With nearly 750,000 kilometers of hedges recorded in France according to IGN inventories, these plant alignments occupy a central place in our gardens as well as in our rural landscapes. A hedge serves multiple roles: it delineates space, shelters biodiversity, protects from the wind, and contributes significantly to the aesthetics of a property. However, to keep it beautiful and vigorous, it is essential to know how to maintain it at the right time. And this is precisely where everything is at stake. Pruning done too early, too late, or during a heatwave can permanently weaken the plant, or even compromise the flowering of the following year. Here is a complete calendar to plan your interventions throughout the year.
Identify your type of hedge first.
Before even picking up the pruners, it is important to determine what type of hedge you are dealing with, as each category has its own growth rate.
There are generally four main families:
Evergreen hedges (cherry laurel, thuja, Leyland cypress, photinia, eleagnus...), which retain their foliage throughout the year.Deciduous hedges (hornbeam, beech, hawthorn, field maple), which lose their leaves in autumn.Flowering hedges (forsythia, lilac, weigela, spiraea, abelia), valued for their spectacular blooms.Country or hedgerow hedges, composed of a mix of local species (privet, hazel, dogwood, blackthorn).
This first step conditions everything else, as a forsythia hedge is not pruned like a thuja hedge. The most common confusion actually concerns flowering hedges, which are pruned too early due to lack of knowledge, effectively eliminating that year's blooms.
The two main pruning periods of the year.
For most hedges, two annual trims are sufficient to maintain a neat shape and dense foliage.
The first trim occurs in spring, usually between April and May. This structural pruning stimulates regrowth, removes branches damaged by winter, and restores a clean shape to the whole. It also shapes the hedge for the beautiful season.
The second trim, known as "finishing," is done at the end of summer, most often between August and September. It helps maintain the acquired shape, removes any overgrown shoots, and prepares the hedge for winter. A hedge trimmed in September will thus retain its beautiful silhouette until the vegetation restarts in the following spring.
Note: Some fast-growing hedges, such as Leyland cypress or cherry laurel, may require a third intervention in June to stay contained. Gardeners who lack time or wish to entrust their hedge trimming to a professional often opt for an annual maintenance contract, which guarantees two to three trims at optimal times without having to think about it.
The detailed calendar by type of hedge
Here, in detail, are the recommended periods according to the type of hedge:
Evergreen hedges (laurel, thuja, cypress, photinia): a pruning in April-May, followed by a second one in August-September. These species are sensitive to late cuts that expose them to frost.Deciduous hedges (hornbeam, beech, hawthorn): pruning ideally takes place in winter, when there is no frost, between December and February. A light second intervention at the end of summer helps maintain a neat shape. Hornbeam and beech have the particularity of retaining their dry leaves in winter, which is called marcescence.Flowering hedges (forsythia, lilac, weigela, spiraea): the golden rule is to prune just after flowering, never before. For forsythia or lilac that bloom in spring, pruning should be done in May or June. For summer-flowering varieties, we will wait until early autumn.Free or wild hedges: a single annual pass is sufficient, usually at the end of summer or the beginning of autumn. The idea is to maintain a natural appearance while controlling the volume.
Timing mistakes to absolutely avoid
Some situations should be avoided, as they can permanently damage your plants.
Pruning during frost is the worst mistake. The cut wounds do not heal properly, and the cold can lead to the drying out of the cut branches. It's better to wait for a thaw, even if it's just for a few days.
Pruning during a heatwave: in high temperatures, the plant is already experiencing significant water stress. Pruning at this time exacerbates dehydration and can cause yellowing or even drying out of entire sections of the hedge. If you must intervene in the middle of summer, prefer the early morning or late evening hours when it cools down.
Pruning a flowering hedge before blooming: this is probably the most common mistake. By cutting the branches that bear the future flower buds, you are simply giving up on this year's flowers. For these hedges, it's better to have one well-timed pruning than two poorly timed ones.
