topiary pig anyone?Shrubs and hedges are often impressive focal points that complement architectural home designs.
You’ve probably passed houses with impeccably manicured bushes and hedges. Wondering how the owners are doing? And no, they probably didn’t need to enroll at the Royal College of Art first.
They just followed a few simple tips for shaping bushes and hedges.
Pick up the tools
Commonly known as topiary, creating shapes for your hedges and shrubs takes a lot of work and the use of the right tools to produce a masterpiece.
Here are the tools you need to shape bushes and hedges:
- string of characters
- gauze
- chain saw
- wooden poles
- section of bamboo
- hand scissors
Remember to wear protective clothing, especially around your hands and arms. Electric hedge trimmers require an RCD adapter to prevent electric shock during power surges.
How to give a hedge the straight edge?
UK residents generally prefer to create hedges that have a straight look. Straight-edged hedges create perfect boundaries to define the perimeter of properties. The simple method for shaping bushes and hedges is to use an electric hedge trimmer and trim the tops of the hedges in a straight line using only your eyes. Sometimes you will have to step away from your work to make sure the edges are cut straight. You can also run a piece of string through a piece of bamboo to create a guide that will keep you on the straight cutting path.
How to tilt a hedge
Angled hedges are a visually appealing alternative to straight-edged hedges, except creating angled hedges requires precision and more time spent on the project. Use the same saw guide principle we used to create straight-edged hedges, but this time use pieces of string and wooden posts to determine where to cut a hedge. The key is to ensure that every part of a hedge receives sunlight. Otherwise, you can expect the areas to turn brown and eventually die.
The irregular shaped hedge
Some homeowners have the talent or hire professional landscapers to create innovative hedge shapes, such as animals and cars. The impressive appearance of irregularly shaped hedges makes a home stand out in a neighborhood with manicured lawns and gardens. Make a wire trellis that fits snugly around a bush or hedge. Place the frame over a hedge or bush and slowly cut around the mesh. You need to prune regularly to encourage a hedge or bush to grow as you envision.