaps in deciduous trees such as boxwood, hornbeam, or privet, in particular, close quickly on their own if the plant receives sufficient light. This also applies to conifers such as thujas or California cypress. If necessary, remove branches from nearby trees if they cast too much shade on the hedge.
To help close the gaps in the hedge, you can divert shoots. This is especially recommended if the holes in the hedge are very large.
When diverting, attach some shots of the hedge to thin bamboo sticks. Shorten the ends of the shoots. Then lay the bamboo sticks horizontally or diagonally across the hole in the hedge. This way the hole will close quickly.
Removing a hedge: this is how it goes
Parts with dry dead wood in a thuja hedge
©iStock/Carmen Hauser
If you are tired of your hedge or have other plans for your garden, you will need to remove the hedge. This is possible with the right tips and the right tools. We explain what you should pay attention to and how best to proceed.
Before pulling out your hedge, ask your municipality if you can remove the plant. In some places, there are also legal requirements for this, which you have to take into account.
Removing hedges: pruning branches
A woman who trims the hedge
Prune all branches from the hedge first. This is very easy with a chainsaw for coarse cuts and the EasyPrune secateurs for smaller cuts. A tree saw also comes in handy here. This will allow you to get far to the base of the branch without reaching into the branches.
It is best to start at the bottom or in the middle of the hedge. Then saw off the branch by branch. You can leave the branches at the top about 1.5 m.
When the hedge is bare to a height of about 1.5 m, cut the top half with a tree saw or loppers. Make sure to leave at least 1.5 m of the log. You need this length to be able to pry the root ball later.
First, create space in the garden by shredding the cut branches. With a shredder this is done in no time, so you can then move on to the next step.
Removing hedges: digging out roots
Removing a hedge
With shallow-rooted plants such as spruce or thuja hedges, you can remove the roots fairly easily. The wood is also soft, which makes work easier.
Other hedges such as the California cypress, red beech, or hornbeam have deeper roots. Here the uprooting becomes a bit more complex. Deep-rooted plants such as the cherry laurel are the most difficult to remove.
How to proceed:
Chopping
Use a sharp shovel to dig up the soil around the trunk. This exposes the top roots. You can chop off thinner roots with a shovel. You chop the thicker ones with a sharp ax.
Loosening
When the first three to four main roots have been cut, press the trunk firmly in all directions and check if it can be moved. If this doesn't work, chop off more roots until the trunk comes loose.
Loosening
If the root ball comes loose, pull it out of the hole by the trunk, remove the soil that is stuck to it and discard the plant.
For stubborn cases: winch or pulley block
If the root ball won't come loose, even though you've dug really deep and cut through countless roots with an ax and spade, a winch or pulley can help. If there is a strong, firmly rooted tree near the hedge to be removed, one of the two solutions can make your job much easier.
To do this, fasten the winch or pulley block with a wide belt as far down as possible to the tree trunk. Line the belt so you don't damage the bark of the tree. Attach the other end of the drawstring to the top of the trunk of your hedge.
However, before planting, check the boundary distance to the adjacent plot and make sure that the hedge does not fall below it. Then dig out the planting ditch and enrich the soil with sufficiently mature compost. That way, air, and water can get to the freshly planted plants better, later on, making it easier for them to form roots.
Then place the hedge plants and press the soil, mixed with compost, firmly. Then pour a lot of water and add some bark mulch. The mulch retains the moisture on the plant balls for an extra-long time.
By the way, good compost soil can easily be made yourself with the right tips. So you can provide your plants with valuable nutrients at any time. The way to get to compost in your garden, you will find here.
Pruning a hedge
Man with hedge trimmer while pruning
If your hedge has grown well, it will quickly spread in all directions and grow in height and width. With a hedge trimmer, you can then easily shape them into the desired shape so that they fit perfectly into your garden.
With most plants, this is not very complicated. Nevertheless, a few useful tips are always useful to keep your hedge looking good after trimming and to ensure that it serves as a decorative element in the garden, as a privacy wall, or even as a protection against the wind.
