Hi all,

I have a newly planed beech hedge around 5 ft high and quite spindly - I
want one section of hedge to be around 4ft high and another to be around
10ft high. Obviously I want it to fill out and be quite dense but would
like advice on the best way to do this. I was thinking of perhaps laying
the hedge on the lower hight part - rather than chopping the tops off.

Any advice?
Thanks
Jimbo.

The message
from Jimbo contains these words:

Hi all,

I have a newly planed beech hedge around 5 ft high and quite spindly - I
want one section of hedge to be around 4ft high and another to be around
10ft high. Obviously I want it to fill out and be quite dense but would
like advice on the best way to do this. I was thinking of perhaps laying
the hedge on the lower hight part - rather than chopping the tops off.

I wouldn't attempt to lay a newly planted hedge; its roots won't be
strongly enough established for growth to recover.

A spindly 5ft hedge won't thicken at the bottom,(where you most want
it for future shaping when it's either 4 or 10 ft high) so you are
probably looking at some severe surgery in a year or so. But let it
establish some root system first.

Janet.

Jimbo wrote:

Hello Jimbo

J I have a newly planed beech hedge around 5 ft high and quite
J spindly - I want one section of hedge to be around 4ft high
J and another to be around 10ft high. Obviously I want it to
J fill out and be quite dense but would like advice on the
J best way to do this. I was thinking of perhaps laying the
J hedge on the lower hight part - rather than chopping the
J tops off.

You can't lay a new hedge, it has to be firmly established. And beech
isn't the easiest of things to lay properly anyway. It can be done,
but it won't look very nice.

I think the best way is topping and trimming. Once a year, say at the
end of winter (so you don't lose the leaf covering through the winter)
but before it starts growing. Feb/March time. It'll grow dense and to
a controlled height. One of the good things about beech is that it
doesn't need much light, so if in time a hole does appear you can
plant to fill it.

--
Simon Avery, Dartmoor, UK Ý http://www.digdilem.org/

Janet Baraclough wrote in
:

A spindly 5ft hedge won't thicken at the bottom,(where you most want
it for future shaping when it's either 4 or 10 ft high) so you are
probably looking at some severe surgery in a year or so. But let it
establish some root system first.

Thanks both for your replies. Looks like I will leave it to mature this
year then next feb / march I'll chop the tops off.

Cheers!
Jimbo.