- Cut the hornbeam hedge to the desired width
- Cut narrow hornbeam hedges frequently
- It is better to cut hornbeam hedges conically
The width of a hornbeam hedge depends on the space available and the preferences of the garden owner. Since the hornbeam tolerates pruning very well, it can also be pruned very narrowly. It can therefore be used very flexibly in garden design.
A hornbeam hedge can also be widened with a second row
Cut the hornbeam hedge to the desired width
How wide the hornbeam hedge can be depends on the location. Since the plant can also be cut very narrowly if necessary, you can plant it in front of fences or near the neighboring property. Only leave enough distance to fences or walls so that you can also take good care of the hornbeam hedge from behind.
If you like it, you can also cut a hornbeam hedge as narrow as a board, it doesn't bother the plants much. They tolerate a cut into the old wood just as well as being planted on sticks, which means that the hornbeam is cut down to near the ground.
Normally, however, hornbeam hedges are 40 to 50 centimeters wide, depending of course on the overall height of the hedge. The height of a hornbeam hedge can range from 50 centimeters to 3 meters.
Cut narrow hornbeam hedges frequently
If you want the hornbeam hedge to have a very narrow width, you often have to cut it back. The cut stimulates the formation of new shoots, so that the hedge branches out well, but also steadily increases in width and height overall.
It is better to cut hornbeam hedges conically
In order for the hornbeam hedge to remain dense below, it must be thinned out frequently. But even with the right cut, baldness can be avoided.
The width of the hornbeam hedge should be greater at the bottom than at the top. So cut them slightly tapered. If the hedge is 40 centimeters wide at the bottom, it should only be about 30 centimeters wide at the top.
Through this cut, the light also reaches the lower regions, so that new shoots form there.
tips
Hornbeam hedges are also often used in agriculture, for example in the typical hedgerows of Schleswig-Holstein. The hedges act as a windbreak against pastures and fields. In cemeteries, low and narrow hornbeam hedges are popular as grave borders.