Hedge Cutting in St Albans

• WorkHedge cutting
• AreaSt Albans
• PropertyTerraced house, front garden
• PositionFront garden, facing the street

This job was a front-garden hedge at a terraced house in St Albans. A hedge in this position faces the street, so it is seen by everyone who walks past, and an uneven or overgrown top shows up straight away against the brickwork behind it.

We cut the hedge back and shaped it with a long-reach hedge trimmer, working along the front so the line stayed level from one end to the other. The hedge sits behind a low flint wall with the pavement directly in front, which is why the cutting is done carefully and the area is kept tidy as we go.

What the job involved

• Cutting back the top and sides of the hedge to a clean, even outline
• Keeping the cut level along the full length of the frontage
• Working from the pavement and the garden side so nothing is left leaning over the path
• Clearing the cuttings from the pavement and front garden

Front hedges in St Albans

Many St Albans streets are lined with front gardens behind low walls and hedges, and the hedges do a lot of work: they give a little privacy, soften the brick and give the front of the house a finished look. Left alone, they thicken, widen and push out over the pavement. A regular cut keeps them compact and stops it becoming a bigger job each year.

If you are not sure how often yours should be cut, our guide on how often garden hedges should be cut explains it, and the one on what happens to hedge waste after cutting covers the clear-up.