Beech hedging trimmed too short

Hi everyone.

So, about 2 years ago, I trimmed our beech hedging, which was about 1 year old at the time. It was growing too tall and the lead stems were very thin, to the point that they were uprooting in the wind. I trimmed the lead stems to about 3 feet and in the last couple of years, they've thickened and bushed out pretty well, although there are quite a few sparse areas. Ideally, I'd like them to be 4 foot tall but I fear they won't gain any more height given that I trimmed the lead stems so early. Am I correct in thinking they won't grow any taller? I've heard it takes 5 years for beech hedging to fully mature, so I'm wondering if they might grow at the lead stem a little bit over the next couple of years.

Any advice much appreciated.

 

They will get taller , its normal to cut below the desired height to help the plant / hedge become more busy.

 

Thanks for replying Perki. Well, that's encouraging. I've read that trimming the bulb off the main stem helps growth but I wasn't sure seeing as I cut about a foot further down. There doesn't seem to be any growth above the lead stem at the moment as the leaves have all fanned out. This might seem like an obvious question, but will the lead stems grow new shoots, or will the offshoots provide the continued height?

 

It may form new buds near the top or more likely the side shoots will fill it in, most plants / tree / shrubs etc want to grow up, its just a waiting game they are quite vigorous when established but a trim in july is all it needs until next july.

 

Great, thanks very much for the advice