Ask us anything
Not blog posts. Not a wall of generic hedge advice. These are written as what they actually are - the real questions that come up on the phone, over WhatsApp, and at the front gate, answered by the person who does the job.
Seasonality
The nesting law, the two demand peaks, and why "just cut it in autumn" is bad advice for half the hedges in Rochester.
Read the Q&ARules & paperwork
The six-week notice, the 75mm rule, and why most people in Rochester don't realise it applies to them until we mention it.
Read the Q&ARules & paperwork
The questions in order: the address check, the 75mm test, what Medway Council wants, where to send it, the six-week wait and the two-year window.
Read the Q&AReduction
The honest answer on staged reduction, why one-visit hard cuts fail, and what it actually costs to bring one back.
Read the Q&ARules & paperwork
The 2m rule, the Medway Council complaint process, and your common-law right to cut back to the boundary yourself.
Read the Q&ASpecies & planting
Yew, beech, western red cedar or laurel, and why chalk versus clay on your side of Rochester changes the right answer.
Read the Q&ASpecies & planting
Timing, bare-root versus pot-grown, chalk and clay soil prep, correct depth and spacing, and keeping a new hedge alive through its first two dry summers.
Read the Q&ACost
Typical prices for Rochester ME1-ME2, what drives the quote up or down, whether waste removal is included, and the cheapest time to book.
Read the Q&AStorm damage & the rules
What can be saved, what cannot, how nesting season applies to a spring blow, and what the Conservation Area rules say about dead or dangerous trees.
Read the Q&ARenovation
Which species survive a hard cut back, when to do it without breaking the nesting law, Conservation Area notice requirements, and the honest signs that a hedge is past saving.
Read the Q&APest & disease
How to tell blight from box tree caterpillar, whether treatment is worth attempting, Conservation Area notice rules if you want to remove and replace, and the best alternatives for a formal Rochester garden.
Read the Q&ATrimming & care
Timing, hard reductions, Conservation Area notice rules, clipping toxicity and the honest answer on bare patches - for Rochester ME1-ME2 properties.
Read the Q&ATrimming & care
The correct cutting window, why the brown leaves are normal, how hard renovation works on chalk versus clay, and the Conservation Area notice rules for mature beech in Rochester.
Read the Q&ATrimming & care
When to cut around the nesting law, why the copper-brown winter leaves are normal, how hornbeam outperforms beech on Rochester's heavy clay, and whether hard renovation is safe.
Read the Q&ATrimming & care
The two-to-three-cut schedule, nesting-law checks in spring, why winter leaf drop is normal, bare-base fixes, hard renovation timing, and the berry toxicity question.
Read the Q&ATrimming & care
Timing the June cut around nesting law, why hedge trimmers leave brown edges, hard renovation from bare old wood, cherry versus Portugal laurel on chalk soil, and the toxicity question.
Read the Q&ATrimming & care
The late-August window, why hedge trimmers shred the leaves, hard renovation from old wood, berry toxicity, and the Conservation Area notice rules for mature holly in Rochester.
Read the Q&ATrimming & care
Trimming timing to maximise the red flush, the nesting law on a dense evergreen, hard renovation, leaf spot disease, secateurs versus hedge trimmer, and why chalk suits it but heavy clay does not.
Read the Q&AWildlife & the law
The blossom timing, nesting law, hard renovation from old wood, the berries-and-birds question, Conservation Area notice rules, and what to do with thorny waste.
Read the Q&ATrimming & care
The September window, why spring cuts reduce flowering, frost hardiness on chalk versus sheltered Medway valley ground, hard renovation timing, and secateurs versus hedge trimmer.
Read the Q&ATrimming & care
Timing around flowering and the nesting law, fireblight treatment and disinfecting tools, safe working with thorns, berry timing for the winter birds, and renovation from bare old wood.
Read the Q&ATrimming & care
Deciduous versus evergreen timing, the nesting law, safe working with the spines, hard renovation from old wood, and how to time the cut to keep the full berry display through October and November.
Read the Q&AWildlife & the law
The hedgerow management cycle, the Hedgerow Regulations 1997, the best cutting window for berries and birds, and what to do with the arisings.
Read the Q&ATrimming & care
When to cut around the berries, nesting-season law, hard renovation from old wood, and what the Hedgerow Regulations 1997 mean if your hedge borders a field.
Read the Q&ATrimming & care
The late-August-to-September single-cut window, the nesting law on a dense evergreen, frost hardiness in Medway valley gardens, hard renovation timing, and whether griselinia is right for exposed positions.
Read the Q&A