To Prevent Overhanging
When a hedge becomes overgrown, not only can it lose its shape, but it can start to impact things around it. Branches on an overgrown hedge can start to brush against buildings, affect other plants or overhang into neighbouring properties. It also means that your hedge is taking up more space than it needs to, meaning your own usable green space is reduced in size. In order to prevent these issues, you should look to have your hedge trimmed in order to maintain an optimal hedge size.
To Promote Healthy Growth
There are many reasons why trimming your hedge can promote health growth. The first is by trimming back any damaged branches, ensuring they remain healthy and can grow back. The second is to ensure that hedges will grow back more vigorously. When a hedge is trimmed, it encourages new growth at the base of the hedge, meaning it can become denser. If you’re using your hedge to stop views or wind, then trimming your hedge will benefit this.
To Increase Light Levels
One great benefit of a hedge is that it can block out views. For your garden, this means you’re allowed a bit of privacy whilst you enjoy your green space, without anyone from neighbouring properties looking on. However, this benefit can become a drawback if your hedges aren’t well maintained, as they’ll overgrow and start to block out the natural sunlight. To ensure you and your plants don’t miss out on the sun’s rays, you should ensure you keep your hedge’s height and width in check through hedge trimming.
To Cut It To A Specific Shape
One reason why you may want to trim your hedge is to make it a specific shape. This could be for defining boundaries with a border hedge, or for keeping your hedges in a nice, flat uniform shape. Additionally, this could be for purely decorative purposes too. If you want rounded edges, or want to turn a square bush into a round one, this can be possible through hedge shaping. And if you want to go the extra mile, you could engage in some topiary, where art and hedge shaping combine.
To Maintain Defined Borders
If your hedge acts as a border hedge, then it’s not only a decorative piece of greenery, but it’s also serving an additional purpose too. Typically, the middle of a border hedge will be the dividing line between one area and another. However, if over time a hedge is left to its own devices, then it will start losing its original size and shape, which can cause confusion over exactly where the boundary lies. Keeping them well-maintained will prevent this, and working with your neighbour will ensure both sides are trimmed to retain its symmetry.
