Reset, then maintain. The reset is the expensive part and you only want to do it once.
Establish the species, decide the finished size, reduce it — in one season or two depending on severity — then keep it there with regular cutting.
The species decides what is possible, and it is the first thing to settle, not the last.
Be specific, and be realistic. "Smaller" is not a brief. A height in feet or metres, a width, and whether the top matters, tells us what you actually want — and lets us tell you honestly whether the hedge will get there and stay looking like a hedge.
| Situation | Approach |
|---|---|
| Moderately overgrown, forgiving species | One operation |
| Severely overgrown, forgiving species | Height one year, sides the next |
| Conifer within green growth | One operation, limited |
| Conifer past green growth | Reduction will not achieve it — see replace guide |
| Very old, bare-based | Assess; laying or replacement may be better |
Tell us what you need and we will arrange a free quotation.
A hedge restoration is a good moment to look at the rest of the boundary. If the fence behind it is failing, it is far easier to replace now, with the hedge cut back and the line accessible, than in three years when it has grown over again. Likewise a tree in or beside the hedge, or a clearance along the base — one visit, one set-up, one lot of waste, and the boundary is sorted for years rather than revisited annually.
See what our hedge maintenance service covers in Keynsham, or read more about the service across the areas we work in.
Establish the species, decide the finished size, reduce it in one season or two depending on severity, then keep it there with regular cutting.
Because it decides what is possible. Yew, privet, beech and laurel take hard cutting well; leylandii and most conifers will not regrow from bare wood.
Slightly below your target height. The hedge grows from wherever you cut, so cutting to exactly the height you want puts you back where you started within a season.
Moderately overgrown forgiving species can be done in one. Severely overgrown hedges are better staged — height one year, sides the next.
It may not fill back in after years of shade. That is worth knowing before the work, and it is one of the situations where replacement is worth considering.
Cut annually or twice yearly, keep a slight taper so light reaches the base, and never let it get wider at the top.
Late summer or early autumn for most, winter for deciduous hedges, and always with a check for nesting birds first.
It is worth considering. With the hedge cut back the line is accessible, and doing both now is far easier than in three years.
Need tree surgery, hedge maintenance, fencing, garden clearance, turfing or power washing? Complete the form and tell us what work you require.
