Helpful information
Timing: Spring, summer
Where to do it: Outdoors
Garden space: Large garden, small garden, balcony
Trimming and shaping hedges can keep them under control and looking their best. Find advice on when to prune, tools and technique.
- Hedge trimming is a physical activity that can give you a great upper body workout.
- You can get very creative with hedges, making cubes, balls or all manner of shapes in your garden
- A tidy, formal hedge can look nice next to wild bedding. Together, they create a pleasing contrast of styles
Essential items
- Hedge trimming tools (see below)
Optional items
- Gardening gloves
- Long trousers and closed toe shoes
- Protective goggles
- Ladder / steps
- Bucket or container for debris
- Compost bin
Tools to make it easier
- Kneeler seat with handles
- Leaf tarp
- Long-handled leaf grabber
Hedge trimmers
A hedge trimmer going over the top of a hedge
Hedge trimmers are good for working on large areas. Electric corded or battery-powered cordless versions are available.
Avoid using hedge trimmers above head height as this can increase the risk of injury. Reaching above your head with your trimming tool can put extra strain on the neck, arms and back.
If you need to trim at height, lightweight long-reach / telescopic hedge trimmers are available. These allow you to reach without raising your arms above your head or using a ladder. You can also use them from a seated position if you have good balance and upper body strength.
Hedge trimmers are powerful tools. Always be aware of where the blade and cord are when in use and don’t use in wet weather. Make sure you use a residual circuit breaker with mains powered products.
Search for hedge trimmers online
Hedge shears
Shears work well on smaller hedges. They are good for cleaning up corners and harder-to-reach areas. Telescopic shears are available for extra reach.
Look for lightweight models with a comfortable grip for ease of use.
Single handed models are available. Some lightweight single-handed shears are intended for cutting grass, not hedging plants.
Cordless battery-powered shrub shears are also available. These are smaller and lighter than hedge trimmers. They are designed for shaping smaller bushes and shrubs.
Don't try to cut material that is too thick with shears - carry secateurs to cut through any thick stems.
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Secateurs
A pair of secateurs
Secateurs are often a staple tool in the garden shed. They are useful when trimming hedges. Use them to cut specific branches on laurels or larger leaved bushes. This avoids cutting through leaves.
Look for a model that is comfortable to use with a good grip. For a more detailed look at different secateurs, read our guide to pruning.
Search for secateurs online
Topiary shears
If you want to create defined shapes, topiary shears give you great control. Looking like a hybrid between shears and scissors, you can use them with one hand. The blades make a satisfying clacking noise as you clip!
Safety is a consideration with topiary shears. If you have any concerns, you may be better using single-handed shears.
Search for topiary shears online
Top tip
Hedge trimming involves sharp and sometimes powerful tools, so is best done by adults. If children desperately want to be involved, they could help with clearing. They can use leaf grabbers to pick up clippings once you’ve finished cutting.
Hedge shears in action
What makes a hedge a hedge?
Hedges create boundaries. You could have a hedge between your garden and a neighbours. Or, you may have a small decorative hedge marking out areas within your garden.
Many varieties of plant can make a good hedge. Some hedges include more than one type of plant. Some of the most popular include yew, privet, euonymus and photinia . Explore more in our guide to planting hedges.
Topiary is the art of creating shapes with plants. Trimming hedges is, in this sense, a form of topiary.
Topiary can also be a lot more elaborate than a simple hedge trim. Take a look around your local area. You may be able to find some front gardens with intricate hedge designs and shaped plants.
Topiary allows you to be very creative. You could turn individual plants into cubes, ball-shapes, or even wild animals!
You can give some shrubs extra shaping (topiary) after pruning them. Lavender and heathers, for example, can be clipped into a loose hedge shape.
A formal garden with neatly shaped low hedges
Hedges benefit from a regular trim. This helps them remain dense and compact. You can keep them at a manageable height and width and create a pleasing shape.
