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Cutting a Conifer Hedge — Avoid cutting back into the Brown Areas & Feed for Health

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A well-trimmed conifer hedge gives a crisp, clean boundary to your garden and supports privacy, wind-break and green structure throughout the year. But to keep it looking its best, you need to be careful and not trim back into the brown, leafless areas — and equally important, you must feed the hedge to maintain its health and vigour.

Why not cut into the brown zones?
When you trim a conifer hedge (such as a leylandii or other evergreen screening hedge), avoid cutting back into the brown woody stems or dead zones. Conifers regenerate from green, live growth only. If you cut past the green into brown, you’ll encounter bare patches that do not regrow, leaving holes in the hedge. One article notes how thinning is a real problem with older conifer hedges and correct pruning helps prevent it. GardenAdvice.co.uk+2GardenAdvice.co.uk+2
Likewise, general trimming guidance highlights that the shape and healthy outer green growth must be retained. BBC Gardeners World Magazine+1
By trimming only where there’s live green growth, you preserve the hedge’s dense screen and avoid unsightly gaps.

When & how to trim

  • The best time to trim is when growth has slowed — often late summer through early autumn in UK gardens.
  • Use sharp hedge‐trimmers and keep the cutting bar angled, maintaining a narrower top than base so light still reaches lower branches. BBC Gardeners World Magazine
  • Don’t cut back into the brown stems — stop at the live green growth. If some inner areas are thinning and brown, consider replanting or under‐planting rather than heavy cutting back.

Feeding the hedge for health
Even well established hedges benefit from nutrition: feeding encourages fresh, vigorous green growth, which helps keep the hedge dense and hides the woody stems. Older conifers in particular are prone to natural decline if maintenance lags. GardenAdvice.co.uk+1
Use a balanced hedge or shrub fertiliser according to instructions — often early spring and again in midsummer helps. A healthy hedge resists pests and diseases and stays fuller for longer.

Link for further reading
You can read more about dealing with thinning conifer hedges on our site: How to Deal With Thinning Conifer Hedges GardenAdvice.co.uk
Also: Replacing a Conifer Hedge offers advice if the hedge is beyond trimming and feeding. GardenAdvice.co.uk