Three tall conifers with neat tapered outlines and bare lower trunks standing against a timber fence over dark mulch — Three tall conifers trimmed to tapered shapes beside the fence, with mulch below

Striped lawn leading to a pale shed, with a mixed border and fence on the right and tall trees behind — Lawn with mown stripes, shed and a border of planting beside the fence

Our old post for this job was titled as fir tree removal in Birmingham, but the photos show something a little different: three tall conifers still standing, trimmed into neat tapered shapes along a garden fence. The lower trunks have been cleared of growth and the border beneath them freshly mulched, with the lawn left tidy.

What the photos show

The three conifers stand in a row against a fence of concrete posts and timber panels. Each has a clean, rounded outline that narrows towards the top, and the lower part of every trunk is bare so that light and air can reach the ground. A curved bed of dark mulch runs beneath them, with ferns planted at the front, and the lawn and shed beside them look neat.

Shaping conifers with care

Conifers like these only regrow from green growth, so any shaping has to stay within the living foliage. Cutting into bare brown wood leaves permanent gaps that do not fill in. Keeping the trees to a clear shape also stops them leaning over the fence or shading the lawn more than they need to.

If you have a row of conifers that has grown beyond its space, the choice is usually between reducing and shaping them or taking them out altogether. We can look at what the trees can safely take, and we check for nesting birds before any cutting in spring and summer.