The Tree Tailor offers hedge trimming! Hedges are a beautiful way to give privacy to your home. It’s important to keep them under control so that they can stay dense, compact, green and lush. A hedge that has been let go too long without trimming becomes gangly, weak, and prone to breakage under snow load. Even worse, once a hedge becomes overgrown, the inner needles / leaves die off, and it becomes impossible to reduce the size appropriately. It’s also a good time to remove any vines that might be infiltrating your hedge (a common problem) and also check for diseases.
It’s important to choose someone who knows how to trim hedges specifically for Ottawa’s climate by giving them a tapered top so that the snow doesn’t bunch up, and also to let the sun get down to the lower branches so that they stay healthy.
In Ottawa, it’s safe to prune most hedges any time that they aren’t stressed by heat, drought, or (obviously) buried under snow. My favorite time to do it is in the spring or late fall.
Individual trees can also be shaped and trimmed to look their best. Turn that front yard cedar into a real showpiece!
The best time to prune cedar hedges depends on the climate and region. In general, it is recommended to prune cedar hedges in the spring or fall, when the weather is cooler. Avoid pruning in the summer, as this can cause stress to the plant.
Did you know?
Cedars and maples (and other deciduous trees) form symbiotic relationships by sharing water and nutrients through their roots. The cedars provide nutrients in the winter months as they can continue to photosynthesize while the maple has shed its leaves. In the summer, the deeper roots of the maple can reach water that the shallower roots of cedars don’t reach.
Cedars or junipers should not be planted near apple trees, or they can be prone to apple – cedar rust. This fascinating disease needs trees of both species to exist, with the spores travelling back and forth between the alternating trees (e.g., in one year the fungus will grow in an apple tree, and release spores that need a cedar tree to grow in; which in turn will release spores that can only grow in apple trees). The fungus is cosmetic and doesn’t seriously harm the tree, but for commercial apple orchards it can be a serious problem.