Hedge Trimming

Hedge Trimming in Wanaka

We are expert hedge trimmers and can access those more difficult ones that you or your gardener don't want to tackle! Do you prefer a natural flowing hedge or a formal English garden look? We can help keep your garden looking its best.

Request a free quote 027 516 6690

A long clipped hedge across a lawn with Lake Wanaka and the mountains behind it

The awkward ones

Hedges that need an arborist, not a hedge trimmer

A knee-high box hedge is a Saturday job. A four-metre macrocarpa shelter belt, a leylandii wall that has not been touched in six years, or a laurel hedge along a steep bank is a different proposition. Those are the hedges we are asked for: tall, wide, overgrown, or in a spot where a ladder is not safe.

We work from the ground with pole tools where that is enough, and from ropes or a platform where it is not. The top is cut level, the faces are brought back to a straight line, and the trimmings are chipped before we leave.

A tall, neatly clipped hedge beside a driveway with a low box hedge and white flowers in front

What the job includes

Formal or natural

A formal English garden look with crisp faces and a flat top, or a natural flowing hedge that is simply kept in bounds. Tell us which and we will cut to it.

Height reduction

A hedge that has grown past its useful height can usually be brought down, in stages where the species needs it, so the view and the light come back.

Renovation

Overgrown hedges can often be cut back hard and regrown. Some species take this well and others will not, so we tell you before the first cut which kind you have.

Chipped and cleared

Every trimming goes through the chipper. Keep the mulch for your beds or we take it away. Lawns and paths are raked and blown clean.

How a hedge job runs

Look and price
A free visit to measure the hedge, check what it is and how healthy it is, and agree on the height and shape you want. You get a price before the job is booked.
Cut
Top first, then the faces, working to a line so the result is straight from the street. Tall hedges are cut from ropes or a platform rather than a ladder.
Chip and tidy
The trimmings are chipped as we go and the site is cleared before we leave.

What affects the price and timing

Hedge work is priced on length, height and how far it has got away. A well kept hedge trimmed every year is quick; one that has doubled in size since it was last cut is a renovation, with a lot more material to chip. Access along the hedge, a bank or a fence on one side, and whether the trimmings can be chipped on site all go into the figure.

Most hedges are best trimmed in late spring or summer when the growth has hardened, with a second light trim in late summer for a formal finish. Hard renovation cuts are better made at the start of the growing season so the hedge has a full summer to recover. If the hedge is a nesting site, we will suggest waiting until the birds have fledged.

Where a hedge has grown into something closer to a row of trees, our tree pruning page covers the reduction work, and if a shelter belt has reached the end of its life, tree removal and a replanting may be the better long-term answer.

Hedge trimming questions

Can an overgrown hedge be cut back hard?

It depends on the species. Hedges that regrow from old wood, such as laurel, griselinia, pittosporum and most deciduous hedges, can be cut back hard and renovated over a season or two. Conifer hedges such as leylandii and macrocarpa will not regrow from bare wood, so the face has to be kept within the green growth. We tell you which kind you have before we cut.

How often should a hedge be trimmed?

Once a year keeps most hedges in shape; a formal hedge looks its best with two lighter trims. Fast growers in a good spot may need more. Leaving it for several years means a much bigger job later.

Can you trim a neighbour's hedge on my side of the boundary?

Generally you may cut back the parts of a neighbour's hedge or tree that cross onto your property, as far as the boundary, and it is always better to talk to the neighbour first. Some trees are protected, so it pays to check. The Community Law page linked on this page sets out the rules in plain words.

What happens to the clippings?

They are chipped on the day. The mulch is yours if you want it for the garden, or we take it away.

Do you do small hedges too?

Yes, usually as part of a larger visit. If you have a tall hedge and a few smaller ones, we do them all on the same day.

Boundaries

Hedges on the boundary

Many hedges sit on or near a boundary, which raises the question of what you can cut. Community Law explains that the law lets you cut back branches and roots from a neighbour's trees that encroach on your property, as far as the boundary, that some trees are protected under the Resource Management Act or a council's rules, and that it is always best to talk to your neighbour first.

We are happy to look at a shared hedge with both owners and trim it to suit both sides on the same visit.