On the forgiving species, yes, and further than most people expect. On conifers, usually not — and it is worth knowing which before you plan anything.
Yes on species that regrow from old wood — yew, privet, laurel, beech, hornbeam, hawthorn, holly. One face at a time, across two seasons.
Usually not on leylandii and most conifers, which regrow only from green growth. If the green is a few inches deep, that is the entire scope of what can come off.
| Hedge | How hard | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Privet | Very hard | Extremely forgiving; recovers quickly |
| Yew | Very hard | The conifer that does regrow from old wood |
| Laurel | Hard | Responds strongly, sometimes vigorously |
| Hawthorn, blackthorn | Hard | Tough; suits laying as well |
| Beech, hornbeam | Hard | Better staged if severe |
| Holly | Hard | Slow to recover; slow to cut |
| Leylandii, cypress | Green growth only | No regrowth from bare wood |
| Box | Moderate | Recovers slowly |
Doing both faces in one operation on a hedge that has been left for years is asking a great deal of the plant, and on anything other than privet it is a real risk. The two-season approach costs more in total and produces a hedge rather than a casualty.
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This is usually the reason for doing it, and it is worth measuring rather than guessing. A hedge that has crept outward by a foot on each face over a decade is occupying two feet more than it needs to along its whole length — which on a boundary run is a substantial strip of garden. Add the dry shadow it casts and the access space needed to cut it, and the total is often more than people expect.
See what our hedge maintenance service covers in Kingswood, or read more about the service across the areas we work in.
On species that regrow from old wood — yew, privet, laurel, beech, hornbeam, hawthorn, holly — yes, one face at a time across two seasons.
Push a hand into the hedge and look. On a maintained conifer green growth may extend a foot inward; on a neglected one, a couple of inches. That is the whole scope of what can be cut.
Because cutting both faces of a long-neglected hedge in one operation asks a great deal of the plant. Leaving one face intact lets it keep feeding itself.
One to two growing seasons on forgiving species. Conifers cut past their green may never recover in that area.
Cutting at the right time for the species, watering in a dry spell, clearing and mulching the base, feeding the following spring, and not cutting again until it has responded.
Not always. A base shaded out for years often stays sparse, which is worth knowing before the work.
Often more than expected — a hedge that crept a foot on each face over a decade occupies two feet more than it needs, plus its dry shadow and access space.
On a conifer at its green limit, a hedge bare-based beyond recovery, or where the species is simply wrong for the position.
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