A well-cut hedge is the fastest way to make a whole property look maintained. A badly cut one is just as visible from the street — wavy tops, brown patches where it's been cut back into old wood, and a base that's narrower than the top so the bottom slowly dies out.
Greensward NZ trims hedges across Auckland to a batter — slightly wider at the base than the top — so light reaches the lower foliage and the hedge stays dense all the way to the ground.
What's included
- Trimming to line and level, faces and top
- Correct batter so the base doesn't thin out
- Height reductions and width reductions where needed
- Ground sheets down, so beds and lawn stay clean
- All clippings removed from site
- Advice on timing the next cut for your species
Species we trim most often in Auckland
Griselinia littoralis (broadleaf) is everywhere in Auckland and takes a hard cut well, but it hates being trimmed in the wet — cut faces sit damp and it can spot. We time griselinia for dry weather where we can.
Buxus needs a light, frequent touch and clean blades; buxus blight spreads on dirty gear, so tools get cleaned between properties. Pittosporum and photinia will both take a serious reduction and reshoot happily. Privet and laurel are vigorous enough to want two cuts a year in most gardens.
Conifers — leylandii, thuja, cypress — are the one group where we're cautious. Most conifers will not reshoot from bare brown wood, so once you cut past the green, that face stays brown permanently. We'll tell you before we cut, not after.
When to trim
For most evergreen hedges in Auckland, the two useful windows are late spring (once the first flush of growth has hardened) and late summer to early autumn. An autumn cut carries the hedge tidy through winter when growth is minimal.
Avoid cutting hard in the middle of a hot dry spell — freshly exposed inner foliage sunburns. And if there's a nesting bird in the hedge, we'll leave that section and come back; it's both the law and the decent thing to do.
Tall hedges and boundary hedges
We work off platforms and poles for hedges up to around 5 metres. Above that, or where a hedge sits over a road, power lines or a neighbour's roof, the job moves into tree work and gets quoted with the appropriate gear and traffic management.
Boundary hedges are worth a conversation with the neighbour before we start. You're entitled to trim growth on your side of the boundary, but a co-ordinated cut on both faces gives a far better result and usually costs each party less.
Hedge Trimming — common questions
How much does hedge trimming cost in Auckland?
Greensward NZ hedge trimming starts at $50 per hedge, including removal of all clippings. Price depends on length, height, species and access. We quote per hedge after seeing it — photos by text are usually enough for a ballpark.
When is the best time to trim hedges in New Zealand?
Late spring after the first growth flush, and again in late summer or early autumn, works for most Auckland evergreen hedges. An autumn trim keeps the hedge tidy right through winter. Avoid hard cuts during hot dry spells, when exposed inner foliage can sunburn.
Can you reduce the height of an overgrown hedge?
Usually yes. Griselinia, pittosporum, photinia, privet and laurel all reshoot well from a hard reduction. Conifers such as leylandii and cypress generally will not reshoot from bare brown wood, so we'll explain the limits before cutting rather than afterwards.
Do you clean up and take the hedge clippings away?
Yes. We put ground sheets down before we start and take every clipping off site as part of the quoted price.
