On Feb 16, 10:46*am, Janet wrote:
In article ,
says...

So is there a faster way to regenerate a mature beech hedge than about 16
years of laborious cutting back?

*Long established beech will respond to brutal treatment. Get a chainsaw
and reduce it to a foot tall; giving you good access to install the
fencing and give the root area a good mulch with old manure. *The regrowth
will be dense to the bottom and regular trimming to the correct shape will
keep it that way. If you install your fence close to the stumps,
eventually it will be completely concealed within the new hedge growth.

As the hedge regrows, to keep it dense at the bottom, the bottom needs
light. So the sides should be wider at the base and narrower at the top.

* *Janet

Hello Janet. Thanks for that. Two questions: the fence will be on
the due south side of the hedge. Would the hedge survive at a height
of 1' when shaded by an adjacent fence of 5 or 6' such that the hedge
(stumps?) receive no sun before midday? Also, in addition to the
shading problem, would a beech hedge that currently has no side growth
below about 2' recover from being cut down to below this height?

TIA

Richard