Summer Pruning for My Hornbeam Hedges
My tall English hornbeam hedges always look so beautiful after a fresh pruning.
This week, my outdoor grounds crew trimmed the hornbeam hedges in front of my main greenhouse - the hedges surrounding part of my formal lily garden beds and the large sculpted hedge nearby. Botanically known as Carpinus betulus, the hornbeam is a fast growing deciduous tree that can grow up to several feet per year. I like to maintain the hedges using a traditional European style of pruning, so they have a nice, sculpted appearance. This means, it’s crucial that they be trimmed regularly, so they don’t look overgrown and unruly.
Here are some photos.
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- This tall hornbeam hedge grows at the edge of the gravel topped parking area directly in front of my main greenhouse. It is quite pretty here, but serves primarily as a privacy and noise barrier from the road. This photo was taken before any pruning began – one can see all the lush new growth.
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- With proper care, the hornbeam grows quickly, so it is important to trim and sculpt it regularly. Hornbeam is also very hardy and frost resistant, which is good in this area.
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- Carpinus betulus is native to Western Asia and central, eastern, and southern Europe, including southern England. Because of its dense foliage and tolerance to being cut back, this hornbeam is popularly used for hedges and topiaries. Hornbeams are often confused with the common beech because of their similar leaves; however, the hornbeam leaves are actually smaller and more deeply furrowed than beech leaves. The leaves are deciduous and alternate, with serrated margins.
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- Looking inside the hedge, the hornbeam has pale grey bark with vertical markings. All of these hornbeams are planted in a very straight line just a couple feet apart. One can see the sturdy branches and how they grow outward and slightly upward.
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- The crew does most of the pruning by hand. Everyone uses Japanese Okatsune shears specially made for trimming hedges. These shears are user friendly, and come in a range of sizes. It is more time consuming to trim these hedges by hand, but it is also more exact and provides straight clean cuts – very important when sculpting formal hedges.
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- We trim the hornbeams every year around this time. 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.
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- Here, one can see what has been cut and what hasn’t.
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- It doesn’t take long for the ground to fill with clippings – and this is just from the front of the hedge.
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- Once the front of the hedge is done, our Hi-Lo is moved in, so Pasang could trim the uppermost sections and the top. The Hi-Lo is very useful, and because the hedge is accessible from the parking area, it always comes in handy for this task.
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- Manning the Hi-Lo is my outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring Sherpa. He’s been working with me here at the farm for 20-years! He positions the Hi-Lo and its cage and makes sure Pasang can safely reach what he is pruning.
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- The top of this hedge section is trimmed perfectly level using our STIHL HLA 85 battery powered extended hedge trimmer. It’s light, easy to maneuver and cuts extremely well.
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- Once an area is trimmed, Pasang uses a soft rake to clear the top of any cut branches and leaves.
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- Next, he uses a long bamboo stake to ensure the hedges are all level and equal in height.
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- From above, the tops look flat with well-trimmed corners.
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- Here is a side view showing how the front is sculpted with the taller sections protruding just a bit. It is looking very straight and square.
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- And here is the finished hedge – trimmed beautifully. I can’t believe how much these grow every year.
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- Across the gravel road is the hornbeam hedge surrounding my formal white lily and hosta garden. Chhiring uses orange twine along the top of the hedge, so it can be trimmed straight.
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- Here, Chhiring uses a level to check that everything is perfectly even from one end to the other.
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- Here is a view once it is pruned. The dark green of the hornbeams look so nice in contrast to the lighter green of the lily foliage and hostas in the foreground.
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- At the side entrance leading to my berry bushes and rose garden, I decided to create a more sculpted top, so this bit will remain untouched while it grows. It will look so nice once we shape it.
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- And here’s the other side. Look how lush this garden is – I will be sure to share more photos once the lilies are blooming. Next to be done is the long European hornbeam hedge that runs along the back of my Summer House and Winter House. It’s a busy summer here at working farm – there’s always lots to do, but the gardens, allées, and groves are all looking so wonderful.
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