Reducing a large overgrown hedge is quoted on how much is coming off, the species, the access and the volume of waste. It's closer to tree work than to trimming, and the material it produces surprises people every time.
We don't publish a fixed price list for hedge work, because the length is only one part of it — height, condition, access and how much material comes out all move the number considerably. What we can do is set out what to look at before you ring round.
Why it's a different job from trimming
- Saws rather than trimmers, because the wood is thicker.
- Several times the waste volume of an annual cut.
- Working at height along the entire run.
- Judged cutting — there's no existing line to follow, so every cut is a decision.
- Protecting what's beneath, after years of the hedge growing over it.
- Substantially more clearing up.
The species question comes first
| Hedge | How it takes a hard reduction |
|---|---|
| Leylandii, cypress | Poorly — green growth only |
| Yew | Very well; regrows from old wood |
| Privet | Very well; extremely forgiving |
| Laurel | Well; responds strongly |
| Beech, hornbeam | Well, better staged if severe |
| Hawthorn, blackthorn | Well |
| Holly | Reasonably, but slow work |
Check the green limit before agreeing anything
It's measurable in advance rather than discovered afterwards. Push a hand into the hedge and look. On a conifer that's been maintained, green growth may extend a foot or more inward. On one left for years, it can be a couple of inches at the very surface — and that distance is the entire scope of what can be cut back.
Staging it over two seasons
On a badly overgrown hedge, taking everything off in one go can be more than the plant will tolerate and often produces a result nobody's happy with. Reducing the height one season and the sides the next gives it a full growing season to respond in between.
What drives the cost
- How much is coming off — the main driver.
- The length of the run.
- Current height, which decides the equipment.
- Wood thickness at the cutting line.
- Access along the run for platforms.
- Waste volume, which is considerable.
- What's beneath — borders, a fence, a neighbour's garden.
What it looks like afterwards
- Brown on the cut faces, initially, on most species.
- Deciduous hedges green up within a season.
- Conifers may not, if the cut went past the green.
- Thinner before it thickens.
- The base often stays sparse if it's been shaded out for years.
- We'll describe the likely finish at quotation — honestly, rather than reassuringly.
The part that makes it worth paying for
The restoration isn't really the point. Getting onto a maintainable cycle afterwards is — and it's the step most often skipped. A hedge restored beautifully and then left another four years is simply a hedge you'll restore again, at the same price, having gained nothing permanent.
Got a hedge that's got away from you?
Send a photo with something for scale. We'll tell you honestly how far it can come back.