Topping Cherry trees in hedging

dmcdona

I planted about 150m of double hedging in Jan 2021. 9 different barefoot hedging species, one of which is cherry. In all, there are about 25 cherries in the hedges (4 hedges total, of varying length).I gently trimmed the sides last winter but not the tops.

The cherries are a fair bit taller than adjacent plants. There are a few I don't mind letting grow tall but there are definitely a few I do not.

Is it ok to simply top them when I come to trim the hedges this coming winter (I'll be trimming the tops for the first time)?

macraignil

Cherry are said to be susceptible to silver leaf disease so pruning is better done in the summer to help avoid your trees catching this disease.

The Continental Op

Cherry or perhaps Cherry Laurel?

dmcdona

I'm fairly sure they are Cherry and not cherry laurel. I'll dig out the tags.

magicbastarder

Would be very odd to use cherry as hedging. Are they evergreen, with shiny/waxy leaves?

looksee

Aren't they often included with the intention that they are allowed to grow as occasional trees in the hedge?

dmcdona

Appreciate the replies. The landscaper recommended (as do Teagaisc) a few cherry trees interspersed in the hedge. I haven't managed to find the original tags but I have a clear note of "flowering cherry".
The landscaper said we could trim them the same as the hedging they are planted within but if there were some we wanted to leave to grow tall, that'd be grand.

I'll post a pic.

dmcdona

3 of about 25 cherry trees. Two of these I'd let grow. The first pic is one I'd prefer to "top".
@macraignil - I can delay the topping until next summer to avoid silver leaf.

looksee

The stuff around it is vigorous enough that if you top it and it dies, the surrounding plants will fill the gap.

The Continental Op

What reason do you have for topping them? Can't really see the point?

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122419192#Comment_122419192

Nor me, I'd let them grow naturally, pruning them will ruin them.

But if you must it's still fine to do it now, on a dry still day they'll seal themselves against silver leaf within a couple of hours.

The Continental Op

Only thing I might do is remove lower branches that are becoming part of the hedge.

dmcdona

Good points all round and your advice is much appreciated.

I had thought that if I let the cherries grow up high, they'd overshadow adjacent hedging and kill them off? That said, this is not a stock proof hedge so it wouldn't be the end of the world - judging by the wild blackthorn and whitethorn growing here being virtually impossible to kill off, I even think that is not too likely. I do love cherry trees!

I think the best course of action with the useful feedback you've all given is leave well enough alone and enjoy a lot of cherry blossom next spring.

Thanks again.

The Continental Op

Post a photo up of the blossom next spring maybe we can identify it. I suspect for the type of hedge you have its Prunus avium https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/a-z-of-british-trees/wild-cherry/

looksee

I doubt trees would affect the hedge. I have an enormous granddaddy sycamore and an adjacent similar ash, with a bird cherry further up, also full grown and the hedge grows between them no problem. The hedge is well escaped in size and the hawthorns and elders are pretty big too.

Jim_Hodge

It would be madness to have planted 25 cherry trees and to top them with a hedge. Let them grow, as the original planting plan has to have been.

dmcdona

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122422440#Comment_122422440

oddly enough, Cherry was a replacement plant for something I'd requested that the landscaper didn't have. It was he who told me I could trim the cherry the same as the hedging and to the same height…

Accidentally

Cherry casts a light shadow, similar to ash, so it's not going to kill anything in a hedgerow.

I'd be more worried about the Blackthorn. It spreads via underground runners, so you'll need to be mowing both sides of the hedge to stop it spreading.

dmcdona

Didn't know that about Blackthorn so that's good advice. Both sides of hedging is mowed or strimmed regularly and I normally go an inch lower than the lawns.
I've also kept the interior of the hedge clear of weeds as much as possible whilst it matures. I've grown a patch of oats and will use the straw as a mulch this coming year.

As an aside, we have a lot of whitethorn/blackthorn here beyond the hedging. The white blossom in the spring is lovely.