Hedge cutting in Horley

Privet, laurel and conifer hedges in Horley, cut at the right time and cleared away.

Clay is rich ground, and Horley hedges know it. Privet, laurel and leylandii put on serious growth here every year, which is why hedge cutting in Horley rarely stays a once-a-year job for long. Leave a privet front hedge for one season and it’s halfway over the pavement.

We cut by hand where it matters (big-leaved laurel gets secateurs, not a trimmer), check every hedge for nests before we start, and take all the trimmings away. Main cuts and reductions are planned for September to February. Your neighbour’s side can be done the same day if they’d like.

Front hedges along a street, cut in one visit

Privet and box honeysuckle in old Horley

Around the Church Road conservation area, the council’s draft appraisal notes brick walls and hedges of privet and box honeysuckle along the house fronts near St Bartholomew’s. Hedges like that set the look of a street, so a scrappy cut shows. Privet wants two or three trims a year to stay tight. Box honeysuckle grows even faster and goes leggy and bare at the base if it’s left. A slightly tapered face, wider at the bottom than the top, keeps both of them green right down to the ground.

Hedge cutting rules in the UK, and how we work

Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 it’s an offence to damage an active nest. In practice that means checking first, every time, and leaving any hedge with a nest in it alone. With the Riverside Green Chain and the river corridors running through town, there’s no shortage of birds looking for a hedge. So the heavy cuts go in autumn and winter, and a light summer trim only happens once we’ve had a proper look.

Hedge Trimming in Horley: your questions

Anything else, just ring. You’ll speak to the people who do the work.

How much does hedge cutting cost in Horley?

It depends on length, height, species and how far it’s got away from you. A privet front hedge is a quick job, a tall leylandii boundary isn’t. We’ll look and give you a fixed price with the waste removal included.

Can you bring a tall leylandii back down?

Only within the green growth. Leylandii won’t reshoot from bare brown wood, so cutting back into it leaves a dead face for good. If it’s too far gone we’ll tell you straight.

I’m in a conservation area. Do I need permission to trim my hedge?

Routine hedge trimming doesn’t usually need consent. The extra controls in Horley’s conservation areas are mainly about trees, which need six weeks’ notice to the council before work. We don’t do tree work, but we’ll flag anything that looks like it needs checking.

Do I need to be home while you cut?

No. As long as we can reach both faces of the hedge, or you’ve sorted access with next door, we’ll get on with it and leave the path swept.