Hedges

Q. I have a hedge that is about 35 years old. My gardener can't seem to trim it evenly. Over the years the hedge has also gotten very wide. It stays green and seems healthy. It is very woody inside. If I trim it down (by hand) and trim the sides will it die on me? I realize this is hard to answer because you have to see it.

A. Keep in mind the age of the hedge. Imagine any of us growing and struggling with Nature all that time and not needed a bit of help! I know I need a good trim quite often.

Your gardener is doing an easy job but not very well. If he had been well-trained in Horticulture he would know that a simple uneven trimming is not good for an old hedge.

I want you to go ahead and even it out as you have suggested. But not drastically please. That would shock it and since the plant has gone so long without a proper pruning you have a lot of work ahead and no need to try and get to square one all at once. I want you to go all along the sides and tops and take off a little bit. I am unaware as to where you live but winter is not the time to do this in the Northern Hemisphere.

Early spring is when I want you to do the first trimming. Take sharp clean hedge trimmers and also remove some of the dead inside wood. Exposing the center to the sunlight will allow new growth to then sprout and fill in.

Wait a little bit but not after the new growth has begun to pop. You do not want to cut that off. Shape it well before this time and then allow to grow. Start applying a good general gardening fertilizer as a 20-20-20 every 2-4 weeks diluted according to the label.

Then later in the early summer go through and trim out some more. Remove more dead inside wood but do not take so much as to make a totally hollow center. That just may never fill in. Use discretion and common sense. You are not going to kill it if you proceed cautiously. But if you leave it as is you will risk the dying off of the entire hedge.

Q. What kind of hedge is quick growing thick and most of all cheap?

A. Depending on light and climatic conditions you have several choices if you want an evergreen.

Arborvitae which like sun or mottled sun.

New hedge which I love called "Ilex Chesapeake" which likes shade or mottled sun and is a member of the holly family. It gets wide and high and has a small waxy dark green thick shiny leaf but it grows fast. This is a beautiful pyramid shaped tree that doesn't lose it's lower branches leaves as it grows unlike pines an unwise choice for a hedge. I have planted several on the front of my property and I can attest to their vigor and quick growth as well as ease of growing. They are a beautiful hedge which grows quickly and add they a dark green background of superior quality. Unlike a regular holly Chesapeake leaves have no thorns and are similar to a boxwood's leaves except thicker and waxy. They are tall and do require pruning for shape if you want perfection. Ilex Chesapeake are relatively new as a hedge. To my knowledge there are no diseases associated with this species as opposed to hemlocks which are threatened by a spreading disease [see below].

Arborvitae yew or large ornamental grasses such as miscanthus. There are species that grow over 8' tall and retain their dense.