Overgrown Beech Hedge

[Chris French]

In our new house we have a Beech hedge that is a bit overgrown. At least
2 seasons growth untrimmed if not more.

We want to cut it back but advice has been mixed. If we cut back beyond
the current growth will it grow back ok? what time of the year is going
to be best now?, late winter?

Any suggestions, experience
--
Chris French

[L.H.R.Harrison]

In my experience , Beech will stand any amount of treatment and
mistreatment and come back smiling. This last spring I, as an experiment,
cut two 3 metre high Beech treelings in a hedge back to 100cm from the
ground. Both are now shooting strongly.

Rex

Chris French <c...@spennithorne.demon.co.uk> wrote in article
<UFnxYHAt...@spennithorne.demon.co.uk>...
> ..... we have a Beech hedge that is a bit overgrown
> We want to cut it back . If we cut back beyond

> the current growth will it grow back ok?

> --
> Chris French
>

[Martin Sykes]

Hi
We have a beech Hedge round two sides of the garden - one part has
always been cut regularly so is good. The other part looked very bare
on our side when we moved in having just been hacked back to the upright
stems well back beyond the current growth (5 years ago) . About 2-3
years ago this side was again
covered in leaves. Then my neighbour hacked his side right back
to the uprights (almost) - I actually complained as I thought
he had killed it. It looked terrible just a boney branches - However
within a year green shoots were sprouting
and this year it looks better again EXCEPT that some of the hedge was
dead in places so particularly at low levels there are holes now
whihc need to be filled in with sapling beech..

So advice - Well Beech will take a hell of a lot of cutting
back - but be careful!

Martin

[Steve L]

Cut as hard as you like but if you live in an exposed area delay until
after the threat of heavy frost. We cut one back from 18feet to four with
no problems. Remember to cut back shorter than the finished hedge you
require.

Steve L
--
Delete anti-spam from e-mail address.

Chris French <c...@spennithorne.demon.co.uk> wrote in article
<UFnxYHAt...@spennithorne.demon.co.uk>...

[Rod Furr]

In article <UFnxYHAt...@spennithorne.demon.co.uk>, Chris French

<c...@spennithorne.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>
> In our new house we have a Beech hedge that is a bit overgrown. At least
> 2 seasons growth untrimmed if not more.
>
> We want to cut it back but advice has been mixed. If we cut back beyond
> the current growth will it grow back ok? what time of the year is going
> to be best now?, late winter?
>
> Any suggestions, experience
>

Beech can be cut back very hard without harm, but will take time to recover
and thicken out again. I would wait until early spring when the risk of
hard frost is over. Decide how high you want the hedge to be and cut back
12 to 18 inches below the final height required. Trim the sides in
proportion, remember the new growth will spread sideways as well as up.
After the shock a little TLC will help it recover, water and feed and you
will have a hedge to be proud of again.

--
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