Rosemoor’s formal garden hedges have been in place for many years and there are A LOT of them!!
Yew, Portugal laurel, privet, beech, hornbeam, box and holly all play a part in creating the year-round structure of the garden.
We try to shape the hedges as accurately as possible and have developed simple but effective ways to achieve this. You might like to try them. At the base of most of our hedges you will find a series of low wooden stakes. These mark the correct line of cut. By inserting a brightly coloured pole alongside each stake at the required angle we give ourselves an accurate line to follow (a spirit level is useful for setting a consistent angle!)
To achieve a similarly accurate line along the top of the hedge, canes are inserted along the hedge line. Each is measured and cut to the same height, with final adjustments made after viewing along the top of the canes (from a raised platform for our higher hedges). We then trim to the line with the hedge trimmer.
Blog by Dave Squire, Senior Supervisor, Decorative & Nursery