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Bare root hornbeam hedge - what next!!?
scdettmer69
Posts: 16
in Plants
So, I planted these bare root hedge plants a year ago and I have no idea what to do with them next! Some have grown really well, others not so much. I know they will need more feed and mulching but my question is about pruning. Do I prune them yet? If so, how much, when and, er, how. Have looked on the internet and am more confused than I was before!! Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. 
0
Posts
The act of cutting back when a shrub is dormant stimulates hormones which stimulate growth in spring. For the first year or so you'll do better to concentrate on keeping the hedge low and allowing it to put all its energy into producing side shoots and bushing out rather than gaining too much height.
Are all the plants still alive? One in the bottom right of your picture looks a bit dried out. If any have died in the drought, now is the very best time to replace them.
Feeding the soil is far better than artificial feed. Plenty of organic matter - and now is a good time to apply it. They don't need food of any kind if the soil is decent.
If you're in one of those dry areas, that won't have helped. Hornbeam is a good choice for wet areas, over Beech, because it tolerates wet conditions very well, whereas Beech is good for drier sites. It's my favourite hedge, and is very easy if it gets the right spot. Your site looks like it could be quite dry, so just check that the ground isn't drying out readily - for at least the next year
If any have dried out/dies off through not having enough water through summer, it's certainly worth replacing them as @Topbird says. Make sure that ground doesn't dry out though
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...