Hedge cutting is quoted per job, because length on its own tells you very little. What the hedge is, how it has been kept and what finish you want change the work more than the number of metres does.
The factors, in rough order
- Length and height. The baseline, with the step up coming where the job needs a platform rather than a step ladder.
- Width, and whether the faces are done. Both faces plus the top is roughly three times the work of topping alone.
- Species. Soft growth cuts quickly; dense conifer, old hawthorn and thick woody stems do not.
- Time since the last cut. The biggest variable on a neglected hedge.
- The finish you want. A formal, worked-to-a-line cut takes noticeably longer than a tidy one.
- Access and disposal. Whether a chipper reaches the hedge or the arisings go out by hand.
Traditional and formal hedges are different jobs
Worth separating, because they are quoted differently and the difference is not obvious from a description.
| Hedge type | What it wants | Relative cost |
|---|---|---|
| Mixed native — hawthorn, hazel, field maple | A looser hand; not a razor line | Moderate |
| Formal — yew, beech, hornbeam, box | Worked to a line and level, tapered faces | Higher |
| Boundary conifer | Cut inside the green, faces and top | Moderate |
| Neglected anything | Reclamation before maintenance | Highest first visit |
Conversely, a yew or beech hedge cut roughly looks like a missed opportunity. It is worth saying at quotation which of the two you have and which finish you are after, because both the price and the result depend on it.
What a formal finish actually involves
Three things separate a hedge that has been finished from one that has been tidied, and none of them are about the machine.
- A true top line, set with a line rather than judged by eye. On any run over a few metres an eye-judged top dips and rises in a way you notice without being able to say why.
- A batter on the faces — slightly wider at the base than the top. Partly appearance, mostly horticulture: it keeps light on the base so the bottom stays green rather than going bare.
- Square ends. Where a hedge stops it should stop deliberately, not fade out.
The width is where the money goes long-term
A hedge cut only on top puts on a few inches of width a 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.
Where the savings are
- All the hedges done in one visit rather than one at a time.
- Combining hedge work with tree work or clearance.
- Keeping the chip if you have a use for it.
- Clearing the ground along the base beforehand.
- Booking annually rather than rescuing it every few years.
- Being flexible outside the late-summer rush.
One thing that is not a cost factor
Height, legally speaking. There is no maximum lawful height for a hedge in England. Two metres is the threshold at which a neighbour may complain to Cotswold District Council about an evergreen hedge blocking light or access — not a limit you must keep to — and even then the council cannot order it below two metres or order it removed.
(Cotswold District Council remains the authority for that until 1 April 2028, when it is replaced by Gloucestershire Council.)
Want a free quote on your hedge in Moreton-in-Marsh?
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 Moreton-in-Marsh Hedge Maintenance Guides
Also in Moreton-in-Marsh
Hedge Maintenance in Moreton-in-Marsh →
Tree Surgery in Moreton-in-Marsh →
All hedge maintenance guides →