One garden chore that is often overlooked by many people is hedge care. However, your hedges need proper care and maintenance just as much as the other trees and plants in your garden. Each species has its own specific needs. You need to understand what kind of hedges you have in order to find the best way to take care of them.
Here are a few important things that you need to keep in mind when it comes to caring for hedges.
Shaping
First of all, it is crucial that you should do some planning before you decide to prune your hedges. Otherwise, you will be stuck with a shape that you don’t want for quite a long while. To get it right the first time, figure out how much you want to cut off as well as the shape that you want to achieve.
It is also important to make a neat cut that will leave the hedge wider at the bottom. This ensures that every inch of the hedge can be exposed to the sunlight, allowing your hedge to grow evenly.
This is very important as the parts that don’t get sufficient sunlight will turn brown and die, ruining the overall appearance of the hedge.
Maintenance
When it comes to hedge maintenance, you should take into account the type of hedge. For example, formal hedges will require more work than informal hedges in order to remain healthy and neat.
With a new hedge, formative pruning is needed in the beginning to ensure that the right shape is formed. This should be done during the winter or spring when the hedge isn’t growing as quickly. Note that each type of hedge is different in terms of trimming needs and requirements. Therefore, make sure that you know the specific requirements for your hedges.
Trimming
Another crucial aspect of hedge care is the trim. You want to make sure that you trim your hedges during the right season.
Formal hedges such as box or privet may need to be trimmed a few times during the growing season. On the other hand, species that are faster growing such as conifers may require more frequent trims.
It is always a good idea to do more research on how to best manage the species of hedge that you specifically have.
Weeding
For your hedges to grow into the optimal condition, you have to make sure that they get sufficient moisture and sunlight.
Weeds can be the number one enemy of your hedges as they can steal nutrients away from the hedge. Weeds can also get tangled into the roots of the hedge, causing damage. When this happens, it can be a challenge to get rid of them entirely. Therefore, it is crucial that you pull out all the weeds in the area to keep your hedge healthy and weed-free.
Organic mulch is an effective way to get rid of weeds as it deprives them of air and sunlight, eventually killing them. Another environmental-friendly option is to use woodchips or bark mulch that will gradually decompose.
Need more advice when it comes to caring for your hedges?
These are only a few ways to consider to keep your hedges well-maintained and healthy. The most important thing to do when caring for hedges is to understand the species of your hedges so that you know the proper way to care for them.
If you have any doubts about the type of hedge in your garden, or for more advice on hedge maintenance, why not get in touch with George-Stone Gardens? We have many years of experience in all areas of garden design, landscaping and maintenance.
