Hi! I have a 26-year-old Cotoneaster Lucidus hedge that has grown way out of proportion, and I'm therefore going to prune(or to be more correct, cut) it. I'm just wondering how low I can cut it? It's about 8 feet 2 inches tall at the moment. Is it okay to cut it to a height of 2 feet or will it suffer too much?
You should be able to coppice it - cut at ground level and let it re-grow from the stumps. A better option though would be to lay the hedge - first cut it back to the main trunks about 2m tall, then cut part-way through each stem at the base, enough to bend (not break) the stems to near-horizontal, so that they are all lying in a row along the ground but still attached to the roots; then peg them into place. This gives you a very solid hedge; the new growth will be erect from along the horizontal stems, giving an interlocking impenetrable barrier. Best to wait until winter before doing this. More info, with pics: http://www.hedgelaying.org.uk/ http://www.nfu.org.uk/stellentdev/g...l_article/hedgesandhedge-layi_ia412f4586.hcsp
