How do i take care of a beech hedge?

it is our first year in our new house and we are novice gardeners so advice would be appreciated. it is just starting to bud now and a few leaves are appearing, when do we start to trim it? are there any good web sites out there that will give us basic gardening advice? like what do we do with the stems of daffodils once the flower dies? we honestly have no idea!!! we also have mint and it is growing like crazy....how do we stop it??? any help appreciated

How do i take care of a beech hedge?
.... and finally for a 'mint' answer .... Mint is a rampant plant - it will quickly spread to cover a vast area by using underground stems to travel. Dig the whole lot out asap, discard any excess and put one or two lots in pots. You can either sink the pot into the soil which will contain it, or just keep a pot near the kitchen door for use. Next Spring the pots will be full of congested roots so empty the pots then take five or six 'stands' with some root on the bottom and re-plant these in fresh compost and discard (or freeze) the rest. Hope this helps! Leave daffs until the leaves yellow then chop them off. As for your Beech - trim off any over-vigorous shoots as you go through the year and save your main prune for the autumn when you can safely prune one-third of the height / width. Try the link below for lots of garden advice. Good luck! :-)
Reply:I'm not much of a gardener myself but my father's house has a large beech hedge - you'll see it going completely nuts for the next couple of months now! Cut it in the autumn and don't be afraid to take quite a bit off - it'll grow back next year just like it has this year. As for your daffodils, some people believe you should tie the top of the dead flower in a knot until all the 'goodness' has gone back into the bulb. But I have a garden full of daffs and I've never done this, I just cut them off and they come back year after year. Can't help you with your mint dilemma I'm afraid! Best of luck with your new garden - hope the weather stays good so you can enjoy it!
Reply:The other posted answered your beech hedge question well so I'll try to answer your daffodil question.



Daffodil leaves make the energy, first for this year's flower(s), second to fatten up the bulb for next year and third, if there is still extra energy, to create a new bud for next year down in the bulb. They may also divide themselves and create new bulblets which will become new bulbs over time.



If you cut the leaves off immediately after they flower they will not usually have enough energy to be able to make buds for next year's blooms. That's why most people to leave the leaves until they turn yellow. I suppose, if the soil is very good and the leaves aren't cut immediately after they bloom, then they might be able to keep going every year. In my poor soil, they often dwindle away even though I leave the leaves.



Most people tie the leaves together or braid them so they look more tidy while they are starting to die back. That is not necessary, just aesthetic.

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