When to shear an evergreen hedge?

[thomasJ]

Hello all,

I really enjoy the forum, and its been so useful in my gardening so thank you all so much! I'm hoping somebody can help me out here.

I've recently moved into a new home, and there is a huge evergreen hedge (I think its Thuja occidentalis) on the property which is great for privacy . Its overgrown and uncared for so I would like to shear it , clean it up and and rejuvenate it a little before winter but I want to make sure that its the proper time of year to do so. Some people tell me to shear it in winter dormancy, others say now is the time so that it can harden off before winter.

Any advice?

Thank You!!

[bullthistle]

Shear it before Christmas and use the greens to decorate.

[thomasJ]

Thats great, thank you!!

[MaineDesigner]

Although it probably won't harm your Thuja to shear it in the winter my advice would be to wait until early spring (April) and do it then. You are far enough north that winter dessication can be an issue and shearing would only add to that risk. Also keep in mind that Thujas can't break new growth on old wood - if you cut into it past the green foliage you're stuck with a hole until it fills in from the sides.