Hedging Hedges

Thursday we were up on Grizzly Peak doing a seasonal visit at one of our bigger, more modern gardens.   This site is all about clean lines and geometry.  There are large groupings of grasses, rows of red lorapetalum, squares and rows of Hebe, eunomyous, dianella... you get the idea.  At this job site hedgers are extremely important, for both efficiency and time.   

While i was hedging one of the many rows, a few things occurred to me:

• Obviously, sharp, clean tools and a ladder for access, if needed.  

• When I am hedging, I often grab the foliage and pull it forward,or up.  This is to avoid, long, lateral growing branches.  I was first taught to let the long branches grow and weave it through, filling in any blank spots.  I do not agree with this technique anymore.  It's much too easy to cut this long branch creating a tremendous void.  The hedge doesn't look uniform either, in fact it looks unkempt.   It's best to have all the foliage pointing forward or up.  This avoids smothering of other foliage and ultimately a lot of internal dead leaves.  This is good for sun exposure and less pests and diseases too.  

• Its important to use your hedgers, cutting in two directions when hedging.  Start at one end and then turn around and go back the same way you came.  If the hedge is always cut in the same direction, it will begin to look windblown and will lean to one side or the other.   Cutting it in both directions produces the clean look, and forward facing foliage as mentioned above.  Cutting it in both directions you simply cut more of the plant.

• If your hedge is tall, cut the hedge to a batter, tapering up to the top.  This is so the lower half can get ample sun to it.  

• If you're trying to force growth on your hedge, figure out where you want the most growth and hedge accordingly.  If you want growth to happen on the right side of the hedge, only cut the left side.  If you're trying to force growth out both sides, only prune the top.  

• Occasionally its recommended to refurbish a hedge.  To really get into it and clean it up.  Cut the dead branches out of it, and get the dead leaves out.  Cutting it hard, both down and to the sides to give it a fresh start   Most hedging plants respond very well to this treatment.  If you're cutting 50% of the hedge, it's best to do it over time, depending on the size.  Conifer hedges do not respond well to this type of cutting.  

• Its always best to have good air circulation through plants, and a hedge, although more dense, is no exception,  Clearing out the dead is usually sufficient air flo

• Hedge clean up is normally a drag.  Tons of small clippings that either litter the mulch, bury plants lying directly below or fall into the center or the hedge.  Either option is time consuming to deal with, but important to handle carefully,  Nothing makes us more crazy then to watch someone trample over more tender plants while cleaning up.  If possible, placing a tarp or an old sheet down on the ground below you will catch some of the falling debris.  If that's not possible, be careful.   A bouncy rake is easier on the plants then a normal leaf rake.  

• Always take care and look for birds nests before hedging.