Hi,
Last year we planted 8 beech trees (5-6 feet) and they are establishing well. The goal is to have them 10 feet tall and as dense, bushy as possible to provide privacy.
What is the pruning approach? To you wait until the to branch is over 10 feet and the bushy section is higher? Wait until it is fully denser lower down?
I read the earlier post that was made on this site, but it did not address the height issue.
Your advice is greatly appreciated!
Many thanks
Hi, One of the features of columnar birch is that it keeps its branches well down the trunk so there is no need to wait till the trees reach your desired height to begin pruning. As pointed out in our earlier post, pruning will keep your hedge healthy and will allow lateral buds to grow out causing your hedge to fill in and become bushy. Given these are second year trees, I would prune only once this year. By next year you can prune in both June and August as described in the earlier post. Dead, diseased or damaged branches can be pruned out at any time. Your trees are looking very healthy and should make a very attractive privacy hedge. I’ve included a link below to our earlier post for your reference.
https://www.torontomastergardeners.ca/askagardener/pruning-beech-hedges/