Service · Overgrown hedge reclamation
A hedge that hasn't been touched in five, ten, sometimes twenty years needs a plan, not a single brutal cut. We reclaim it in stages so it survives and looks right again.
A hedge left unmanaged for years has often lost its green foliage on the inner branches entirely, only the outer shell is still photosynthesising. Cut straight back to where you want the final size and, on a conifer especially, you're left with permanent brown wood and gaps that never fill back in. We assess how much green growth is actually left before proposing a plan, and we're honest if a section is beyond saving and needs replacing rather than reclaiming.
Assess the plant, remove dead wood, cut one face (usually the least-exposed side first) back to the intended line, leaving the rest to keep feeding the plant through the year.
New growth fills the cut face. We check progress and adjust the plan if the plant is recovering faster or slower than expected.
Second face cut back, following the same logic. On badly neglected hedges a third visit the following winter brings the last side into line.
Once reclaimed, the hedge moves onto a normal routine trimming schedule so it never gets back into this state.
Reclamation is priced per visit after a site assessment, since the scope depends entirely on how far gone the hedge is. Expect a similar range to a staged reduction, £300 – £900 per visit, across two to three visits for a genuinely neglected hedge.
Photos and postcode to hello@chathamhedges.co.uk or call 07763 100 477. We'll tell you straight if it can be reclaimed or if it's too far gone to save.