How to Prune a Hedge

Informal hedges seldom need pruning. In fact, some types of hedge may be harmed by pruning. If your hedge consists of bridal wreath or azaleas, doing too much can ruin the natural shape of the hedge and interfere with blooming. Hedges of pivet, boxwood, yew and holly all take well to formal pruning.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• hand pruners
• long-handled pruners (loppers)
• small saw
• gloves
• hedge clippers

1. Wider cut at the bottom. Formal hedges, those trimmed with neat shapes, add a well groomed appearance to your landscape, but you want those hedges to be green and full of leaves. To ensure good growth, the shape you choose needs to be larger at the bottom than the top so that sunlight reaches the lower branches. The cut can be any shape, round or square, as long as the lower branches extend further than the top.
2. Round cut will cause lower branches to die out. A hedge cut narrower at the bottom will cause the lower branches to dye out, a problem common with hedges. Since most of us utilize hedges as dividers or for privacy, we don't want gaps at the bottom. A good ratio is to have the bottom width of a hedge equal to half of it's height. The top width should be a little less than half the width of the bottom. For example, a 5 foot tall hedge should have a base width of about 2 1/2 feet and a top width of about 1-1 1/4 feet.
3. Unless you are a perfectionist, pruning a hedge using your eye will work nicely. But for precisely trimming hedge, use a wedge shaped template to define your chosen form.