TIPS ON SUMMER PRUNING
If you want trees and shrubs to be bushy and create a good screen then keeping them restricted in height makes sure that the thick growth is in the place that you need it.
If you have a hedge then clipping it is the normal method and don't forget to slope the hedge inwards from the bottom to the top. If you like shaping bushes, for example a Bay, then as new growth develops keep shortening it back so the bush stay compact and you can also start to create you own shapes.
If you are working with conifers of the Cupressus family then don’t let the growth become too long before pruning for this species does not send out new buds from bare wood. If you are lucky enough to have conifers of the Thuya family then you can cut really hard back and this species will send out shoot from bare trunks as well as bare branches.
Christopher
thanks for that information.My garden has ben sadly neglected this year for various reasons and is in dire need of trimming back!Trouble is some bushes and hedges have grown such long branches to cut them back too hard will leave gaping bare holes ,something I don't want if I want some privacy for nude sunning!
You could try wiring-in some long stems laterally rather than cutting them off, and nipping-off the growing tip to encourage dormant buds to shoot along the stems' length.
Whenever I do garden-makeovers for other people it's always the existing vegetation which offers the biggest challenge, to bring it back from the brink. I think for us this subject is very important, even if you're a non-gardener...