Pruning Mixed Native Hedge

f3792 · October 2018

Morning,

I planted a 3ft bare root mixed hedge in late winter with a mix of beech, hornbeem, hawthorn, blackthorn, alder, elder & maple. It has established well over the summer with the Alder's showing fantastic growth to around 8ft. With this variety is there a time where it's possible to prune them all at once or would it be better to do so on an individual basis? With young plants is it worth leaving them until early spring or would they benefit from a prune now? I am keen to encourage sideways growth so they bush out.

Thanks

treehugger80 · October 2018

depends how you want your hedge to look, most people want it looking 'boxy' so cut it all at the same time every year, however that reduced the amount of flowers and berries the following year

some like it 'wild' looking so cut it hard back, but every three or four years, that way you get flowers and berries in some years

Pruning Mixed Native Hedge

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