ErmingtonTree Hedging
Backyard Hedge Height Reduction in Ermington
Height reduction of a tall backyard hedge beside a glass balustrade and garden seating area.
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Tree Hedging & Hedge Trimming in Sydney
167 Google reviewsRead all reviews on Google
Tall hedge trimming and tree hedging across Sydney for overgrown privacy screens and boundary plantings, like the tall backyard hedge we reduced in Ermington. We bring down height, trim spreading sides and reshape established hedges to suit the space and the plants.
- Tall hedges & screens
- Height brought down
- Sides off the boundary
- Reshaping overgrown hedges
Tree work enquiry
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What this involves
Manage the height and shape of tall hedges
Balance privacy, clearance and the growth your plants can support.
Tall hedges and screening trees can shade a pool, spread across a driveway or grow into gutters. Our hedge work tackles the height and thicker growth that ordinary garden trimming cannot reach.
Most jobs are one of three: a maintenance trim back to the previous line, a reduction that brings an overgrown screen down to a new height or width, or reshaping a screen that has gone top-heavy or uneven. Long-reach tools and access equipment let us work the top and sides of established plantings.
How far a hedge can be reduced depends on the species, condition and foliage within it. A bare or top-heavy screen cannot always regain dense cover simply by cutting it harder.
We hold $20 million public liability insurance covering the tree work we advertise.
- Reshaping sparse or top-heavy screens
- Tall established hedges around pools
- Long runs for strata and commercial sites
- Established screening trees needing reshaping
Choosing the work
Tall Hedge Trimming: suitability and costs
Is this the right service?
Excess height and spread
A privacy hedge can grow into the gutters, shade the pool or spread beyond the boundary. Once the top and thicker branches are out of reach from the ground, a one-off reduction may be the practical next step.
Sparse or top-heavy screens
A top-heavy screen shades its lower growth and goes bare at eye level. Reshaping can improve the balance, although the result depends on the species and the growth left inside.
Growth across a boundary
Trimming can bring foliage back from fences and neighbouring space. Cutting the canopy does not repair root damage to fences or retaining walls; those concerns need separate assessment.
What affects tall hedge trimming costs?
How long the run is and how tall it has got
The length, height and width of the screen set how much cutting, equipment, labour and green-waste handling the quote has to allow for.
How far past its size it has gone
A light reshape involves far less cutting and waste than bringing back a screen that has grown well beyond the height and width you want.
What the plants are
Different screening plants respond differently to a hard cut. The species, its condition and the growth inside the screen decide how much can reasonably come off in one go.
How we reach it
Hiring a lift, a steep block or a screen tucked behind the pool all show up in the quote. A badly overgrown screen sometimes needs some pruning inside it before the hedge can be reshaped at all.
Price guide
Typical tall hedge trimming prices in Sydney
What a typical job usually costs, and what that covers.
| Typical job | Typical range, inc. GST |
|---|---|
| Maintenance trim of a regularly kept screen, about 2.5 to 4 metres high and up to about 15 metres long, with the clippings taken away | $300–$700 |
| Reducing an overgrown tall hedge, with heavier cutting into woody growth, access equipment and more green waste | $600–$1,500 |
Typical Sydney planning ranges based on market pricing, including GST, last reviewed in October 2026. They are not fixed AA prices or prices from a particular job: we quote once we know the hedge and the site.
Usually included
- Trimming the agreed faces to an even line
- Reducing the height, if that is part of the job
- Taking the clippings away and tidying up
Not in these ranges
- Trimming both faces of a boundary hedge
- Hiring an elevated work platform for a very tall screen
- An unusually large volume of green waste
In Sydney
What changes a tall hedge job in Sydney
Council rules, neighbours and overhead wires all shape how far a Sydney screen can be cut back.
Official sources checked 8 October 2026.
Councils treat hedges differently
Northern Beaches Council lists pruning or removing a hedge (two or more trees planted as a hedge and at least 2.5 metres tall) among the work that does not need a permit, unless a development consent says it must be kept. City of Parramatta allows a hedge’s height or width to be cut back by up to 20% a year without a permit when the work follows the pruning standard AS 4373. Ku-ring-gai Council’s tree application fees are charged per “tree or hedge”. Check your council’s rules before a big reduction.
Sources: Northern Beaches Council: removing and pruning trees on private land (opens in a new tab)City of Parramatta: tree works without a permit (opens in a new tab)Ku-ring-gai Council: trees on your property (opens in a new tab)
Neighbours and the 2.5-metre mark
In NSW a neighbour can apply to the Land and Environment Court about a hedge that has grown to 2.5 metres or more and severely obstructs sunlight to a window of their home or the view from it. The Court expects them to have made a reasonable effort to reach agreement first. If a neighbour is part of the reason for the cut, agree the new height with them before the work is booked.
Sources: Land and Environment Court: tree and hedge disputes (opens in a new tab)State Library of NSW: trees and plants (neighbours and the law) (opens in a new tab)
Overhead wires through the screen
A screen along the front boundary can grow up into the service wire that runs to the house. Ausgrid says owners are responsible for clearing growth on their own property, up to the boundary, to keep the service wire safe, and that any trimming within three metres of its powerlines must be done by accredited workers. Endeavour Energy also makes owners responsible for keeping trees on their property clear of its lines. If the screen has grown near a wire, include it in your photos of the hedge.
Sources: Ausgrid: tree trimming responsibilities (opens in a new tab)Endeavour Energy: vegetation management (opens in a new tab)
Our projects
Our tall hedge trimming project
A completed job that included tall hedge trimming, with photographs and details of the work.
Google reviews
What our customers say
What people have said about us on Google after we did the work
Average rating 5.0 out of 5 from 167 Google reviews
“Very quick, efficient and very neat and tidy cleanup!”
“Excellent service. Arrived on time and completed the job quickly. Easy to work with. Will use again.”
“Great job by Ahmad and his team, arrived early, worked quickly, went over and above the work initially quoted, and left the site clean and tidy. Highly recommended!”
“Very professional job done: being punctual for appointment; work carried out in a careful manner; cleaned up after the work. Very friendly team. Reasonable price. Highly recommended”
“I had a very challenging tree that was dangerously close to power lines, but these guys handled it like absolute pros. The team was highly skilled, safety-conscious, and extremely precise with every cut. They made a tricky job look easy and cleaned up everything afterward. I couldn’t be happier with their service and highly recommend them!”
Reviews from Google. Showing recent 5-star reviews.
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Hedge work and tall screens
The Ermington hedge before we reduced it, and tall screens from AA’s own photographs.
Common questions
Tall hedge trimming questions
Tree care guides
Tall hedge care and costs
Hedge trimming costs, access for tall screens and recognising when a plant needs attention.
Tree Hedging
Hedge Trimming Cost in Sydney: 2026 Price Guide
How hedge height, length, density and access affect tall hedge trimming costs, including established privacy screens and overgrown boundary hedges.
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Tree Safety
DIY vs Professional Tree Services in Sydney
Which light tree jobs may be manageable from the ground, and where height, heavy branches, nearby structures or power lines make DIY work unsafe.
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Tree Safety
7 Signs Your Tree Needs Professional Attention
Seven changes in branches, roots, trunks and canopies that need attention, when to keep clear, and how assessment guides the next step.
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Where we work
We do hedge work across Sydney
Available for homes, strata and commercial properties throughout our Sydney service area.
Bring your tall hedge back into shape
Contact us about reducing the height, narrowing the sides or reshaping an established screen.