June is usually regarded as The Best Time to Prune.  We’ve tips for best pruning practice for deciduous plants in our latest blog.   Pruning involves cutting the youngest and thinnest branches, in a straight line.  This way, you determine hedge height and growth rate for the long term.

Pick a dry frost-free overcast day (if you can!) – perfect conditions for you and your hedge.   If your hedge needs more than a prune – a “radical cut” –   this is a Winter job, one we’ll cover later on in the year.  But for now… June=prune!

Three of our most popular varieties – Hornbeam, Hawthorn and Field Maple – are deciduous.  This means they lose their leaves in autumn and grows new ones in the spring.  There’s a different regime for deciduous hedge pruning than for evergreens (good job we’ve covered this here!).  Here’s the lowdown for these three deciduous varieties:

	HORNBEAM (Carpinus Betulus) PRUNE: For the first 2 to 3 years, trim young plants as often as you like – weekly even – from February onwards FLOWERS: April/May GROWTH: Expect to see about 40cm per year.
	HAWTHORN (Crataegus monogyna) PRUNE: June and September FLOWERS: May to June GROWTH: Approx. 20-40 cm per year
	FIELD MAPLE (Acer campestre) PRUNE: From July until the end of September FLOWERS: May GROWTH: Approx. 45 cm per year

What about evergreen hedge pruning? Find out more in our blog.