Top Hedge Trimming Techniques for a Beautiful Garden
While you can hire a lawn care expert to take care of hedge trimming, some people would prefer to handle this task themselves. However, it can be frustrating when you don’t know how!
Fortunately, not knowing how to tackle hedge trimming now doesn’t mean you won’t be the master before long! Below, we’ve included some of our top hedge-trimming techniques for a beautiful garden.
Use the Right Tools for the Job
You wouldn’t mow your lawns with a pair of scissors, so why trim your hedges with anything other than the right equipment? Always use sharp, well-maintained, and clean hedge trimmers to give your hedge a proper haircut! Using the right tools for the job can prevent hedge plant damage while ensuring a more efficient cut every time.
You’ll also need a few other pieces of equipment and tools to keep yourself safe and make the post-trimming clean-up faster and easier:
A leaf blower
A tarpaulin for underneath the hedge
A hard-bristled broom
A green waste bin or trailer
Rubbish bags for any litter you find
Heavy-duty gloves
Protective glasses
Non-slip footwear
Anti-cut clothing
Trim at the Right Time of the Year
In an ideal world, we’d be able to take care of any yardwork task at any time of the year without repercussions. However, we have to work on our hedge’s schedule, not the other way around. Hedges tend to prefer being trimmed in late winter or early spring. During these seasons, new growth hasn’t yet started, there are fewer leaves, and there’s reduced humidity in the air.
Depending on your hedge variety, you may also need to undertake extra trimming during the growing season to keep them looking in tip-top shape!
Tailor Your Trimming to Growth Patterns
How hedges grow can depend on your hedge variety. Some grow along the stems, while others tend to grow on the tips. Understanding your hedge’s growth pattern can be helpful for knowing how to trim your hedge. You can then adjust your trimming techniques accordingly.
Master Straight Lines
An uneven hedge stands out for all the wrong reasons. Don’t start trimming aimlessly without knowing how to achieve perfectly straight lines. This can involve:
Cutting a wider base and narrower top to let sunlight in to reach the lower branches
Measuring the hedge and installing ground stakes and string to create a cutting template
Cutting from the ground up to achieve more uniform lines
Using a backwards and forwards gliding motion from one side of the hedge to the other from ground level before heading back in the opposite direction heading upwards.
Maintain the Hedge’s Natural Shape
Unless you’re getting creative with different shapes and figures, try to maintain your hedge’s natural shape for aesthetic reasons. Avoid cutting into foliage-free areas or old wood to prevent bald spots that take time to fill. If you want to shape your shrubs, we recommend reading this article.
Remove Dead and Diseased Wood
Like grass, plants, and trees, hedges can be susceptible to diseases. Give your hedge a helping hand to survive by inspecting it often for diseased or dead branches. While this can be important for aesthetic reasons, it may also prevent any tree diseases from spreading!
Admire Your Work
As you’re trimming your hedge with your newfound skills, step back often to admire what you’ve done. Not only can you feel a sense of achievement, but you can also find it easier to spot areas that still require a bit more trimming!
Look for Live Animals
Hedges can be home to a number of animals like birds, ferrets, stoats, and weasels. Try your best to give these critters their marching orders before you get to work. Otherwise, they may pop out to surprise you when you get too close!
Dedicate Time to Cleaning Up
After spending a few hours tending to your hedges, cleaning up the resultant debris is probably the last thing you feel like doing! However, it can be important for many reasons. Firstly, you’ll be able to enjoy beautifully manicured, mess-free hedges. If your hedge borders a footpath, you’ll also ensure uninhibited path access for passers-by.
Your hedges themselves can also benefit. Leaving debris around the base of your hedge is an open invitation for pests and diseases to take hold. If you’ve laid a tarpaulin down at the base of your hedge before trimming work was underway, cleaning up can be much easier than you anticipated!
Call in the Experts
Even with research, not everyone feels confident tackling their hedges themselves – and that’s okay! Hedge trimming experts from lawn care service providers like Crewcut are here to help. Leave this important task in their capable hands so you can sit back, relax, and admire their handiwork.