Slating T post put post inline with row this allow mowing closer to plants in row that one reason. next when go to cut old canes out they are easier to remove. Next on first year plants are smaller so wire can be lower and closer to ground to support half size plant. The growth of plant will show need to move wire up slanted T post on Triple crown are Chickasaw blackberry plant vegetation fast growing first move wire be just below white paint on top post tie wire on end post up wood post this allow slack as move wire up T post also wrap 3 wraps so give slack to wire. Wire will tighten as moves up slanted T post when I speech of tighten just take slack out wire with bull nose pliers by hand. On backyard planting any system work are small plot like use at university when get 200 ft. and above row length V trellis workable. Watching adult plant needs and mowing spraying and pruning give V trellis best ideal. Cost very cheap design. I had up to 800 ft. blackberry rows with one 6 inch tread post on each end and slanted T-post every 30 ft. one high tensile #12 on each row side plants where Chickasaw grow to 16 ft wide all berries on and over wire it was a blackberry fruit wall. On 5 acres picked 52,000 lbs. first year after plant where in ground for 17 months berries on receipt from Michigan berry growers Association. V-trellis support all weight perfectly wind before thunder storm plant lift up give big wave and settle back down I wave back lol.

Don't take this personally but that's one ugly tree!! I'm not sure you can make a vase shaped tree out of this thing. But I'd whack off those old limbs that are below horizontal. You need newer limbs from the inner part of the tree that are trained out in the form you want. You can't take off all of last years growth each year. That is where the fruit should be. So you need a serious pruning back into the old wood and then have a plan to keep some of the resulting regrowth to fruit. By next spring I'd be able to walk around that tree and never take my hand off the trunk. Then I'd train some of the new growth out in a vase form. Add lots of summer pruning to hold down the number of upright watersprouts that won't be saved. But it does depend somewhat on how tall a tree you want in a few years. The shorter you want long run the more it needs cutting back now.

I have archangel and like it. But I have lots of ground to cover. It has been growing for around 10 years and makes a dense weed blocking ground cover. You could just groom the edges away from other plants and wait to see what you want to do. I would not just go kill them now because of their reputation. If they are not full of weeds, they may be doing you a favor. I have planted shrubs in the middle of my euonymus and just keep it cut away from the shrub base. Living mulch!

Adrian - Ken has a deep seated hatred of hedges based on childhood trauma and also a strong aversion to monocultures. I inhabit a land full of hedges I don't share his distaste for them. I see nothing 'bad' at all about yours. I agree with wisconsintom that your hedge is not neglected and has clearly been quite well maintained until very recently. I'd say it was probably cut last Autumn. I see a healthy mature hedge which, judging by the thickness of some of the stems, is quite a few years old. In my opinion it would be a mistake to remove it. A hedge, especially a holly hedge, gives you privacy, security, a year round wind and litter screen and shelter for birds. All yours needs is regular ( nb regular doesn't equal frequent) shaping and removal of excess debris from the base. If the boards are rotting just take them away. The hedge doesn't need them. Holly can take heavy pruning and yours would not take long to cut once a year with a power hedge trimmer. Make the base wider than the top so light can get to all of it and snow is less likely to splay it out. I'd also level the top and get rid of the undulations. But that's just my opinion.