When should you prune the hedge?
Trimming a hedge with a hedge trimmerMany gardeners regard St. John's Day on June 24 as the traditional date for pruning the hedge. It doesn't have to be exactly this day, but the first vegetation of the hedge has already been completed by mid/end of June. The second overgrowth follows shortly afterward. So early summer is actually a good time to trim your hedge.
Other gardeners swear by the fact that pruning twice a year ensures more even and dense growth. If you want to trim your hedge twice a year, you should start quite early in the year: in that case, you should trim the hedge for the first time already in mid/late February.
The early pruning has an advantage: the shoots of the plants are not fully juiced in February. This is why many hedges tolerate pruning so early in the year. Then prune the plants to the desired height and width. You should prune again at the beginning of summer, so mid/end of June. However, the cut can then be significantly lower.
The February pruning has another advantage over the June pruning: a hedge that has already been pruned in February takes some time to recover and often doesn't germinate again until May. Until then, your hedge will look well cared for, without having to do anything else after February pruning.
When is it not allowed to trim hedges?
If there are birds on the hedge.
When trimming the hedge, you must take into account the animals that live or breed in the hedge. You should therefore not prune the hedge during the breeding and nesting phase.
Make sure you find out if there are legal requirements for this. In some countries, pruning is prohibited for certain periods.
It doesn't matter when you start pruning, always check for birds, nests, or other animals in the hedge before you start pruning.
Which hedges should not be pruned in the spring?
A hedge in the gardenHedges of spring flowers such as blood plum or forsythia should not be pruned until after flowering. If you start pruning here in February, you will reduce the number of flower buds.
If you need to prune a second time, do it no later than the end of June. Otherwise, the plants will not develop flower buds for the next year.
Pruning coniferous hedges
A thuja hedge in the garden
Coniferous hedges usually do not tolerate pruning very well. If you prune the hedge back too far, it will often not sprout from the loose branches. For thujas, California cypress, pine, and spruce, you should therefore never cut further than where the plant still has left.
You can adjust the height of these hedges much more easily. The freshly sprouted side branches soon cover the shortened branches at the top edge. This makes the hedge nice and tight again.
Also, prune the flanks only to the needle base. The following also applies here: branches without a coniferous base will no longer sprout. The only exception is the yew tree: new shoots arise from the trunk itself.
Rejuvenate an old hedge
If you want to rejuvenate an older hedge, you can prune cherry laurel, firethorn, privet, or even caperberries way back into the old wood. For deciduous shrubs, the best time to do this is very early spring, before the plants begin to sprout the first leaves.
When rejuvenating the hedge, all main branches of the plant should be pruned about 30 cm above the ground. If the plant germinates after pruning, make sure the hedge gets enough light and water. At the latest in spring, prune the new shoots back about a third. This makes the hedge nice and tight again.
Rejuvenate a single-stem hedge
Tree-like hedges don't need to be pruned as radically as hedge bushes. But you can rejuvenate it. Hedge plants such as red beech, field maple, or hornbeam usually tolerate rejuvenation well.In early spring, use pruning shears or a tree saw on the top and only one of the flanks to trim all the side branches. Leave only stump grinding with a slight side branching. The other side of the hedge is not pruned until the following year.
The remaining stumps have so-called "sleep eyes". From this, the hedge germinates again in a vigorous manner. However, some plants require some patience, as fresh leaves only grow in summer.
Pruning the hedge into shape: that's how it goes
Trimming the top edge of the hedge
The best shape for hedges is the trapezoidal profile. The base of the hedge is wider than the crown. This creates slanting sides so that the leaves in the lower part of the hedge also receive sufficient light.
Under no circumstances should the hedge be narrower at the bottom than at the top. Then there is no light on the lower branches and the leaves and branches become bare. Some plants such as the thuja or the California cypress never bloom from bare branches. This creates very unattractive spots in the hedge.
The right pruning of a hedge
Straight trimmed hedges in the gardenThe topline of the hedge should be completely straight. If it is crooked or wavy, the entire hedge will look shapeless.
