Width is harder to fix than height, and on some species it cannot be fixed at all. Worth finding out which yours is.
Four options: narrow it, reduce it in stages, replace it with something more suitable, or remove it and fence.
Which are available depends entirely on the species. A hedge that regrows from old wood can be narrowed substantially; a conifer past its green cannot be narrowed at all without leaving a brown wall.
Tell us what you need and we will arrange a free quotation.
Where the hedge is both too tall and too wide, staging makes a real difference in an established garden. Height one year, one face the next, the other face the year after. Slower and more expensive across three visits, but it produces a hedge rather than a scarred remnant — and it lets the planting either side adjust to the changing light rather than being shocked all at once.
| Option | Ground recovered | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Narrow it | Some | Bare face for a season; species-dependent |
| Stage over years | Some, gradually | Slower and dearer overall |
| Replace with a better species | Most, eventually | Three to five years to screen |
| Remove and fence | The most, immediately | Loses height, wildlife value, softness |
| Fence with planting in front | Most, then some | Often the best compromise |
Replacement is the honest answer where the hedge is simply the wrong plant. A leylandii planted as a quick screen in an ordinary garden will always want to be twenty metres tall and two metres wide — reducing it is a permanent commitment to fighting it. Yew, hornbeam or a native mix in the same position needs a fraction of the maintenance and stays where you put it.
See what our hedge maintenance service covers in Kingswood, or read more about the service across the areas we work in.
On species that reshoot from old wood — yew, privet, laurel, beech, hornbeam, hawthorn, holly — yes, one face at a time across two seasons. Conifers generally cannot.
Because each trim was taken just outside the previous year's cut line rather than into it. That adds a little width every year and compounds over a decade.
Often a metre or more of depth, plus root spread, a dry shadow where little grows, and access space to cut it.
Better not on a severe reduction. One face, then the other the following year, gives the hedge time to respond.
Where the hedge is the wrong plant for the space. A leylandii in an ordinary garden is a permanent commitment to fighting it.
You recover the most ground immediately and lose the maintenance, but also height, wildlife value and softness. A fence with planting in front is a middle path.
Three to five years, depending on species and planting size.
Frequently, and usually in poor condition — a hedge keeps timber permanently damp.
Need tree surgery, hedge maintenance, fencing, garden clearance, turfing or power washing? Complete the form and tell us what work you require.
