Cutting a hedge is the easy half — the judgement is how far back the species will come, and whether anything is nesting in it.
after fledging, and whilst a deciduous hedge is leafless
the offence attaches to the nest, not to the month
beech, box, hawthorn, holly, hornbeam and yew
they do not re-shoot from brown wood
no chainsaw, climbing or felling work
volume is what changes between a summer and a winter cut
Hedge trimming is the maintenance cut on an established garden hedge: the sides and top taken back to an even line, the growth since the last cut removed, and the arisings raked off and carried away. A harder reduction or a reshape is the same job done bigger, on species that re-shoot from old wood. Conifer hedges are quoted separately, because they do not.
Against doing it yourself
A domestic trimmer will take the growth off. What it leaves behind is the raking, the loading, the disposal and the one decision that matters — how far into the old wood this particular species will tolerate being taken.
Against letting it go
Beech, box, hawthorn, holly, hornbeam, Lonicera nitida and yew can be reduced by as much as half in height and width in a single cut, and further than that in stages over two or three years. Most conifers cannot be brought back at all.
Against a fence
A fence panel arrives finished and degrades from that day. A hedge kept to an agreed line thickens where it is cut, screens better each year, and shelters the garden behind it, which on open ground west of Ormskirk is worth having.
There is no month this cannot be done, and no month it can be done without checking. Under section 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 the offence is damaging or destroying the nest of a wild bird whilst that nest is in use or being built — it attaches to the nest, not to a date, so a check goes in immediately before the blades do, in any month. We cut in sections for the same reason: a nest found part-way through costs one panel, not the job.
Aughton is where most of this work sits: tree-lined roads through the village, Holt Green and Town Green, generous plots, and boundaries made of hedge rather than fence panel. The inter-war semis around Ormskirk still carry their original privet or beech, and the Skelmersdale estates were planted from one municipal palette in a single decade, so whole streets arrive at the same overgrown state together. One point of geography: a hedge in Maghull sits in Sefton, not West Lancashire, so a tree enquiry there goes to a different council.
It sits alongside the rest of our garden services in Ormskirk, and is often booked with regular garden maintenance. The ground changes across the patch — see Ormskirk.
We look at the species, the depth of green and how far past the last cut it has gone, then agree a line we can actually hold to. That conversation happens before the quote, not on the day.
A thorough look through the section about to be cut, immediately beforehand rather than a week earlier, with the check noted and dated.
Minutes
Sheets go under the run so the clippings land where we can lift them, and we work panel by panel so an active nest found part-way stops that section and nothing else.
Faces and top brushed down, the ground raked clear, and the arisings loaded and removed the same day unless you would rather keep them for a heap.
A formal hedge holds a late cut through to spring. We tell you what month it wants next and whether one cut a year or two is the honest answer for that species.
What moves the price
The run of hedge, its height and depth, how far past the last cut it has gone, whether it is formal or informal, and whether both faces can be reached. The arisings matter in their own right — a hedge cut in August yields a full season's growth where the same hedge in a winter reduction yields structural wood, and disposal is charged by volume. You get a written quote after we have seen it.
The binding one
Work stops on the day, and the rest of the hedge waits until the young have flown. The check costs minutes at the start and is the only thing that removes the risk rather than managing it.
The rule people confuse it with
It does not. The Management of Hedgerows (England) Regulations 2024 reach hedgerows on or next to agricultural land, and expressly exclude a hedgerow within the curtilage of a dwelling house or marking its boundary. The nest is the rule for a garden hedge, in any month.
Permanent
Most conifers apart from yew do not re-shoot from old wood, so a cut past the green shell leaves a brown face that stays brown. On the Skelmersdale and 1960s Ormskirk estates this is the commonest hedge dispute there is, and it is settled at survey.
Where it goes
Trade waste is not accepted at any household waste recycling centre in Lancashire, and it is illegal to deposit it there — waste a trader produces on your property is commercial waste wherever it came from. A quote should say who is removing it.
This is the general position, not a decision about your property. We confirm it with the authority named above before we quote.
Dan came and did a day clear up on our garden, he then scarified, fed and seeded our lawn. We then booked him to come back, put down sacking, edging and stones. Dan works hard from start to finish and leaves your garden clean and tidy, taking away debris. My daughter is getting married on Monday so we are having a garden party, we are now party ready! Thank you 😊
Dan was very reliable , efficient and got the job done to a high standard. We are very pleased with our garden.
Highly recommend, pays great attention to detail, with excellent knowledge and skill. Very reliable and will give you a bespoke service tailored to your needs.
Dan was fantastic! My garden was in a bad way and now it looks incredible! Can’t believe how quick he was and what a fab job he’s done, also very reasonable price considering what he was faced with. Would 10/10 recommend.
Booked in with Hardman Horticulture to get on top of a garden that had been somewhat neglected for many months - Dan was able to communicate effectively around availability, provided a fair quote for the work, and turned up when they said they would. Very pleased with the results of the initial visit and have communicated intention to re-book for further garden work. Highly recommend!
Very good at maintaining my gardens and reliable
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