How to Trim Hedges Evenly

Trim hedges evenly for a pleasing landscape display.

Adding ornamental hedges to a landscape creates a pleasing display and an attractive boundary. While hedges require regular maintenance, the time you spend keeping hedges neat and tidy will create payoff in the improvement to your landscape. As a gardener strives to maintain hedges, often the goal is to trim the hedges into a formal shape (with squared or rounded edges). Trim hedges evenly, using basic tools to keep your hedges attractive and healthy.

Things You'll Need

• 2 stakes (approximately 1 foot taller than hedges)
• Hammer
• Twine
• Tarp
• Stepladder
• Hedge shears (manual or electric)

Instructions

1. Pound the stakes into the ground on both the left and right sides of the hedge or hedges you are trimming. Pound the stakes approximately 6 inches into the soil. The stakes must extend at least 4 inches above your desired height for the hedges.

2. Tie twine between the two stakes, making sure the twine is level as it extends over the hedges. Make the rope approximately 2 inches above your desired height of the hedges.

3. Spread the tarp on the soil beneath the hedges to catch the foliage you clip away.

4. Set up the stepladder where you will begin trimming the hedge if you need it to reach the top of the hedge.

5. Climb the ladder (if necessary) with the hedge shears and begin to cut the top of the hedges using the rope as your guide. Maneuver the hedge shears 2 inches below the rope, keeping your clipping even to create an even top to the hedges. Continue cutting along the entire top of the hedges with the hedge shears, using the rope as your guide to keep the hedges even and level.

6. Trim the sides of the hedges next. Make the corners square or rounded, according to your desire. Angle the sides of the hedges so the shrubs are narrower on the top and wider on the bottom to ensure that all areas of the hedge receive adequate sunlight., according to Purdue University Extension.

7. Pull up the tarp and dispose of the foliage you trimmed away. Remove the stakes and twine.

Tips & Warnings

• Prune up to 6 inches of growth from the hedge from 12 inches of new growth. Perform maintenance trimming of hedges two to three times during the growing season (although you may not trim 6 inches off the hedges each time). Prune for the first time in early spring and again in early and mid-summer.

References

• Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service: Hedges
• Ohio State University Extension: Maintaining Woody Ornamentals