When and how to trim your hedges?

Before reading this instructions for use, keep in mind that beyond the aesthetic aspect, trim your hedges is a legal obligation. Indeed, as soon as you are the owner of the garden in which the hedges are located, they are your responsibility... So you owe it to yourself to maintain them! Discover the instructions for use to do it in the rules of the art.

Trim your hedges, a legal obligation

We told you above: certainly, hedges make it possible to shelter its terrace from the sun and to protect its outdoor space from prying eyes. But this advantage is not without its drawbacks: from the moment they are planted in your garden, these hedges must imperatively be maintained.

On the liability of the owner indeed, the law – in this casearticle 672 of the Civil Code – is very clear. It lays down the following rules:

• Trees and hedges rising to less than 2 m in height must be planted at least 50 cm from the limit of his property;
• As for trees and hedges measuring more than 2 m in height,they must be planted at least 2 m from his property.

If this is not the case, keep in mind that your neighbor may require that you stop / reduce to the maximum height for the first case the trees and hedges that do not respect this rule. But if you don't prune, it may happen sooner or later...

Note that if the neighbor does not have the right to cut the branches that protrude on his property, he can make the request to you by mail.

Warning: if you refuse or do not act to satisfy this request, he can also take legal action... And if you don't play by the rules, you may unfortunately lose.

What is the point of trimving your hedges?

Apart from enforcing the law, size has many virtues. Indeed, it has the advantage of boosting the growth of the plants that make up the hedges, by making them grow more bushy and solid branches.

If you want to have beautiful hedges that are very sturdy throughout the year – and that, therefore, fulfill their mission to protect you from prying eyes, then you know what you have to do... To your shear, your hedge trimmer or your pruner!

Focus on the calendar: when to trim your hedges?

To give a hedge planted for less than 3 years a good shape, it is worth carrying out a formation pruning. This consists in pruning when the tree or shrub is in the vegetative phase and the sap is no longer in the upper parts of the tree, that is to say in winter... But beware: BEFORE the frost periods, it is very important!

As for the maintenance pruning, it can only be carried out on adult hedges, in other words, planted for more than 3 years. The latter require at least two sizes per year, three for those composed of particularly hardy shrubs.

It is advisable to carry out a first pruning at the end of winter – before March 15 – as well as a second in the fall – in September or October. Note that while it is advisable not to prune between late winter and autumn, it is also not recommended to prune between March 15 and July 31. The cause? The flight of nestlings, which is usually done until the end of July.

Finally, identifying the nature of your hedges will also allow you to prune as accurately as possible: where laurel requires pruning in early spring, cedars can be pruned later, and cypress grows even faster when pruned in spring.

Trim size of hedges, concrete instructions for use

At the beginning of May, you will be able to make a first size: it's up to you to see if you want a rectangle shape, a peaked or rather rounded... If you give in originality, you can also opt for a trapeze cut.

When cutting, do not hesitate to bring any equipment that may be useful to you. If the fact of using a hedge trimmer seems obvious, do not forget to use ropes that you will attach to stakes. Indeed, without this system, it will be very hard (if not impossible) to make a precise cut.

In addition, gloves will not be too much to avoid some avoidable abrasions, but also a good shear to gain accuracy. Perform your pruning from bottom to top, inorder to prevent the debris that you will produce by cutting the upper branches from getting stuck in the lowest branches.

In addition, do not forget to leave a wider base at the top, so that the hedge can enjoy the sun as it pleases... And do not forget to use a stepladder, or a ladder with a platform, which will allow you to position yourself high enough, but above all that is perfectly stable. No need to take any risk!

Finally, take a look at the weather before you get down to the task: try to trim your hedges in dry weather, to avoid the spread of diseases. It's up to you!

Discover our hedge trims and bush pruning on our site multitanks.com!