Easy steps to trimming your buxus hedge
Gather your supplies
• Hedging shears
• Tomato stakes (2)
• Stringline
You’ll also need
- Whetstone
- Rubber mallet
- Bucket of soapy water
Here's how
Step 1
Soak whetstone in water for a few minutes, then run across blades of shears to make them sharp.
Step 2
Hammer in stakes at either end of hedge.
Step 3
Run stringline between stakes at desired hedge height.
Step 4
Trim hedge top and sides, keeping shears parallel with face of hedge to achieve the straight ‘block’ look.
Step 5
When finished, clean shears in bucket of soapy water.
For you to know
Avoid trimming hedges during long, hot, sunny periods so any new growth doesn’t get sunburnt.
When one of your hedge trees says goodbye
Hedges need all of your trees to be healthy. So if one becomes sick – in this case a murraya with a fungal infection after unhygienic pruning with dirty shears – you need to remove it. You can replace it, but it will be years before it matches the other plants. Instead you could replace the whole hedge with, say, camellias.
Camellia sasanquas are ideal for hedging because of their smallish leaves – and their flowers brighten up your autumn garden.
After planting, prune the tip of the trees as this encourages lateral growth and they will get bushier more quickly.
While the space is still relatively empty, you can fill it up with a row of mature perennials, such as these brilliant red dianthus.
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