Hedge trimming is quoted per job rather than per metre, because length is only one of six things that decide how long the work takes. Two hedges the same length can differ by a factor of three.
The six factors
- Length. The starting point, and the least interesting.
- Height. The price steps up at the point the job needs a platform rather than a step ladder.
- Width. Both faces plus the top is roughly three times the work of topping alone.
- Species. Soft new growth cuts fast; thick woody stems and dense conifer do not.
- Time since the last cut. The single biggest variable on a neglected hedge.
- Access and disposal. Whether a chipper reaches it or the arisings go out by hand.
Trimming is not reduction, and the difference is the price
| Time since last cut | What the job actually is |
|---|---|
| Within a year | Routine trimming — quickest and cheapest |
| Two to three years | Heavier trim; the old cutting line is still findable |
| Four years or more | Reclamation — far more material, line usually lost |
| Never properly cut | A reduction project, priced as one |
Be straight about which you have when you ring. It costs nothing to say and it means the quote you get is the price you pay.
The width is where the money goes
A hedge cut only on top puts on a few inches of width every year. Over a decade that is a foot or more on each face — and by then taking it back means cutting into old wood, which on a conifer is permanent.
Nobody notices it happening, because it never changes much between one summer and the next. Cutting both faces at the same time as the top holds the footprint where it is. It costs more per visit and considerably less per decade.
Where the savings actually are
- All the hedges done in one visit rather than one at a time.
- Combining hedge work with tree work or clearance in the same arrangement.
- Keeping the chip if you have a use for it.
- Clearing the ground along the base before the crew arrives.
- Booking annually rather than rescuing it every few years.
- Flexible timing, outside the busiest weeks.
What to have ready when you ring
- Roughly how long, in metres or fence panels.
- Roughly how tall, measured against a door or window.
- What it is, if you know — conifer, Leylandii, laurel, privet, beech.
- When it was last properly cut.
- Whether you want the faces done as well as the top.
- Whether a vehicle can park nearby and whether a chipper can reach.
- Whether the arisings are staying or going.
One thing that is not a cost factor
Height, in the legal sense. There is no maximum lawful height for a hedge in England, and nobody can require you to cut one simply for being tall.
The two-metre figure people quote is the threshold at which a neighbour can complain to Wychavon District Council about an evergreen hedge blocking their light or access, under Part 8 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003. Even then the council cannot order the hedge below two metres and cannot order it removed.
Wychavon District Council remains the authority for that until 1 April 2028, when it is replaced by South Worcestershire Council under the reorganisation confirmed in July 2026.
Want a free quote on your hedge in Evesham?
Tell us roughly how long it is, how tall, and what it's made of if you know. We'll arrange a free quotation based on the actual work required.
More Evesham Hedge Maintenance Guides
Also in Evesham
Hedge Maintenance in Evesham →
Tree Surgery in Evesham →
All hedge maintenance guides →