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020 3026 8712

Opening times
  • Call Weekdays 9am - 7pm (Closed Between 1pm & 2pm)
  • Saturday Phone Lines 10am - 4pm
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Trimming Hedges in Summer – Some Dos and Don’ts

As anyone who has followed this blog knows – my thanks to both of you; the cheque is in the post – hedges and I are not exactly the best of friends.

I don’t intend to give the impression that I don’t like hedges. Far from it. I love a good hedge, me. Let’s face it hedges are as much a part of the British landscape and our national psyche as Shakespeare, Brunel and The Sweeney (though a little bit less sweary than the latter). It’s just I find trimming and maintaining them can be a bit of a chore, and I don’t mind admitting it.

I also believe that all hedges should be straightforward, square-lined and stalwart, like a well-trained infantryman; whereas Mrs Drew wants her hedges to look like some Turner-Prize-winning exhibit in the Tate Modern, complete with odd angles and dubious title. A hedge is a hedge, madam, not a rampaging elephant, giant squirrel or supersized Toblerone. Topiary is all very well, and a noble art, I’m sure, but we are, after all, British and our hedges should be as stiff as our upper lips. They’re not merely decorative and green, they’re boundaries; lines in the metaphorical sand. They mark the territory of the Englishman’s home and, by inference, his castle. So there.

If you insist on using a step-ladder, DO make sure no-one has nicked your hedge!

Anyhow. You may remember my experience with ‘The Privet that Ate New York’; the hedge-shaped triffid, which was casting so much shadow across our study last year that Mrs Drew thought the clocks had gone back. Well, I did eventually get round to cutting it back, and in the process learnt that standing on a wobbly step-ladder with a petrol hedgetrimmer as the dusk descends is NOT the way to go. Two inches further when I fell, and I would have ended-up head-first in the rose bush. TRIM SAFE is all I can say. But more of that later.

Dick’s recent blog extols the virtues of a rather nifty long-reach hedge trimmer; the Echo HCA-265ES-HD Long-Reach Petrol Hedgetrimmer. After the near-disastrous stepladder experience, I went out of my way to purchase one. If your hedges are high, don’t balance on a selection of paint pots, get yourself a long-reach trimmer!

So. It’s around the time to start maintenance on your boxes, privets and hawthorns – chore or not, it has to be done!

Here are my tips:

DO arm yourself with a decent hedgecutter, whether battery-powered, petrol-powered or mains-electric. It should have double-sided, dual-reciprocating blades; a decent cutting-length; a generous tooth-gap; and, preferably, a comfort-enhancing twist-grip rear handle.

DON’T use a hedgetrimmer you haven’t checked first. The blades must be sharp, clean, in good condition, and well lubricated. Blunt blades will twist and chew, which can lead to disease, discolouration and long-term plant damage.

DON’T wear matching clothes that make you look like a camp Christmas elf… and WHERE ARE THOSE GOGGLES?

DO make sure you’re wearing the right gear. Please don’t attempt to cut a hedge in flip-flops and a kaftan. First of all, you’ll look like a hippy; secondly, it’s not safe! Make sure you wear sturdy, flat shoes, close-fitting clothes and heavy-duty gardening gloves.

DON’T use a mains-powered trimmer if the grass or hedge is wet – moisture and electricity don’t make good bedfellows, and you could be in for a shock!

DO wear goggles. You may not think it important, but if a stray twig hits you in the eye you’ll know about it!

DON’T imbibe anything stronger than a cup of tea before trimming your hedges. This is not one of those, ‘I’ve had a couple of beers, I think I’ll trim that hedge’ jobs. Alcohol and powered machinery with sharpened blades are about as good together as Boris Johnson and Kier Starmer on a date. A&E departments are overstretched as it is, thank you very much. Don’t drink and trim!

DO check for on-the-ground obstacles before you start cutting-back. You don’t want a trip-hazard incident.

DON’T forget to keep the cable over your shoulder and out of the way, if you’re using a mains-electric hedgetrimmer. Chopping through it’s not a good idea!

DO make sure you’re not too tired to carry out the task. Seriously, fatigue is another contributor to the waiting-times at your local Accident & Emergency. Be alert, sharp, and have your wits about you when maintaining your hedges.

DON’T try to use a standard hedgetrimmer to reach the top of a tall hedge. Your conventional hedgecutter should NEVER be raised above your head. Try, as I said before, to get hold of a long-reach model. If you must use step-ladders, MAKE SURE THEY’RE STABLE!

DO try to cut using controlled, sweeping movements, keeping the blades of the hedgetrimmer parallel to the plant. When doing the sides, move from the bottom to the top, again using a sweeping motion.

DON’T cut backwards! I know it sounds trivial, but I’ve seen it done, and moving backwards with a powered hedgetrimmer is another disaster waiting to happen.

And short of telling you how to switch on your hedgecutter, which would contravene the egg-sucking and grandmother-teaching guidelines set by my employer, that’s about it. Don’t forget that MowDirect offers a huge range of high-quality but affordable hedgecutters, and if you need advice in choosing the right one for your particular requirements and budget, just call us on 020-3026-8712, and one of our friendly and knowledgeable product-advisors will be happy to help.

‘FIRST-CLASS PRODUCT, ADVICE & CUSTOMER SERVICE… I would not hesitate recommending (sic) this machine or MowDirect to anyone who loves gardening as much as I do.’

‘Fantastic Service… honest and pointed me in the right direction to make sure I got the right tool for the job.’

And you can’t say fairer than that! Enjoy your garden,

Drew Hardy

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