Pruning right after heavy rain: wet foliage promotes the spread of fungal diseases through tools, which carry spores from one branch to another.
Tools adapted to the hedge and the season.
The choice of tool depends on the diameter of the branches to be cut, as well as the length and height of the hedge.
The pruner remains the basic tool for precision cuts and branches up to 2 cm in diameter. It is the ally of flowering hedges, which deserve case-by-case attention.The manual hedge shears are suitable for small areas and delicate finishing touches.The electric hedge trimmer is perfect for medium-sized garden hedges. Lightweight and quiet, it offers a good efficiency-to-size ratio.The battery-powered hedge trimmer is increasingly appealing to users due to its freedom of movement, without cords or gasoline.The gas-powered hedge trimmer remains the reference for long lengths and thick hedges, but it is heavier and noisier.The telescopic pole is essential for tall hedges (over 2.50 m), allowing you to trim the top without having to climb a ladder.
Regardless of the tool chosen, remember to disinfect the blades between each hedge (with rubbing alcohol or quickly with a flame) to limit the spread of diseases from one plant to another.
The good reasons to entrust your pruning to a landscaper.
For gardeners who lack time, are unsure about the timing of intervention, or whose hedge has grown to impressive proportions, hiring a professional is often the most reassuring solution.
A landscaper knows how to recognize each species and adapts their technique accordingly. They intervene at the right moment, with the appropriate equipment, and also take care of the disposal of green waste (shredding on-site, composting, or taking it to a recycling center according to your preference). This also guarantees the avoidance of injuries related to handling a hedge trimmer at height, which are among the most common household accidents every spring.
Note: Gardening maintenance services provided to individuals fall under personal services and entitle you to a tax credit of 50% of the amount paid, within the limits of the current caps. This tax advantage effectively halves the actual cost of the service, significantly balancing the comparison between doing it yourself and hiring a professional.
Good to know: what French regulations say.
The height of hedges is subject to a regulatory framework that is useful to know, even if not all individuals are affected in the same way.
You have probably heard about the famous ban on trimming from March 16 to August 15. This rule, set by BCAE 8 (Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition), actually applies to agricultural operators benefiting from the Common Agricultural Policy. For individuals, there is currently no strict national calendar prohibition.
However, this does not mean that trimming can be done at any time in spring. Article L411-1 of the Environmental Code prohibits the destruction of nests and eggs of protected species year-round. Many familiar birds (blue tit, blackbird, robin, blackcap) nest precisely in garden hedges between March and July. Therefore, the LPO and the French Office for Biodiversity recommend avoiding any structural trimming during this period, or at least conducting a thorough visual inspection before any intervention.
The LOSARGA law, passed in March 2025, also provides for the establishment of defined prohibition dates at the departmental level starting in 2027. Local particularities will then take precedence over the national calendar.
Regarding heights and distances, the Civil Code (articles 671 and 672) imposes specific rules between neighbors: a planting of less than 2 meters in height must be located at least 50 cm from the property line, while a taller planting must be at least 2 meters from that same boundary. However, these distances can be modified by local customs or the Local Urban Planning Plan of your municipality.
A healthy hedge is primarily a matter of timing.
Successfully trimming hedges is ultimately not a mystery, provided you follow a few simple principles: know the type of hedge, intervene at the right time, choose the appropriate tool, and refrain during sensitive periods. Methodical gardeners also note their interventions in a dedicated notebook or calendar, which allows them to track the progress of each hedge from year to year. For the most complex or imposing hedges, hiring a landscaper remains the safest way to achieve a flawless result... without dedicating your weekends to it.
Note Well
Marcescence is a botanical phenomenon specific to certain deciduous species (hornbeam, beech, downy oak), where dead leaves remain attached to the branches throughout the winter, until the new buds push out in spring. This characteristic explains why hornbeam hedges retain a decorative aspect even in the depths of winter.