One maintains the size it is. The other changes the size it is. Asking for the wrong one is the commonest reason a quote surprises people.
Cutting maintains a hedge at roughly its current size. It takes off the season's growth and restores the shape.
Reduction makes the hedge smaller than it currently is, cutting into older wood. It takes longer, produces far more waste, and on some species has a hard limit.
| Cutting / trimming | Reduction | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Maintains current size | Makes the hedge smaller |
| Cuts into | This season's growth | Older wood |
| Tools | Trimmers | Trimmers and saws |
| Waste | Modest | Substantial |
| Time | Hours | Can be a day or more |
| Species limits | Few | Significant on conifers |
| Appearance after | Immediately neat | Bare in places at first |
| Frequency | Annually or twice yearly | Occasionally, then maintain |
Tell us what you need and we will arrange a free quotation.
For a hedge that has got away from you, the two are not alternatives — they are stages.
Occasionally a hedge has gone too far. A conifer screen cut back past its green years ago, or a hedge with a permanently bare base and no live growth low down, may be better replaced than reduced. Replanting takes years to screen again, so it is not a decision to take lightly — but it is sometimes the honest one, and we would rather say so than take money for a cut that will not achieve what you want.
Describe the problem rather than the operation. "It is too tall and I want it down to about six feet" tells us more than "I need a reduction", and it means we can tell you honestly whether that is achievable on your hedge.
Tell us about the work and we will arrange a free quotation.
Cutting maintains a hedge at roughly its current size by taking off the season's growth. Reduction makes it smaller, cutting into older wood — slower, far more waste, and limited on some species.
If the hedge is untidy or losing shape, cutting. If it is too tall, too wide, unreachable or has been left for years, reduction.
They are usually stages rather than alternatives — a reduction to reset the size, then regular cutting to hold it there.
Yes, considerably. It takes longer, needs saws as well as trimmers, and produces far more waste to remove.
Only within the green growth. If the hedge has outgrown that, it may not be reducible to the size you want.
Deciduous hedges green up within a season. Conifers depend entirely on whether the cut stayed within green growth.
Late summer or early autumn usually, after nesting and as growth slows.
Occasionally replacement is more honest than reduction — a conifer cut past its green years ago will not recover. We would rather say so than take the work.
Need tree surgery, hedge maintenance, fencing, garden clearance, turfing or power washing? Complete the form and tell us what work you require.
