Evergreen hedges are commonly used for privacy and cosmetic applications since they keep their foliage year-round. The varietals of hedges most commonly employed for solitude include boxwood, holly, yew and arborvitae, because of their density and relative simplicity of pruning. Arborvitae and yew are hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 8, holly thrives in zones 5 through 9, and boxwood can be located in zones 5 through 8. Whether you prune your evergreen hedges into shapes, routine trimming is essential for vigorous development.
Remove all dead, diseased or fragile branches and shoots in the overgrown hedge with bypass pruners or lopping shears. Make vertical cuts in the crotch of this branch where it meets the trunk.
Wipe the blades of this lopping shears or bypass pruners using a lint-free towel moistened with isopropyl alcohol after cutting diseased timber.
Eliminate one-third of the earliest stems from the bottom level.
Prune half of those old stems in the hedge using bypass pruners and take out the crowded and weakest shoots by pinching them off by hand or using garden shears. Allow the hardiest and well-spaced shoots to stay.
Eliminate the earliest, largest divisions from your hedge. You should have removed a total of one-third of the old timber when completed.
Trim the top one-third of this hedge’s branches back one-third of the length from the next year, to form the hedge in a conical form. Prune the middle one-third of their hedge’s branches back until they’re only a few inches longer than the branches of the best one-third. Trim the sections of the hedge’s bottom third only enough to produce the atmosphere shape, which allows sunlight to reach all regions of the plant.