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Hornbeam hedge - Where do I start
nigelpatching
Posts: 1
I planted a row of hornbeam plants in my front garden in December 2016 with the wish to create a dense hedge that would provide some privacy but also give the local birds somewhere to live. The plants have grown - up and out - and I have done nothing to them apart from water them for 2 years. Some are getting taller whilst some are squat and growing more sideways. I simply don't know where to start on pruning to shape. I am a complete amateur gardener and was hoping that a hedge would create itself - but I now realise it needs some help. Can anybody provide me with simple steps as to when and what I need to do to give these plants their best chance of a healthy life.
0
Posts
Do a similar system with the sides, cutting all the stems back to the same width from the centre and a few inches narrower than you want the finished hedge to be. This will enable it to thicken by producing fine new growth that will be easy to trim and keep neat later on.
Taper the sides so it is slightly wider at the base than the top so that rain and sunlight get to the lower stems and also any snow can slide off more easily and not weigh down and break or bend stems.
Initially, these formative trims can be done with secateurs, loppers or shears according to your preference and the thickness of the stems. Thinner stems can be done with electric or motor powered hedge strimmers as can the whole hedge later on when it's full of fine stems at the outer limts.
Hornbeam is lovely and worth trimming well.
You can be fairly brutal. I'm sure you've seen recently cut hedges out in the countryside - they look totally butchered when they've just been done, but it makes them grow back strong and dense. Late winter would be a good time to do it.