Hedge Cutting

A well-maintained hedge is one of the most valuable features in any garden. It gives privacy, structure and shelter for wildlife. Our hedge cutting service covers all species and sizes, from small box edging to tall beech and leylandii hedges.

• Annual and biannual formal hedge cuts
• Informal hedge pruning
• Hedge height reduction
• Hedge renovation for overgrown hedges
• Hedge removal and stump treatment
• Tall hedge cutting with platforms and ladders

We cut all common UK hedge species, including:

• Beech (Fagus sylvatica): cut once a year in late August
• Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus): similar to beech
• Yew (Taxus baccata): formal hedges cut twice a year
• Leylandii: cut twice to keep in check
• Privet: cut 2 to 3 times through the growing season
• Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus): cut once in late summer
• Hawthorn: native hedge, cut in February
• Box (Buxus): formal low hedges, cut in May and September
• Escallonia and Pittosporum: mild climate hedges

For full timings and rules, see our article on when to cut hedges in the UK.

Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it is an offence to damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while it is being built or used. The main nesting season is 1 March to 31 August. We can technically cut hedges during this period but we always check carefully for nests first. If in doubt, we wait until September.

See RSPB hedge cutting guidance for more detail.

Overgrown hedges can usually be renovated rather than removed. Yew, beech, hornbeam, hawthorn, privet and laurel all respond well to hard pruning. We cut one side one year and the other side the next, to reduce the shock to the plant and keep some screening while it regrows.

Leylandii cannot be cut back into old brown wood. If a leylandii hedge has got too tall or too wide, the only option is to remove it and replant with something more manageable.

All hedge cuttings are taken away. We always leave the garden clean and tidy.

The quickest way to get a price is to send us a few photos of your garden via WhatsApp or email, along with your postcode and a brief description of what you need. We will review the photos and get back to you with a quote or arrange a free site visit if needed.

We cover Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Bedfordshire.

Towns we work in regularly include:

• Oxfordshire: Oxford, Henley-on-Thames, Thame, Chinnor, Watlington, Bicester, Witney, Abingdon, Banbury, Didcot, Wantage, Wallingford, Faringdon, Charlbury, Woodstock
• Buckinghamshire: High Wycombe, Aylesbury, Marlow, Beaconsfield, Amersham, Princes Risborough, Wendover, Gerrards Cross, Chesham, Great Missenden, Chalfont St Peter, Hazlemere, Buckingham, Winslow, Haddenham
• Berkshire: Reading, Wokingham, Bracknell, Windsor, Maidenhead, Slough, Newbury, Ascot, Sunninghill, Sandhurst, Crowthorne, Thatcham, Twyford, Woodley, Wraysbury
• Bedfordshire: Woburn, Leighton Buzzard

See our full locations page for all areas covered.