Hedges on the Gold Coast grow fast. Our warmth and humidity are perfect for the popular screening plants, which is great for privacy but means they need more regular attention than hedges in cooler places to stay looking sharp.
Getting the timing right keeps a hedge dense, healthy, and full right down to the ground, rather than leggy and bare underneath. Here is the short version.
How often to trim
Fast growers like lilly pilly, murraya, and viburnum usually want trimming two to four times a year here to hold a crisp shape. Slower or more formal hedges can often get by with two trims a year.
Little and often beats one hard cut. Regular light trims encourage dense, bushy growth and keep the hedge easy to manage, whereas letting it run and then cutting it hard tends to leave gaps and bare patches.
The best times of year
The main growth flushes in spring and again through the warm months are the natural times to trim, tidying up the new growth as it comes. A trim heading into spring sets the shape up for the growing season.
You can trim lightly almost year round in our climate, but avoid a hard cut in the coldest part of winter when the plant is not growing enough to recover quickly.
Keeping a hedge full to the base
The classic mistake is trimming a hedge so the top is wider than the bottom. That shades out the lower growth and leaves the base thin and bare. Keep the base slightly wider than the top so light reaches the whole face.
If a hedge has already gone leggy, it can usually be brought back by reshaping in stages over a season or two rather than all at once, which encourages fresh growth to fill the gaps.
Rather have it handled? See our hedging service or get a free quote.