Pruning Hornbeam Hedges
It's that time of year again, when the hornbeam hedges around my farm need to be pruned and groomed.
This week my outdoor grounds crew trimmed the tall hornbeam hedges in front of my main greenhouse. The English hornbeam, Carpinus betulus, is a fast-growing deciduous tree. It can grow about four to five feet per year. From a distance, it appears solid, but light streams in through the leaves providing a pleasing and dappled space. I keep a close eye on all the hornbeams - it’s crucial to prune them regularly, so they never look too overgrown and unruly.
Enjoy these photos.
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- This tall hornbeam hedge grows along one side of the parking lot directly in front of my main greenhouse. It is quite pretty here but serves primarily as a privacy hedge and noise barrier from the road. Carpinus betulus is a hornbeam native to Western Asia and central, eastern and southern Europe, including southern England.
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- The English hornbeam is related to the beech tree, with a similar leaf shape. On the hornbeam, the leaves are actually smaller and more deeply furrowed than beech tree leaves. They become golden yellow to orange before falling in autumn.
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- Looking inside the hedge, the hornbeam has pale grey bark with vertical markings. The sturdy branches grow outward and slightly upward.
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- I always instruct my gardeners and outdoor ground crew to bring all the necessary tools to the work site. Among the tools needed for hedge pruning they need landscape twine, long handled shears, gloves, and a STIHL HLA 85 Lithium-Ion Powered Adjustable Telescopic Hedge Trimmer, which has a durable 20 inch blade that cuts easily and precisely.
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- The crew does a lot of the hornbeam pruning by hand. These Japanese Okatsune shears are specially made for trimming hedges. These shears are user friendly, and come in a range of sizes.
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- My resident tree expert, Pasang Sherpa, prunes the front of the hedges first. The shears allow the crew to sculpt and groom as well as prune the foliage. I like to use a traditional English style of pruning, which includes a lot of straight, clean edges. A well-manicured hedge can be stunning in any garden but left unchecked, it could look unruly.
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- Although slower, this method of trimming by hand ensures careful precise, clean cuts.
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- Looking at the front, one can see what has been pruned and what Pasang still has to do.
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- Looking closely from the top, It’s a big difference and shows the growth from the past year. These hornbeams are so healthy and lush.
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- Pasang uses the long handled shears to cut the edges. When pruning, Pasang keeps the shears close to shoulder level. This allows the best control. He also holds the shears closer to the base of the blades. Here he is working by hand on the upper sections from our trusted Hi-Lo.
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- Then he uses his STIHL HLA 86 commercial grade extended reach, telescopic hedge trimmer, which is very lightweight and easy to control.
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- Down below – all the cut leaves. These are raked up as they work, so cleanup is easier at the very end.
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- My outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring Sherpa, sits in the Hi-Lo ready to move teammates safely from place to place. From ground level, he can also check the work done from a different vantage point.
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- The next day, a younger hedge is also groomed in the parking lot right in front of my glass greenhouse. We planted this hedge in the spring of 2019 – it has grown quite a bit. An identical one is on the other side of the greenhouse entrance. To keep the hedges straight on top, I instruct everyone to use landscaper’s twine to create a guide. It’s an easy way to make sure everything is cut properly.
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- Chhiring looks carefully to make sure the twine is straight and in line with all his other markers.
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- Then he uses the STIHL trimmer to cut the top. These STIHL tools are great for so many jobs around the farm.
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- Meanwhile, Pasang works from the back of the hedge. This area is also cut with the STIHL trimmer – quickly and efficiently.
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- Pasang uses his Okatsune bypass pruners to trim small branches. Everyone on my crew has his own pruners.
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- Here’s is a view looking down the top of this hedge.
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- And here is another section of the hedge. It looks great.
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- Here is a side view of the big hedge showing how the front is sculpted with the taller sections protruding just a bit.
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- Pruning and grooming the hornbeams is a big task – it takes about two weeks to get all of them done around the farm, but once they’re finished they look so terrific – thanks to my hardworking crew!
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