Pruning a beech hedge: when and how, by type or situation

A beech hedge (Fagus sylvatica) is pruned twice a year. The first and most important pruning session takes place in late May or early June, when the new shoots have grown out: everything that protrudes above or beyond your guide line is removed, usually 5 to 10 cm. The second session falls between mid-August and early September and removes the growth since June, again around 5 to 10 cm. Keep the hedge wider at the bottom than at the top, then it will remain dense right to the base.

Pruning a beech hedge by situation: the table

Beech or hornbeam?

A beech hedge consists of common beech (Fagus sylvatica). Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) looks similar but is a different plant. Beech prefers dry, well-drained soil; on heavy clay or soil where water remains standing, hornbeam does better. The difference and what suits your soil can be read in beech hedge or hornbeam. Hornbeam also has a different pruning rhythm: three sessions per year, the first and hardest in April or May, followed by light sessions in July and September. See pruning hornbeam.

Young beech hedge: do little in the first year

A newly planted hedge is pruned as little as possible in the first season. If you planted in autumn, do not prune in autumn and winter and start in March. If you planted in spring, wait until June. Then trim only side branches that protrude far from the profile, at most 2 to 3 cm, and leave the top to grow. Keep the base wider than the top. More in shaping a hedge in the first year; how densely to plant can be read in how many beech hedge plants per metre.

Mature hedge: two pruning sessions

The first and most important pruning session falls in late May or early June. Stretch a line at the height you want and cut away everything that protrudes above or beyond it. The second session, in August or September, is lighter: you go along the hedge and cut the shoots that grow out of line. The step-by-step method is in keeping a beech hedge in formal shape.

The final summer session in August

The best time for the second session lies between 15 and 25 August. Late August or early September is still possible, but by then the hedge has grown further again. You remove the growth since the first pruning session, usually 5 to 10 cm. If you prune a lot in May, you cut a little less in August, and vice versa. More in the final summer pruning in August.

Copper beech

A hedge of copper beech is pruned from May to mid-June and lightly from mid-August to September. Cut back 5 to 10 cm, to the previous cut. Use sharp secateurs: torn leaves get brown edges, and on the dark foliage you can see that clearly. Details are in pruning copper beech.

Bare base and a tapered profile

A hedge that is wider at the top than at the bottom becomes bare at the base: the lowest branches receive too little light. Therefore always prune tapered, with the top cut back harder than the bottom, see tapering a hedge. If the base is already bare, cut the top back hard in June, 30 to 40 cm, trim the sides tapered and the base only lightly. A lighter session follows in August. Allow a few years for recovery: hedge with a bare base.

Neglected or too wide hedge

A hedge that has not been cut for years is cut back in March or early April, when growth is just starting. Do it in one go, to the shape you want, and prune where possible into wood that still has green on it: nothing grows back from pure old wood. Beech is more sensitive to this than privet or hornbeam, so proceed carefully. Then let the hedge grow until a light formative pruning in August. More in rejuvenating a hedge after neglect.

Birds in the hedge

A dense beech hedge is a popular nesting site. From mid-March to late June is the breeding season: check before you cut whether any birds are nesting, because you must not disturb an occupied nest. Skip that section and trim it when the young have fledged, usually mid-July. How to approach this can be read in pruning after the breeding season.

A beech as a tree

A free-standing, mature beech requires almost no pruning. Remove dead, diseased and crossing wood in July or August and never take more than 5 to 10 per cent of the crown per year. A mature beech tolerates hard cutting back poorly. See pruning a mature beech.

Are you unsure whether a beech hedge or another hedge suits your garden best? With a garden design you can see on a photo of your own garden how the hedge fits with the rest of the planting.

Step-by-step plan

Step 1: Choose the time and check for nests

Prune in late May or early June and again between mid-August and early September. First check whether any birds are nesting in the hedge.

Step 2: Stretch a line for the top

Place a stake at both ends and stretch a line between them at the height you want. This is your line for the top.

Step 3: Cut the top flat

Start at the top and work from left to right. Cut away everything that protrudes above the line, with the blade of the hedge trimmer flat.

Step 4: Cut the sides tapered

Work from top to bottom and cut what grows beyond the line, usually 5 to 10 cm. Let the sides slope slightly, wider at the bottom than at the top.

Step 5: Remove long stragglers

Go along the hedge once more and cut loose shoots that protrude from the line. Cut a thick branch with secateurs, not with the hedge trimmer.

Step 6: Clear away the prunings

Remove the prunings from in and under the hedge, so that the base keeps light and air.