John Towill wrote in news:1lx6g9kjd5v53
:

"John Hatpin" wrote in message
...
We have a fair-sized, well-established beech hedge in our garden,
growing against a boundary fence. It (the hedge, not the fence) is
probably about 10' tall, 14' wide and 6' deep, and that's too big.

I'd like to cut this back in three directions:

It is good practice to only cut back in one direction a year. e.g.
top this year, etc

If it's 6'deep and 10' tall, it's unlikely that John will be able to
just take the top off without attacking the sides to allow access to it.
And given the growth habit of beech, it's usually difficult to take it
back to being thin without also taking the top off, once it has got used
to growing in a bush.

In any case, I think the 'one side a year' thing is being rather
overcautious with such a robust and effective hedging plant as beech.

I reckon it's pretty unlikely John will lose any of those trees even if
he reduces them to ground level, unless they are already unwell. I
would just take the whole hedge back to a foot or so below where he
wants it.

If it's like mine was, it will be a good-looking hedge again by next
autumn.

John, I should also mention that this is just the right time of year to
give the thing a good haircut and let it recover quickly in the spring -
so if I were you, I'd get onto it this month.

Victoria