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Pruning a Hawthorn Hedge

BuchBuch Posts: 40
in Plants
I just planted Hawthorn bare roots and had planned to keep it trimmed over the years to maybe a 5 or 6 foot hedge. But then I saw this image:



Should I not be trimming the hedge to the same height each year? Ideally I would like lots of foliage all the way to the ground, with no gaps. Could someone explain the point about raising the cutting height?

Also, should I cut the bare roots back after planting? They are about 2-3ft going in

Posts

  • PalustrisPalustris Posts: 4,307
    edited February 2021
    If the plants are single stemmed 'whips' then yes you should cut them back now to encourage growth from the base, The hedges round here are cut to the same height every year by machine which shreds the stems rather than cuts and the bushes just carry on growing as they should.
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