A straight line can be obtained quite easily by stretching out a straight line while pruning. To do this, insert two sticks to the left and right of the hedge, which is higher than the plant. Stretch a rope between the sticks. You can then use this as a guideline when pruning the hedge.
If you prefer to trim without a twine, hold the hedge trimmer exactly horizontal in both hands and swing it evenly from the back to the left and right. Did you know that UniversalHedgePole 18 can be the perfect companion here? It also cuts high hedges very easily and accurately. This saves you the ladder and also protects the arm and back area when working on high hedges and overhead.
The sides of the hedge are trimmed in the same way: hold the hedge trimmer with your arms as straight as possible against the hedge and swing the device up and down evenly from your shoulders.
Closing holes in the hedge
Holes in the hedge are annoying. But with the right tips, you can easily restore them.Smaller gaps in deciduous trees such as boxwood, hornbeam, or privet, in particular, close quickly on their own if the plant receives sufficient light. This also applies to conifers such as thujas or California cypress. If necessary, remove branches from nearby trees if they cast too much shade on the hedge.
To help close the gaps in the hedge, you can divert shoots. This is especially recommended if the holes in the hedge are very large.
When diverting, attach some shots of the hedge to thin bamboo sticks. Shorten the ends of the shoots. Then lay the bamboo sticks horizontally or diagonally across the hole in the hedge. This way the hole will close quickly.
Removing a hedge: this is how it goes
Parts with dry dead wood in a thuja hedge
©iStock/Carmen Hauser
If you are tired of your hedge or have other plans for your garden, you will need to remove the hedge. This is possible with the right tips and the right tools. We explain what you should pay attention to and how best to proceed.
When can you remove hedges?
You should also check whether there are legal requirements when removing a hedge. In some countries, you are only allowed to remove hedges during certain times of the year. This protects the animals that live and nest in the hedge.Before pulling out your hedge, ask your municipality if you can remove the plant. In some places, there are also legal requirements for this, which you have to take into account.
Removing hedges: pruning branches
A woman who trims the hedge
Prune all branches from the hedge first. This is very easy with a chainsaw for coarse cuts and the EasyPrune secateurs for smaller cuts. A tree saw also comes in handy here. This will allow you to get far to the base of the branch without reaching into the branches.
It is best to start at the bottom or in the middle of the hedge. Then saw off the branch by branch. You can leave the branches at the top about 1.5 m.
When the hedge is bare to a height of about 1.5 m, cut the top half with a tree saw or loppers. Make sure to leave at least 1.5 m of the log. You need this length to be able to pry the root ball later.
First, create space in the garden by shredding the cut branches. With a shredder this is done in no time, so you can then move on to the next step.
Removing hedges: digging out roots
Removing a hedge
With shallow-rooted plants such as spruce or thuja hedges, you can remove the roots fairly easily. The wood is also soft, which makes work easier.
Other hedges such as the California cypress, red beech, or hornbeam have deeper roots. Here the uprooting becomes a bit more complex. Deep-rooted plants such as the cherry laurel are the most difficult to remove.
How to proceed:
Chopping
Use a sharp shovel to dig up the soil around the trunk. This exposes the top roots. You can chop off thinner roots with a shovel. You chop the thicker ones with a sharp ax.
Loosening
When the first three to four main roots have been cut, press the trunk firmly in all directions and check if it can be moved. If this doesn't work, chop off more roots until the trunk comes loose.
Loosening
If the root ball comes loose, pull it out of the hole by the trunk, remove the soil that is stuck to it and discard the plant.
For stubborn cases: winch or pulley block
If the root ball won't come loose, even though you've dug really deep and cut through countless roots with an ax and spade, a winch or pulley can help. If there is a strong, firmly rooted tree near the hedge to be removed, one of the two solutions can make your job much easier.
To do this, fasten the winch or pulley block with a wide belt as far down as possible to the tree trunk. Line the belt so you don't damage the bark of the tree. Attach the other end of the drawstring to the top of the trunk of your hedge.
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