May 31st, 2022 by Sarah Miles

Plus, top tips on keeping your hedge neat and healthy

A hedge gives your property a more organic perimeter than a fence or a wall and is conducive to biodiversity in your garden. It also contributes to better air quality, reduces the risk of flooding, and offers privacy so it’s a real winner. However, it does require some ongoing maintenance as an overgrown, half-dead hedge does nobody’s house any favours.

Trimming your hedge does more than just keep it neat and tidy. It promotes hedge health, removing dead and (potentially) diseased parts of the plant and allowing sunlight and rain to penetrate into the inner areas of the hedge, as well as the roots. It also encourages new growth to ensure it continues to live for a long time.

Tips for successful hedge trimming

You don’t need to be an experienced horticulturist to keep your hedge in good condition, but it helps to know a few tips. Here are some useful things to bear in mind:

• Before starting, look for any signs of nesting birds from March to August (nesting season). If you see any, leave well alone until the fledglings have left in late summer
• For anything more than a small hedge, you will save time and achieve a neater finish using an electric hedge trimmer
• When using an electric hedge trimmer, never use above shoulder height (use a step ladder for tall hedges) and wear goggles and gloves for protection
• Trim on a cooler day or early in the morning/later in the day on a warm day. This is so that the sun doesn’t scorch newly cut, and therefore more vulnerable, edges
• If you want a very neat, straight top you can create a level by running a line of twine between two stakes
• Depending on the variety of hedges and the weather, you will need to trim your hedge every 4-6 weeks over the summer to keep it neat and encourage new growth
• Take care trimming laurel hedges! Laurel is really popular and looks great, but it is actually toxic to humans and animals. It is safe if you take the following precautions: make sure there is some breeze so that any toxins released from trimming are dispersed. Never burn trimmings and if you have to take them to the tip in your car, keep windows open and don’t travel long distances.

Introducing the MYLEK cordless hedge trimmer

If you do decide to buy an electric hedge trimmer, you really can’t go wrong with the MYLEK 4orce Cordless Hedge Trimmer. Being cordless, you don’t have to worry about trailing a power cable into the garden and there’s no chance of cutting through the cord, which is a very common pitfall of a mains powered unit! It takes just 1 hour to fully charge the battery, so you don’t even need to plan too far in advance.

The 510mm blade paired with 15mm teeth means it is suitable for trimming even the thickest, most overgrown hedges but has enough precision to achieve the shaping you need (and it comes with a blade cover for safe storage). It’s also really lightweight so it doesn’t make the task too laborious and you’re less likely to tire, even when trimming a really large hedge. The wraparound handle means you get a secure grip, even when wearing protective gloves.

Since we know that using electric hedge trimmers, especially the first few times can feel quite intimidating, that’s why the MYLEK hedge trimmer, comes with a triple action safety switch. You need to click three switches in order to turn the trimmer on so there is no risk of accidentally turning it on.

The standard trimmer with one battery costs just £71.99 or for £107.99 you can buy one with two batteries, meaning you’ll never need to run out of charge – even if you’re tending to a stately home-sized garden!

MYLEK 4orce Cordless Hedge Trimmer with Spare Battery

Price: £134.99

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