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Gardening · Hedge

Cutting the hedge by the moon calendar 2026

Biodynamic practice cuts hedges in the descending moon on a leaf day. Whoever wants a dense hedge cuts in the descending moon; whoever wants less regrowth cuts in the ascending moon. Flowering hedges get the flower day.

The next days for cutting the hedge

Days with a descending moon in the next four weeks. Leaf days are marked; unfavourable hours are listed with their times.

Times for Europe/London

Descending moon, leaf day

In a good 27 days the moon climbs once across the sky and descends again. In the descending moon, tradition sees the sap in the lower part of the plant, and pruning falls into this time. The day type is set by the part of the plant: hedges and topiary kept for their foliage belong to the leaf day. This holds for privet, hornbeam, beech, yew, thuja and cherry laurel.

Dense or calm: the course decides

Pierre Masson distinguishes pruning: in the descending moon it strengthens the plant, in the ascending moon it checks overly vigorous growth. Young hedges that should become dense, and gappy hedges, are therefore cut in the descending moon. Established formal hedges that should keep their shape and need cutting less often are cut in the ascending moon. Masson advises keeping the chosen rhythm for several years.

Flowering hedges

Forsythia, lilac, weigela and spiraea are kept for their flowers and belong to the flower day. Spring-flowering shrubs are cut after flowering, in the descending moon on a flower day.

Planting a hedge

Plant in the descending moon, leafy hedges on a leaf day, flowering hedges on a flower day. Masson calls the descending moon the planting period, good for all plantings and above all for bare-rooted plants, which is how hedging is often supplied. Planting time is autumn and early spring, while the shrubs are without leaves.

Nesting season

Hard cutting back belongs in autumn and winter, in the descending moon. In spring and summer birds nest in hedges; before every cut, check the hedge for occupied nests. Many countries restrict hedge cutting during the nesting season, so the local rules apply.

Full moon and perigee

The calendar does not block full and new moon. When the full moon coincides with the moon’s perigee, the time is considered favourable for fungal diseases. Masson then advises leaving out the cut and spraying horsetail as a precaution.

Hours to avoid

Lunar nodes, perigee, the occultation of a planet by the moon, planetary nodes and eclipses count as unfavourable in the biodynamic calendar, whatever the day type. So do the days from Good Friday to sunrise on Easter Sunday.

The list above names such hours with their times. If fewer than two suitable hours remain between 6 am and 9 pm on a day, that day is left out.

Frequently asked questions about hedge cutting by the moon

When to cut the hedge by the moon calendar?

In the descending moon on a leaf day, outside the unfavourable hours. The next suitable days are listed at the top of this page.

Cut the hedge on a waxing or waning moon?

For cutting, the biodynamic calendar counts the moon’s course: cutting happens in the descending moon, hedges on a leaf day. Waxing and waning describe the moon’s light, a different movement.

When are you allowed to cut hedges?

Hard cutting back belongs in autumn and winter. In the nesting season, check the hedge for occupied nests before every cut; the local rules on hedge cutting apply.

When to plant a hedge by the moon?

In the descending moon, leafy hedges on a leaf day, flowering hedges on a flower day. In autumn or early spring, while the shrubs carry no leaves.

Cutting thuja and cherry laurel by the moon?

Like any leafy hedge: in the descending moon on a leaf day. Whoever wants to keep the hedge dense stays with the descending moon.

Cut the hedge at full moon?

The calendar does not block the full moon. When it coincides with perigee, Masson advises against cutting, because the time is considered favourable for fungal diseases.

Gardening by the moon