Clipped standard bay is susceptible to damage by frost, particularly in Scotland and the North of England, and quickly look burnt and ugly.

Hollies and Elaeagnus are the most robust plants for this. Topiary вЂlollipopsвЂ™ are an easy way to bring a sense of formality into small gardens.

If you have several pieces to clip to the same shape, move the frame from shrub to shrub. For cubes, cones and other geometric shapes, tie bamboo poles around the plant as a guide. Ivy cut close to wire frames will give a more instant topiary look. After a few years the frame will disappear inside the shape. Once the plant has grown through the frame, clip close to the metal. Metal frames in the form of anything from sheep to Mickey Mouse can be bought and used as guides for hedge cutting. Clipping small-leaved evergreens such as box or yew into topiary shapes is not tricky and is fun to try. It may be more convenient to use a mechanical trimmer with a cutting blade that you can adjust to the desired angle. Scaffold towers can be used to get you into the correct position, but you need space to manoeuvre them. Clipping with the top of the hedge at waist height is the least exhausting position to work in. Tall hedges are difficult to maintain, particularly at the top. To keep the clean line of the hedge it needs to be clipped three times a year, rather than the once-a-year trim that most beech hedges need.Д¬ut to the level of your frame вЂ“ this can then be moved easily to create the same shape on other plants. The initial hedge shaping was done with the aid of rope laid on the ground. Inspired by Christopher WrenвЂ™s undulating crinkle-crankle wall at the garden at Wroxall, Warwickshire, I decided to create a serpentine shape from a beech hedge. September or October вЂ“ beech ( Fagus sylvatica)Д«efore trimming a hedge to a complex profile, remember that complicated hedge forms require more maintenance.August or September вЂ“ Elaeagnus, yew ( Taxus baccata).July, August or the beginning of September вЂ“ hornbeam ( Carpinus betulus).On very hot days clip in the cool of the evening It is important that box does not dry out when it is clipped. June and again in August вЂ“ hawthorn ( Crataegus).May-September, every few weeks вЂ“ privet ( Ligustrum), hedging honeysuckle ( Lonicera nitida).В© Gavin Kingcome Hedge cutting: when to cut your hedge Establishing a programme of good hedge-cutting вЂ“ as well as using the right equipment вЂ“ will ensure a healthy living garden structure.

Hedge meaning