Routine cuts done properly, on every species I work with.

What's included

• Top, sides and front face cut to your chosen height and width
• All arisings cleared from site and disposed of properly (Pepperhill HWRC, Station Road, Southfleet, for garden waste; chipped for reuse where it makes sense)
• Brush-down of the path, lawn or driveway underneath
• Six-week section-211 notice filed on your behalf if you're in one of Gravesham's 23 conservation areas and the tree has any stems over 75mm at 1.5m from the ground
• Fixed price quoted in advance, no day-rate creep

Pricing

Most routine cuts in Gravesend fall in the £120 – £400 range depending on hedge length, height, and how much access I need. Fixed price after seeing photos and the postcode, no surprises on the day, no charge if the quote isn't accepted.

Timing by species

Most Gravesend evergreen hedges do best on a twice-a-year cadence: one late spring, one late summer, because a single hard cut leaves the hedge visibly ragged for months on the exposed higher ground around Windmill Hill in particular. Deciduous hedgerow-style boundaries out towards Higham and Meopham can usually manage on one winter cut instead.

• Escallonia, Griselinia littoralis, Olearia macrodonta: common evergreen garden hedging. Two light cuts a year (late May and mid-September) keep the density that shelters the plants behind them.
• Elaeagnus × ebbingei, Euonymus japonicus: twice a year, similar cadence. Very forgiving of a hard clip once established.
• Privet, Leylandii, thuja: fast-growing, twice a year (late spring and late summer).
• Holm oak (Quercus ilex): a single late-summer cut is enough; a dense, wind-tolerant evergreen.
• Hawthorn: winter only (September to February) to stay clear of the nesting season; the reliable native option on heavy clay soil.
• Yew: single late-August cut; happy with a hard clip once a year and resentful of more. Native to the North Downs chalk.
• Holly, laurel: late summer; both bruise easily, so secateurs and loppers on visible faces over a hedge trimmer where time allows.

Nesting birds

Every hedge gets checked for active nests before any Mar-Aug (extending into September for late broods) work goes ahead, under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. In practice: no work below or beside an active nest until the young have fledged. This is written into every quote.

What I don't do on cutting jobs

If a hedge needs more than a routine cut: it's overgrown, gappy, leaning, or has outgrown the position, that's a reduction job, not a cut. I tell you that at quote stage rather than do a botched cut and pretend it solved the problem.