Hedge trimming and arborvitae work
A hedge is a different animal from a tree and it gets treated differently. Arborvitae, laurel, mixed boundary planting, whatever it is, we cut it to a line and take every scrap of it away.
- Species
- Arborvitae, laurel, mixed boundary hedge
- Method
- Cut to an agreed line, chipped on site
- Outcome
- A straight line and a clean ground
Before you book this one
When you need this
- The hedge has grown so wide it has taken the path or the drive
- It is well over head height and you have lost the top of it
- One end is thriving and the other is bare
- It has closed over a fence line, a gate or a window
- It has not been cut in several years and it is time to start again
What we do
- A line agreed with you before anything is cut, including how much comes off the top
- Sides and top cut to that line the whole length
- Deadwood and anything that has died out at the base cleared out
- Everything chipped on site and the ground blown clean
- An honest read on any section that will not recover, so you know before we start
What to know
- There is a limit to how far a conifer hedge can be cut back. Cut into old bare wood on arborvitae and it does not come back green, so we will show you where that line is on your hedge
- A hedge that has died out at the base will not fill back in from cutting, and we will not pretend it will
- We do not spray anything on it, before or after
One of the jobs on our own project list is a run of arborvitae in Arlington that was over 200 feet long. That is what a hedge job is at the top end: a long straight line, the same cut held for the whole run, and a real volume of green waste to get off the property before dark.
The part worth knowing before you book is where the limit sits. Arborvitae, laurel and most conifer hedging carry green growth on the outside and bare wood inside. Take the sides in past that green shell and you are looking at brown for a long time, and on some species forever. So the useful conversation at the estimate is how narrow you want it against how narrow it can go, and we will show you on your own hedge rather than in the abstract.
Where a hedge has already gone too far, there is usually a plan. Take it in stages over a couple of seasons, take one side at a time, or accept that a section is finished and plan a replacement for that stretch. Any of those is better than one hard cut and a surprise in the spring.
Camera stamps read 09:33 and 15:21, about six hours apart. The two frames are taken from different spots in the yard rather than the same one, so we show them side by side and never as a slider pretending they line up.
Questions people ask about this
How short can you cut my arborvitae?
Down in height, quite a lot, because you are cutting through the whole plant and it will hold a flat top. In from the sides, only as far as there is still green growth, because arborvitae does not regenerate from the old bare wood inside. Every hedge is different depending on how thick that green shell has grown, so we will stand at yours and show you where the line falls before you decide.
Do you take all the trimmings away?
Yes. Everything goes through the chipper on site and leaves with us, and the ground gets raked and blown before we go. On a long hedge that is a serious amount of material, which is part of why hedge work is quoted on the length and the height rather than by an hour. If you want the chip left on site for beds, tell us and we will drop it where you want it.
Is topping a hedge the same as topping a tree?
No, and it is a fair question because we say plainly elsewhere that we will not top a tree. A hedge is a plant kept deliberately at a set size and shape, and cutting the top to a line is simply how it is maintained. Topping a forest tree removes its leader and leaves a large decaying wound that the tree responds to with weak regrowth. Different plant, different job, different outcome.
Related work
Have a certified arborist look at it
Tell us what the trees are doing and we will come out, walk the property with you and write it up. The visit is free, it takes about 20 to 30 minutes, and you get an itemized estimate you can hold on to.
Call or text
(360) 842 7433Washington contractor licence WARRIBT777DF. Licensed, bonded and insured. Verify on LNI.wa.gov.ISA Certified Arborist PN 368801AEstimates are scheduled Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm Pacific.