When should the hedge be trimmed?
By Service Plus Stockholm AB3 min read
Short answer
When in the year should you trim the hedge?
Most hedges are trimmed twice a year: a first time in mid-June when the spring growth has slowed and a second time at the end of August. Evergreen hedges such as thuja and yew are trimmed once in July or August. Avoid trimming in April and May when birds are nesting, and never trim in frost.
The right time for each hedge type
The timing depends on whether the hedge is deciduous or evergreen and how fast it grows.
- Privet, hornbeam, beech and alpine currant: June and August. Fast-growing privet can take a third trim in October.
- Spiraea, panicle hydrangea and flowering hedges: straight after flowering, otherwise you cut off next year's flowers.
- Thuja, cypress and yew: once in July–August. Never cut into old wood on thuja, as it does not produce new shoots from there.
- A beech hedge that is to keep its brown winter leaves: trim at the end of July, not later.
Why not trim in spring?
Between 1 April and 31 July most small birds in Sweden are nesting, and a dense hedge is one of their most common nesting sites. Always check the hedge before trimming during that period and wait if you find a nest.
Trimming in early spring also gives a hedge that sends out uneven, long shoots all summer, because the whole spring growth is still ahead of it.
How do you get the hedge straight and dense?
A hedge stays dense at the bottom if it is slightly narrower at the top than at the base, so that light reaches the whole side.
- Stretch a string between two posts as a height reference and trim the top first.
- Trim the sides from the bottom up with sweeping movements, with the hedge trimmer blade parallel to the hedge.
- Cut back to the same height every year. A hedge allowed to grow 10 centimetres a year soon becomes too tall to maintain.
- An overgrown hedge is lowered in stages, at most a third per season.
Hedge trimming from Service Plus
Service Plus Stockholm AB trims hedges of all types and heights across Greater Stockholm. Our hedge specialist Tuja works with pole trimmers and a platform for hedges up to about four metres, can take the cuttings to recycling as an optional extra and can set up a schedule so the hedge is trimmed at the right time every year without you having to remember it.
Hedge trimming qualifies for a RUT deduction (the Swedish tax deduction for household services) of up to 50% of the labour cost.
Common follow-up questions
How tall may a hedge be next to the street in Stockholm?
At driveways and street junctions the hedge may be at most 80 centimetres within the sight triangle, according to the City of Stockholm's guidelines. Along the plot boundary there is no statutory maximum height, but neighbours can demand action if the hedge causes a nuisance.
Can you trim the hedge in September?
Yes, a light tidy-up of privet and hornbeam works in September. Avoid hard trimming of thuja and yew after August, because the new shoots will not have time to harden before the frost.
What does hedge trimming cost?
The price depends on the hedge's length, height and width, how long ago it was last trimmed and whether the cuttings are to be taken away. Service Plus assesses the price on site and provides a free quote before the work begins.
