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Beech hedge trimming - when?

MattyDMattyD Posts: 34
in Plants
Hi GWers, I planted a row of beeches for hedging about 3 years ago, when they were delivered they were already 5-6 feet, now they’re about 10 feet, bulking out at the middle thinish at the top - my question is: can I or should I trim them at the sides and top now or will it damage the growth into a nice dense hedge?

Posts

  • ObelixxObelixx Vendée, Western FrancePosts: 28,576
    Ideally, they should be pruned in winter and you cut back the lead stems to an even height to encourage them to produce side branches and thicken up.  

    Have a look at this info from the RHS about how to grow a beech hedge and scrol down to pruning and training -
    https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/popular/beech/growing-guide 
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Derbyshire but with a Nottinghamshire postcode. Posts: 16,472
    edited May 2021
    We trim our Beech hedge once a year in August. It then retains brown leaves all winter, dropping them as the new leaves come through in Spring.
  • ObelixxObelixx Vendée, Western FrancePosts: 28,576
    I think that's fine once the hedge is established and the size and shape you want but establishing a hedge requires a slightly different approach to formative pruning.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
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