Our front hedge has got rather over large and we want to reduce the front face by about 9" and take 18"-2' off the top. Probably about 15 linear metres, although only 1/3 of that needs the front face doing.
My little battery trimmer won't touch it (one of the reasons its got so big), so I'm looking at hiring the biggest petrol one our local hire shop has.
But I'm still pretty sure that's still not going to touch the thicker stems (25-30mm dia).
I also have a small electric chainsaw (normally only used for processing firewood in a stand), plus multiple options in the loppers/pruning saw area. I suspect trying to use the chainsaw will just result in a mess?
What's the best option to give a "neat" finish (still gonna look godawful until it grows some green back)? I don't have a feel for how angry-chompy a big hedgetrimmer is. Obviously lopping the odd thick branch is no issue, but if it turns into having to do loads of it one at a time, that will get boring reyt quick and no doubt be really uneven.
Thanks!
Loppers on the thick stuff
Your battery hedge cutter on the remaining.
Loppers and big'ol petrol hire trimmers - with sharp blades being the most important thing.
Bear this in mind though:
You don’t say what your hedge is made of, or its size, but if I was going to make a mess of the hedge and i didn’t want to have to do it every year or two I might be tempted to take more off the top than you’re thinking of. Loppers are probably best although a chainsaw can also do an OK job with careful handling. Best wait until September to be on the safe side re our nesting feathered friends.
Loppers are the best tool for the job. Anvil loppers for ease when you're doing that much. Plus a hand saw (Silkie) for the bigger bits. Hedge trimmers are for trimming and a chainsaw may be useful on some bits, but most probably you will be better off using a hand saw and supporting the branch with your free hand.
Make sure you take it back at least 5" further than you want it to be when it regrows.
Depends on what is.
Some species will grow back and close in, others you will be forever looking at the bare innards of your hedge.
Napalm. This is the way.
The perfect tool for the job is the Black and Decker Alligator. It’s one of yhe most useful tools I own.
What timber said. Certain conifers won't back bud so if you cut it back beyond the green foliage then you will be looking at an eyesore. If its privet, it will back bud but will take a while. Hawthorn, hornbeam, etc. then crack on, they will recover.
If its privet, it will back bud but will take a while. Hawthorn, hornbeam, etc. then crack on, they will recover.
I did a horribly out of shape privet hedge back to a row of sticks a few years ago. Took a few seasons, but grew back lovely. Mostly OK the following year, but there were a few big gaps that took the time to fill over.
I agree with go back further than you think.
The reason for going back further than you want is that you need a decent thickness of fresh growth past the cut ends to look half-decent.
We (well my parents mostly, I was old enough to help though) took back their overgrown privet hedge shortly after moving house, and always wished they'd done a bit more...
Loppers basically (even a hand saw if the branches are too thick), it's a job to do by hand more than machine, though I guess a chainsaw would also work.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/p/AF1QipMytAgbRo0O4pr4Mhc2P_Hympax2L5015CpwnzK=s1234-w720-h1234
Ops hedge
Gotta say I’m beyond disappointed by this thread. I clicked on it confidently expecting some classic STW~style double entendres. But no. Nothing but loppers and privet.
<shakes head sadly>
I use a combination of hedge trimmer, one of these:
https://www.fiskars.com/fr-fr/jardin/produits/coupe-branches
and a chainsaw
The most satisfying is the chainsaw at the bottom.
The hedge is a mix of Hawthorne and Privet - most of the front face that needs cutting back is Hawthorne.
It turns out, having had a poke around in it yesterday, there’s an iron railing fence hidden in there (we’ve only lived here 14 years!) so I’ll cut it back to that in both orientations.
Nothing nesting in there - unlike the bay tree in the back garden which has pigeons in and also needs pruning back rather hard.
Careful when trimming round your privets.
You don't want a badly trimmed bush out front.
@DrJ hope thats scratches your itch.
That’s more like it.
The hedge is a mix of Hawthorn and Privet - most of the front face that needs cutting back is Hawthorn.
Think yourself lucky it’s hawthorn and not blackthorn! Blackthorn will, given half a chance, like turning your back on it for more than a week, absolutely try to colonise your entire garden! Unless you’ve got goats or cattle handy to keep nibbling the suckers down.
Good hedging plant, nice flowers in the spring, berries for the birds in autumn and winter, and it can live for centuries, if allowed to grow under careful management.
Once it's got to a bit of a state it's tricky to know how far to prune. As you're finding out, better to tend it regularly otherwise it can get overgrown and unkempt, and once out of the habit then it becomes a larger task that is harder to manage well. Overdo it and you end up with it just bare, which I know some are prepared to put up with for a bit, but ultimately not what your hedge is supposed to look like.
Little and often, just keep the straggly bits under control and it'll be something to admire.
Powered tools for the bulk and then a decent hand tool for the tricky bits, and keep the blade sharp, nothing ruins the job more than a blunt blade, very irritating.
