To get a straight edge when you're pruning boxwoods, tie a string onto two bamboo poles that are just a little higher than you'd like the hedge, says show host Kim Haworth. Stretch the string along the hedge at the height you'd like to trim down to, and stab the poles into the ground on either side, creating a straight edge of string. Trim the boxwoods along the edge of the string, always wearing safety goggles, of course (figure A). Be sure to angle boxwoods out and down when you trim, so the lower branches can receive sun.
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