Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => General Gardening => Topic started by: Totty on March 11, 2014, 18:37

Title: Pleached hornbeam
Post by: Totty on March 11, 2014, 18:37

Hi all.

Have recently ppleached some old beech hedges and the effect is stunning. Would like to surround my garden at home with hornbeam to give a similar effect, but after a bit of googling, it seems the recommended way of planting a hedge of this sort is to use wires and posts at the required height, to train the plants to.

I may be missing something here, but. Don't see the point. Surely by pruning any unwanted growth away, I would be left ( over time) with a hedge that fits the space I want it to?

Any thoughts appreciated.

Totty

Title: Re: Pleached hornbeam
Post by: Goosegirl on March 12, 2014, 13:55

I've just refreshed my memory on pleaching, and it looks like the wires and posts are a required structure to support and to tie on the required branches in order to establish your framework, then you clip them as appropriate to remove any forward (breast) growth to maintain the flat side that you need. 

Title: Re: Pleached hornbeam
Post by: Totty on March 12, 2014, 17:45

Or just plant and grow as a normal hedge, then remove all growth under which I want pleached?

Title: Re: Pleached hornbeam
Post by: sunshineband on March 12, 2014, 19:51

Quote from: Totty on March 12, 2014, 17:45

Or just plant and grow as a normal hedge, then remove all growth under which I want pleached?

This will work just as well, but might take a little longer to get the desired effects. The post and wires system gives you a boundary in more or less the required shape straight away, albeit very thin initially.

It depends whether this is important to you or not I suppose.

I think pleached trees look amazing --- any photos of your beech hedge now, Totty?

Title: Re: Pleached hornbeam
Post by: Totty on March 12, 2014, 22:07

I'll take some on Friday for you. The grass had it's first cut today so all looks smart.  ::)

Totty

Title: Re: Pleached hornbeam
Post by: sunshineband on March 13, 2014, 12:53

Quote from: Totty on March 12, 2014, 22:07

I'll take some on Friday for you. The grass had it's first cut today so all looks smart.  ::)

Totty

I look forward to seeing them tomorrow Totty . Thank you !  :D

Title: Re: Pleached hornbeam
Post by: Totty on March 14, 2014, 20:02

Took a load of pics today, so I'll open a new thread and stick em on that!

Totty