The best time to trim and shape hedges is from spring to late summer. Be aware, this can be nesting time for birds. If you find a nest before / when you start cutting, avoid trimming that area until the end of summer.
If you aim to trim your hedge three times over spring and summer that should keep it looking tidy.
You don’t need to trim hedges in winter, as the plant will have stopped growing.
Top tip
To reduce how often you need to trim, avoid fast-growing species such as alder, leylandii and beech.
A compact box hedge cut into a neat ball shape
1. Get ready
Gather all your equipment together where you will be using it.
It is a good idea to have sharp, oiled tools to ensure you get a clean cut and avoid damaging your plants.
It’s worth being safety conscious. Wear gloves, goggles if available and closed toe shoes.
2. Mark out the required line or shape
You can use canes, string and spirit levels if necessary to help you get a clean straight line. This should only be needed on the first cut in spring to establish shape over the coming summer.
Plan a size for your hedge that is a comfortable height and width to manage.
Ideally, you want your hedge to be a bit thicker at the bottom than at the top. If it tapers in like this, the base of the hedge can still get sunlight.
Cardboard templates can also be useful to cut out more imaginative designs. Lay these over your hedge and cut around.
3. Get cutting
Tackle your hedge a section at a time. This also helps should you need to stop and carry on another day.
It is better to cut the sides first, then the top. If you cut the top first, there is the chance it will then lean.
If you have a high hedge and don’t have a long-reach tool, you may need steps or a ladder. Be careful if doing this, as it is easy to lose your balance. You should have an extra person to help hold the ladder or step in place.
Continue cutting until you’ve achieved your desired shape. Pause and stand back from time to time to make sure you’re happy with your progress.
Make it easier
Warm up with a few gentle stretches before you begin to help your muscles.
Keep your back straight as you work to avoid strain.
If you find bending difficult, it may be easier to trim the lower areas of a hedge while kneeling. Use a kneeler with handles to protect your knees.
Take regular breaks and make sure not to overdo it.
From a wheelchair or seated position
If you are seated or in a wheelchair, you may want to use conventional hedging shears as long-reach tools can be heavy.
Try to work with the shears close to your body, just below chest height, to avoid neck, back or arm strain. Only cut where you can reach comfortably.
Try to work with the shears close to your body, just below chest height, to avoid neck, back or arm strain. Only cut where you can reach comfortably.
Sight loss
If you have sight loss, start by pegging a string at the required height. Use one-handed shears with blades that swivel 90 or 180 degrees.
Set the blade in the horizontal position and place your hand over the top of the shears – never in front of them.
Keep the blades as flat as you can and trim slowly along the top of the hedge while feeling the string with your other hand. Never try to cut off too much at once, a steady pace is the best way!
Set the blade in the horizontal position and place your hand over the top of the shears – never in front of them.
Keep the blades as flat as you can and trim slowly along the top of the hedge while feeling the string with your other hand. Never try to cut off too much at once, a steady pace is the best way!
4. Collect cuttings
Collect cuttings by raking them into piles or sweeping them up if they are on a hard surface. Use long-handled leaf grabbers to pick them up without bending.
The tender green growth collected at the end of the day is great for composting. The greener leaves provide nitrogen and the browner woodier growth provides carbon.
If you don’t have a compost pile, put cuttings in your garden waste bin. You could also put them in an unused corner of the garden. They will provide a dense habitat for wildlife to enjoy.
Make it easier
Have a leaf tarp or plastic sheet beneath where you are cutting. This should help catch most of the trimmings.
A variety of shaped hedges
Top tip
Cutting a hedge can be a big, physical job. You may decide to get the help of a professional if your hedge is too much to tackle alone. This leaves you free to get on with other gardening tasks you enjoy!
When to trim your hedge isn’t a precise science. If it starts looking wild and shapeless, it’s probably time for the next trim.
In the meantime, enjoy the results of your hard work!
Top tip
Even if you make a mistake, nature is forgiving. Plants grow back. It shouldn't take long for new shoots to grow and a correct shape to be restored.
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