New hedge/shrub trimmer

[allnewname]

Very excited to have my very own hedge trimmer …. Can i pretty much trim anything? I have various mixed hedges and shrubs… is there anything I absolutely must do manually? Thank you!

Check there are no nesting birds first, I wouldn't use a hedge trimmer on small shrubs, what needs cutting back.

I wouldn't cut any of the early summer flowering shrubs with a hedge trimmer as you need to go in with secateurs and cut to new growth and thin old wood etc. I would only cut hedges and evergreens that I want in a formal shape with a hedge trimmer. Not keen on the allotment over blobbed look personally.

We have a very overgrown garden that is mature and has lots of big plants in it so I have used ours on all the hedging (honestly not sure how many different types of trees/plants involved but probably 5 or 6?) and also to take back random plants at the edge of the driveway like rhododendrons. I used it in the spring to cut back giant St John’s wort and some of the fancy grasses, which worked well.

I think it probably does depend on what you’re trying to achieve. At the moment we’re still in ruthless mode but I’m conscious we will need to switch to “cultivation” mode sometime soon.