We need to trim our hedges neatly to look attractive and encourage healthy growth. Pruning these hedges can significantly affect how they refill and maintain their intended shapes and sizes. Inadequate Cedar hedge trimming might result in scanty growth, plant infections, or harm.
For best results, understand the correct time of year to trim different hedge types on your landscape based on their growth patterns and requirements.
The Best Time To Trim Your Hedges For Optimal Growth
These are some helpful timing tips to ensure you prune at the right time of the year.
1. Deciduous Hedges
Most deciduous shrubs like viburnum, ninebark, and forsythia have hedges that should be trimmed chiefly in late winter or early spring before buds begin to leaf out not to discourage them. This is a good time since it is still dormant for those plants that cause minimum stress while asleep. Do away with any grown wild shoots during this resting period.
Come back with lighter shaping or shearing of deciduous hedges in late spring once all the leaves have emerged so that they do not hide their beauty during summer. Another one should follow after blooming in early summer ends.
2. Evergreen Hedges
Prune evergreen hedges such as boxwood, yew, holly, and arborvitae when new growth starts appearing in spring through early summer when it is actively growing. It is best because these plants are never fully dormant; therefore, pruning them at the peak period when new leaves are coming gives us a better chance to cut them back than other times because once they started, they would quickly fill again.
Formal hedging materials, namely boxwoods, among others, often need frequent trimming every 4-8 weeks throughout these peak periods of spring/early summer growth yet must stop any significant cuts by at least 6-8 weeks until the first fall frost arrives so that new branches have enough space/time to get established before it gets too late.
3. Conifers
Nevertheless, while many other evergreen shrubs should not be pruned until spring has started, juniper, cypress, or cedar conifers tend to recover better if cut back in February and March. However, conifer hedges can be lightly shaped going into spring.
However, a complete hedge trimming in Ottawa of conifers should be saved for late spring through mid-summer after new growth has started emerging. But ensure that by the time the severe fall comes about after two months, your major pruning is done on time to allow hardening off.
4. Rejuvenate Hedges With Trimming
Sometimes, our hedging grows out of control or drastically changes shape, so we might need to carry out rejuvenation pruning, where they are cut back to 6-12 inches above the ground level. However, for most hedge types, this drastic renovation pruning must wait until it is almost time for the growing season in early spring or late winter.
Avoid These Times To Trim Hedges
If feasible, refrain from performing substantial trimming or hedge cutting during several periods. Do not eliminate all significant growth before winter when plants are still dormant. The new tender growth can be prone to frost damage.
Also, do not prune heavily over the summer until fall comes around. At this time of year, plants require enough time for new growth to mature; hence, large-scale cutting will expose them to cold weather in the winter months.
Knowing the correct time of year to trim your hedges can help you maintain their good look and healthy growth. Hedge clippers should be timed strategically to get thicker, healthier plants.