How to trim a hedge

Inspired by a helpful YouTube guide. This walk-through draws on "How to cut & trim hedges: the ultimate guide for perfect garden hedges" by Garden Ninja: Lee Burkhill, an award-winning UK garden designer based in Manchester. Lee has a knack for making garden tasks feel manageable rather than daunting, and his sequence for tackling sides before the top is particularly useful.

1. Check the law and the nesting season

In the UK it is illegal to cut hedges during the main nesting season — generally March to the end of July — if birds are actively nesting in them. Before you pick up the trimmer, take a look. Any sign of a nest and you wait.

The best trimming windows are late February before nesting begins, and August to October once it has finished. For formal hedges needing two cuts a year, late spring and early autumn work well.

2. Get the right tools

For a typical garden hedge, a corded or cordless electric hedge trimmer covers most jobs. A petrol trimmer gives more power for larger, tougher hedges. Long-handled shears are useful for topping if you want to avoid using a ladder.

Check the blade guard is in place, wear gloves, and make sure whatever lead or cable you are using is rated for outdoor use. That last one matters more than people think.

3. Set up a guide line for straight sides

Run a taut string line along the side you want to trim first. This does not need to be a complicated setup — a couple of garden canes and a length of string is enough. Having a visual reference is the difference between a neat edge and a gently meandering one.

Step back regularly. Your eye adjusts as you work, and small drifts are easy to miss up close.

4. Trim the sides first, working upwards

Always work from the base of the hedge upwards. This lets the clippings fall away from where you have already trimmed rather than settling back onto finished sections.

Use smooth, sweeping strokes rather than short choppy ones. Keep the blade parallel to the face of the hedge rather than angling into it. For a tapered formal shape — slightly wider at the base than the top — adjust the angle slightly as you go.

5. Do the top last

Once both sides look right, tackle the top. If you can do this from the ground with a long-handled trimmer or shears, all the better. For anything above about shoulder height, use a proper stepladder on firm ground rather than stretching.

A plank or board laid across two ladders gives a safer working platform for longer runs. Worth the set-up time.

6. Clear clippings straight away

Hedge clippings left sitting on the surface of a lawn or border will kill off what is below them surprisingly quickly. Rake or shake them off as you go, or spread a tarpaulin to catch the bulk of them.

Clippings from most common garden hedges — privet, beech, hornbeam, hawthorn — can go on a compost heap if shredded, or in the green bin.

7. Tidy the base

Use hand shears or a half-moon edger to neaten the line between the hedge base and the lawn or path. It is a small detail that makes the whole job look far more finished than it would otherwise.

Water the hedge if the weather has been dry. Trimming puts the plant under a degree of stress, and a good drink afterwards helps it push out fresh growth.

When to call a handyman

Richard can help with hedge trimming where access is safe and the hedge height is manageable. Particularly useful for front hedges on roads where you need someone on-site while you are at work, or for properties where the hedge has not been done for a while and needs more than a light tidy.