Now that the nesting season is over, we’ve been taking care of some of the hedges around the garden. One in particular was so overgrown that there was a risk it would fall over, but as we had had a nest or two within its branches I had to be sure it was safe to cut it back.
It’s a Lonicera nitida hedge, which grows quickly anyway, but with all the warm weather and rain it had almost doubled in size and especially in width.
Fortunately I have an armoury of tools to deal with such problems and it didn’t take too long to cut it back. I have a pair of Jakoti hand shears, which I love, and they make cutting back light hedge growth very, very easy.
I may even take some cuttings from the clippings to extend the hedge to other parts of the garden.
Lonicera makes a great, quick growing, evergreen hedge. It roots really easily from cuttings so you can grow a new hedge very cost effectively and within a few years it can reach 6-8ft tall.
You have to prune it hard to keep it in check but it loves it, and grows back even denser and stronger than ever before.
