Yes. And once the hedge is cut back you can answer the more useful question: do you actually need both?
Hedge work first, always. You cannot set a fence line you cannot see, working through growth is far slower, and cutting back regularly reveals things that change the job — including an existing fence in poor condition.
Then decide whether the hedge stays, because that changes what you should build.
| Option | Ground recovered | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Keep the hedge, no fence | None | Still needs cutting; no hard boundary |
| Keep it, fence alongside | Little | One hedge face becomes hard to reach |
| Remove it, fence the line | The most | Loses height, wildlife value, softness |
| Remove it, fence with planting in front | Most, then some | Often the best compromise |
On a larger established garden the calculation often runs the other way from a small plot. A mature hedge is a substantial piece of structure — screening, height, wildlife value and a sense of enclosure that a fence at permitted height cannot match — and the ground it occupies matters proportionally less. Keeping and restoring it is frequently the better answer here.
Tell us what you need and we will arrange a free quotation.
Once a hedge has been cut back, the boundary behind it is properly reachable — with room to work — for perhaps two years before it closes over again. That is the window in which fence work is straightforward and affordable. Leaving it and coming back in five years means paying to cut the hedge again first.
This is general guidance rather than legal advice; boundary responsibility comes from your title deeds.
See what our hedge maintenance service covers in Henleaze, or read more about the service across the areas we work in.
Yes, always. You cannot set a line you cannot see, working through growth is far slower, and cutting back reveals things that change the job.
Usually poor. A hedge holds moisture against timber year-round and builds leaf litter up the boards, so posts rot at ground level and panels soften.
Keeping it is often the better answer on a larger plot. A mature hedge gives screening, height and enclosure a fence cannot match, and the ground it takes matters proportionally less.
Around two years before the hedge closes over again. That is when fence work is straightforward and affordable.
Yes, but the hedge face behind the fence becomes hard to cut, grows against the timber and shortens its life. Leave a workable gap or use concrete posts.
Far better to find out with an open boundary and time to talk than after posts are concreted in.
Concrete, because the hedge will grow back against them and timber will not survive that indefinitely.
Late summer for hedge reductions, autumn or winter for removal, with fencing following once roots are dealt with — and before any turfing.
Need tree surgery, hedge maintenance, fencing, garden clearance, turfing or power washing? Complete the form and tell us what work you require.
