Best Way to Save Time and Money on Hedges, Shrubs and Trees

Tidying up hedges

Shaping hedges: In areas where heavy snow falls are an annual occurrence, trim the tops of hedges with a slight slope so that snow has a better chance of falling off. Hedges are severely damaged when a thick covering of snow causes the branches to spread open or the whole hedge to bend over.

Bases of hedges: Always remove hedge clippings and ensure that the base does not become thick with them. If left, they reduce the circulation of air and encourage the presence of pests and diseases; they also make the hedge unsightly.

Shrubs

• New shrubs for old: Shrubs with low-growing branches can be inexpensively increased by layering a few branches. During late summer or early autumn, lower a pliable, healthy shoot to soil-level and peg it into a shallow trench, 7.5-10cm deep and 23-45cm from the shoot’s tip. Either cut a tongue on the shoot’s lower side and about 30cm from its tip, or cut half-way around the stem and remove part of the bark. Use a stout peg to hold the shoot in place. Firm soil around the stem. Rooting takes about a year – sometimes longer.
• New heathers for old: Heathers, ericas and daboecias which are old and have become bare at their centres can be encouraged to produce new plants by forming a mound of friable soil in their centres. This is best performed in autumn or spring. Work the soil between the stems and then thoroughly water the entire plant. Later, when the stems have developed roots, dig up the complete plant and cut off the rooted parts. If small, plant them into a nursery bed until they are established.

• Tender shrubs in tubs: Tender shrubs in tubs on patios may require protection from cold winter winds. In early winter, insert three canes into compost at the edge of the tub and form them into a wigwam. Tie their tops together. Then, spread a thin layer of straw around them, so that the shrub is cocooned. Tie a piece of string to the base of a cane and wind it upwards in a spiral, so that it holds the straw in place. Remove the canes and straw in late winter.
• Shrubs in tubs: The compost in tubs often becomes too wet in winter. To prevent this happening and damaging a shrub’s roots, cover the compost with polythene held in place by encircling the tub with string. Check that water runs towards the rim of tub, and not to the centre.

Trees

• Wind damage: Fierce winds sometimes loosen ‘ties’ securing a trunk to a supporting stake. If the stake is undamaged, an improvised ‘tie’ can be made with a couple of old stockings or a pair of tights; make sure that the trunk does not rub against the stake. Broken stakes: Where a vertical stake is broken, remove it and replace it with an H-shaped or an obliquely-angled stake. An H-shaped support is formed by two vertical stakes being knocked into the ground, 23-30cm either side of the trunk, and a stake then being tied between them and to the trunk. Another way to proceed is to knock an oblique stake into the ground, about 38cm (15m) from the trunk, at an angle of 45 degrees and with its top pointing towards the prevailing wind. Tie the top part of the stake to the trunk.

• Heavy fruit crops: These often weigh down branches and, occasionally, break them. Lift up the branch and use a Y-shaped prop to hold it in place.
• Removing a large branch: Always cut off a large branch a few feet at a time; never immediately cut it close to the trunk.
• Heavy snow falls: These soon damage branches, bending them down and causing the tree or shrub to become deformed. Consequently, always carefully remove snow either by gently tapping the branches or by using a soft brush.