There are few things more impressive than a perfectly-trimmed hedge lining the edges of a well-maintained garden. If owning one of those hedges is one of your aspirations as an at-home gardener, then there is good news and bad news:
The good news is, you can absolutely learn to form and prune these hedges yourself.
The bad news is, you might have to deal with quite the learning curve.
Luckily, the team at Paramount Gardening is here to help. We’ve been honing our hedge pruning techniques for many, many years as your trusted elite property care partner, and we’d like to share a few tips today.
So, read on for our beginner’s hedge shaping guide (with one or two expert tips tossed in along the way).
How does planting a hedge work?
A hedge is just like any other thing in your garden: a plant. Technically, it’s a shrub that you cultivate and shape in a certain way, either to create sculptural pieces in your garden or to introduce some much-needed privacy. Often, it’s both.
Now, before you can shape a hedge, you need to actually grow one that can handle repeated hedge pruning techniques. In other words, it needs to be strong! If you already have a shrub you can work on, feel free to skip to the next step.
Begin by selecting a suitable plant for your space and climate. Popular options we recommend for Kiwi gardens include Griselinia, Camellia, Pittosporum, and Buxus. Each one offers a different texture and growth speed, so consider how formal or natural you want your hedge to look before committing.
When planting, ensure that the seeds are spaced closely together. Too close, and your plants will compete for resources. Too far apart, and you’ll have to wait years before they’ll meet in the middle. You can nail this by spacing the plants about half their expected ‘mature width’ apart.
Once you’ve grown your hedge and you’ve got it settled and strong, it’s time to move on to the actual hedge shaping guide.
A short guide to formative pruning techniques:
‘Formative’ pruning is when your hedge starts to take on an identity, of sorts, and arguably, the most important stage of this hedge shaping guide. We also refer to this as the ‘sculpting’ phase, which is when you train each plant to grow in the desired direction and density (with the help of your shears).
Your goal at this stage should be to encourage bushy, even growth from the base up. We recommend the following approach:
- Always start early, but trim lightly. Begin after the first strong growth flush (usually within the first year). Lightly clip the tips to promote side shoots, allowing your hedges to grow nice and dense.
- Shape for sunlight, not just looks. It’s really important to keep the base slightly wider than the top so that light reaches all sides. That way, your hedge doesn’t thin out underneath!
- Use string lines or stakes to keep your work even. Trust us, even professional gardeners do this.
This is not an overnight change, so bring your patience with you! With time, the right hedge pruning techniques, and some gentle guidance, you’ll be able to shape your hedges into a gorgeous, tidy, and well-behaved garden fixture.
A quick look at maintenance pruning:
Once your hedge has finally matured and has reached the height and width you want, then it’s time to graduate to the next stage of the hedge shaping guide: maintenance mode.
In this stage, it’s all about keeping things sharp (yes, literally). The core goal of any maintenance prune is to maintain density, encourage new growth, and prevent your hedge from becoming overgrown (which we know can sound like a bit of a contradiction).
Above all, ensure you nail your timing. Maintenance shouldn’t happen every day, so whipping out those brand-new hedge pruning techniques too often could actually be costing you some amazing results. As a general rule:
- You can trim fast-growing hedges every 8-12 weeks during warm months.
- Leave slow-growing varieties for up to 6 months at a time.
- Always avoid trimming during extreme heat or frost.
Never use shoddy tools when you trim your hedges. Use clean, sharp tools for every session to prevent tearing the leaves or spreading disease. And don’t be afraid to step back often to check your lines; uneven hedges are easier to prevent than to fix, and you don’t want to throw all of your hard work away!
If your hedge gets out of control, it happens. This is where it’s helpful to bring in a professional who can use advanced hedge pruning techniques to bring everything back into shape without damaging the health of your plants.
As you can see from the extent of this hedge shaping guide, there’s a lot that goes into creating perfect hedges! They aren’t just born, they’re made with hours and hours of careful work.
If you start with healthy plants, build a strong shape through formative pruning, and maintain a consistent routine, you’ll be well on your way. And if you ever want to fast-track that process, we can help.
After gorgeous hedges for your property without the hours and hours of work?
Call in the elite property care team at Paramount Gardening! We are a proud collection of gardeners and landscapers who are ready to take your hedges from seed to sculpture, so get in touch with us today.
