Project details
Skill
Cost
Estimated Time
sledge hammer – 3-pound
Hedge trimmer
Bypass loppers
string
Work gloves
Eye goggles and hearing protection
Wheelbarrow
In this video, This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook gives new life to an an out-of-control hedgerow.
Pro Tip: Roger Cook, This Old House landscape contractor, explains the importance of timing: “You don’t want them to break bud before you prune because you want the plant’s energy to go toward producing new growth where you want it. If you take off a plant’s buds, you” lose that energy. Ideally, hedges should be pruned in late winter, when plants are dormant and haven’t produced buds—particularly if you’re cutting back drastically.
Steps:
1. Drive a tall wooden stake into the ground at each end of the hedge.
2. Stretch a tight string between the stakes and tie off both ends. Position the string to represent the cutting height of the hedge.
3. Use a gas-powered hedge trimmer to slowly cut the hedge along the taut string.
4. To cut branches larger than 1 inch in diameter, use a pair of long-handle bypass loppers.
5. Remove and discard the branches trimmed from the hedge.
Pro Tip: When pruning an overgrown hedge, always taper it so the bottom is wider than the top. This lets more sunlight reach the base of the plant, encouraging fuller growth, and it also helps the hedge shed snow in wintertime, preventing broken branches.
