Our guide takes you through how to trim tall hedges in just 5 steps – and includes practical tips on tools and technique.
27.10.2023
A cordless long-reach hedge trimmer such as the STIHL HLA 56 can be used to trim tall hedges; carefully prune the sides first and then the top.
Scaffolding can be useful for cutting very tall hedges safely. Mobile scaffolding lets you reach all the right spots of tall hedges and also safely access the top. Another option is to use a long ladder.
For tall hedges we recommend not cutting the sides straight, but tapering the hedge toward the top. This is to ensure that enough light gets to the lower branches and the hedge does not turn brown. A taut string can be used as a guide to ensure that the top is cut straight.
You should trim hedges at least once or twice a year so that they remain dense and well-maintained – regardless of whether you’re trimming a thuja hedge, yew hedge, beech hedge or privet hedge. Without trimming, they can become too high and too wide, and grow straggly. If that happens, they no longer function adequately as privacy screening.
Light maintenance trimming is only permitted if there are no birds nesting in the hedge. The NABU Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union recommends that even these maintenance cuts should not be carried out during the main breeding season between March and June.
A suitable time for a gentle corrective or aesthetic trim of tall hedges is around St. John’s Day, at the end of June. However, it is not permitted to drastically trim hedge plants or cut them back hard to the main stem during this time.
To avoid disturbing birds and other animals during the nesting or breeding period, cutting is generally prohibited in Germany from 1 March to 30 September (inclusive).
The German Federal Nature Conservation Act sets out exactly when hedges may be cut and when radical pruning is prohibited. Our guide will tell you when you can trim hedges and what fines you could face in the event of violations.
Beware of poisonous hedges
Some shrubs and hedges are poisonous. Yew is not suitable for households that include children or pets, because the seeds in its bright red berries are very poisonous.
You should always wear gloves when touching freshly cut stems of thuja, cherry laurel or cypress.
Some caution is also required when trimming privet and box. Always make sure you wear the right protective clothing when pruning and maintaining your hedge.
Thorough preparation supports safe and tidy hedge trimming – so take your time to get it right. Every time you trim a hedge, start off by checking whether there are any birds’ nests in the hedge.
When you need to trim your tall hedges, first prepare the right material and tools. Even tall, long or extra-wide hedges can be kept in shape with a STIHL long-reach hedge trimmer such as the STIHL HLA 56 cordless long-reach hedge trimmer. The cutter bar can be rotated through up to 145 degrees, so it can be conveniently adjusted to the ideal angle.
Working with high-performance power tools is fun and allows you to broaden your skills, which is great if you can rely on effective and safe protective clothing. Always wear your personal protective equipment when working with STIHL power tools. Find out more in the operating instructions for your product. Before using your power tool for the first time, fully familiarise yourself with it and ensure that it is in flawless condition before each use. On request, your STIHL dealer will be happy to prepare your power tool for its first job, and will also advise you on models and sizes of protective clothing that you can try on at your leisure. Please remember that personal protective equipment is no substitute for safe working.
When it comes to trimming tall, thick or wide hedges, it’s all about getting the right technique – so let us take you through this task step by step.
First adjust the blade of your long-reach hedge trimmer to the right angle. You can now switch on the long-reach hedge trimmer to start trimming your tall hedges.
Position yourself to the side of the hedge and cut from bottom to top to the first height level, using slow, controlled movements. Make sure that your cutting movements are as even as possible so that the hedge is cut straight.
STIHL tip
When you are cutting tall hedges, it is best to slightly taper them towards the top. If you cut the sides perfectly vertical, the lower branches will get less light and can turn brown. For this reason, tall hedges should always be trimmed to have a trapezium-shaped cross-section.
Slowly move backwards, continuing to cut the hedge from bottom to top. Keep taking a few steps back every now and then to check your progress from a distance.
Extend the telescopic arm of your long-reach hedge trimmer to continue working on the next height level; this means you also cut the higher-up sections of tall hedges.
When you have finished cutting the sides, fold the long-reach hedge trimmer’s cutter bar to a right angle and then trim the top of the hedge. To do this, carefully guide the long-reach hedge trimmer across the top of the hedge. If you are trimming very tall hedges, you can also climb onto scaffolding or a well-secured ladder.
If you have tall hedges to cut, you also need to dispose of the clippings appropriately after completing the work. To do this, use a leaf rake to gather all the clippings into small piles along the hedge.
Shredded clippings are disposed of or reused.
Fetch the shredder so that you can shred the cuttings correctly on-site. You can now use a leaf rake to distribute some of the shredded cuttings under the hedge for effective mulching. To dispose of your garden waste correctly, you can also take the clippings to a disposal site without shredding them, or compost the shredded waste.
Don’t forget to fertilise your hedge and recognise and treat hedge diseases – so nothing keeps you from having a dense, well-maintained tall hedge.
