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How hard can I prune my hornbeam?

mattyellis1mattyellis1 Posts: 3
in Problem solving
I have a mature hornbeam hedge (circa 20 years old) that I have pruned back to the trunk from the ground to 3 feet high and have then “boxed off” the rest to the top. The hedge is about 7 feet high and 3 feet deep. 
Is it possible to prune the top of the hedge really hard in order to reduce the depth of the hedge to about 18 inches? Will the hedge produce new growth from where I prune?
TIA for any advice. 

Posts

  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    No problem!  Hornbeam is one of the varieties that can be cut in winter, Nov/Dec/Jan, to sprout again in spring on a regular basis like chestnut, birch, ash, alder etc.  As soon as the leaves fall, signifying that the sap has gone down into the roots, you can cut it down to ground level if desired as woodmen have done for centuries.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Hornbeam will happily take being pleached, which is what you're describing. 
    The foliage won't drop though - it's the same as Beech, and retains it's foliage unless it's much bigger than the height of yours. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    'Pleached', Fairygirl?  B'ain't never 'eard of that 'un.  Is that what the townie's call coppicing?
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    No - totally different. Coppicing is cutting back hard so you have multiple stems.
    Pleaching is what the OP is describing - a clean trunk, with a 'hedge' on top.  :)

    I'm definitely no townie  ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • mattyellis1mattyellis1 Posts: 3
    I wish I’d had the chance to pleach the hedge properly  :'(
    Just to confirm, all I want to do is reduce the depth of the hedge (see pic) to about 18 inches. It’s encroaching on the pavement a little and looks a little top-heavy. 
    As I won’t be chopping into anything thick, just thinnish branches, hopefully it’ll regrow by the Spring. 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    It'll be fine.  :)
    Technically - what you have is a pleached hedge, but it's just grown outwards a bit more.  You can prune it in stages if you would feel happier doing that. Take it back a bit just now, and then do the same in spring. 

    The usual way they would be kept would be quite slim and neat, in that 'boxed off ' shape you were describing, and Hornbeam is often used for it as it will take tight clipping. Beech is also ideal - they're very similar in their habit.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    Thanks for that.  Another word to add to my vocabulary.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    It's essentially a hedge on legs - on stilts is how you often see it described.  :)
    It's a useful way of getting privacy, but still having room below to underplant with bulbs or perennials etc.
    There's one quite near me, which is quite sizeable. The house is across the road from a school, so I can imagine it does a useful job  :D
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • mattyellis1mattyellis1 Posts: 3
    Thank you both for your info. I will leave it a few weeks until all the leaves have browned off then take it back 6 inches each side then same again in March/April time. It doesn’t tend to turn green until May so hopefully it won’t be too traumatised!
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