CELEBRATING 26 YEARS! Welcome to my weekly series! THE LANDSCAPE ASK PROFESSIONAL Linda K. Lillie of Sprigs &Twigs Linda K. Lilie has been Prosident of Sprigs & Twigs, Inc. for the last 26 years. She is a graduate of Connecticut College in Botany, an accredited NOFA Organic Land Care Professional, a Connecticut Master Gardener and a national award winning landscape designer for her design and installation projects. We usually prune our hedges twice a year but last year we only did it once and now they are quite tall. CanI cut them back now, or dol have to wait until springtime?. Mary Hi Mary. I would wait to cut back your hedges until late April or May. At that time, the sap is rising from the roots of the plant into the stems to produce new growth and leaves. If the hedge is pruned then, the pruning will stimulate new stem growth and thicken the shrub. If you prune your hedges now while they are dormant, the hedge will not produce new growth and it will remain thin and sparse. When you prune the woody stems, use sharp hand pruners and loppers for the larger branches. do not use hedge shears leg. hand shears (like scissors): electric or gas shears), because they will not cut the woody stems cleanly. Uneven cuts will damage the plant by tearing the stem creating pathways for insects and disease to enter the plant. Prune the woody stems at various heights down from the top and in from the sides by reaching into the hedge. This methodi will promote new growth that will thicken the hedge from the inside out The drawback of making straight pruning cuts along the outside of the hedge is your hedges will become very thick at the top and sides but will have a hollow inside: this is the perfect cool dark environment for disease and insects. Overall you should prune the hedge in a somewhat tapered shape. narrower at the top than at the bottom If hedges are pruned straight up and down, sunlight will not be able to reach the lower part of the plant and you see die-back of the lower branches. Hedge shears are okay to use during the growing season and only on the non-woody (green) growth. Sprigs D&wigs EMAIL OR MAIL YOUR QUESTIONS To: info@sprigsandtwigs.net or Linda Lillie, Sprigs & Twigs Inc, PO Box 245, Gales Ferry, CT 06335 best SPRIGS & TWIGS VOTED THE BEST BY DAY READERS EVERY YEAR! CELEBRATING 26 YEARS! Welcome to my weekly series! THE LANDSCAPE ASK PROFESSIONAL Linda K. Lillie of Sprigs &Twigs Linda K. Lilie has been Prosident of Sprigs & Twigs, Inc. for the last 26 years. She is a graduate of Connecticut College in Botany, an accredited NOFA Organic Land Care Professional, a Connecticut Master Gardener and a national award winning landscape designer for her design and installation projects. We usually prune our hedges twice a year but last year we only did it once and now they are quite tall. CanI cut them back now, or dol have to wait until springtime?. Mary Hi Mary. I would wait to cut back your hedges until late April or May. At that time, the sap is rising from the roots of the plant into the stems to produce new growth and leaves. If the hedge is pruned then, the pruning will stimulate new stem growth and thicken the shrub. If you prune your hedges now while they are dormant, the hedge will not produce new growth and it will remain thin and sparse. When you prune the woody stems, use sharp hand pruners and loppers for the larger branches. do not use hedge shears leg. hand shears (like scissors): electric or gas shears), because they will not cut the woody stems cleanly. Uneven cuts will damage the plant by tearing the stem creating pathways for insects and disease to enter the plant. Prune the woody stems at various heights down from the top and in from the sides by reaching into the hedge. This methodi will promote new growth that will thicken the hedge from the inside out The drawback of making straight pruning cuts along the outside of the hedge is your hedges will become very thick at the top and sides but will have a hollow inside: this is the perfect cool dark environment for disease and insects. Overall you should prune the hedge in a somewhat tapered shape. narrower at the top than at the bottom If hedges are pruned straight up and down, sunlight will not be able to reach the lower part of the plant and you see die-back of the lower branches. Hedge shears are okay to use during the growing season and only on the non-woody (green) growth. Sprigs D&wigs EMAIL OR MAIL YOUR QUESTIONS To: info@sprigsandtwigs.net or Linda Lillie, Sprigs & Twigs Inc, PO Box 245, Gales Ferry, CT 06335 best SPRIGS & TWIGS VOTED THE BEST BY DAY READERS EVERY YEAR!