Very tall conifer hedge above a driveway with a work truck, orange chipper and ladder — Tall conifer hedge beside a drive, with ladder, chipper and team at work

Cut-back conifer hedge with stubby tops beside a driveway and parked cars under overhead cables — Hedge with its upper growth cut back, seen across a busy driveway

This Solihull job was a big one: a conifer hedge standing at the end of a shared driveway, as tall as a house and just as wide. It had grown to the point where it dominated the whole space, so the work was to cut the height back and bring it under control.

Before the cutting started

The first photo, taken on a bright morning, shows the hedge towering over our truck, with a ladder against it and a chipper set up beside the team. Cars are parked close by on the drive, and power cables pass in front of the hedge, all of which affects how and where we position equipment and drop the cut material.

Looking at the result

The second photo shows the hedge after the tops have been taken down. The upper growth looks cut back, with stubby leaders left standing, and the sides remain full and dense. A mixed hedge of this size is usually cut over several passes so the cut material does not pile up, and so nothing falls onto parked cars.

If you have a tall hedge on a driveway, it helps to move vehicles beforehand, and we check for nesting birds before starting. Afterwards the ground is raked over, the clippings are removed and the drive is left clear for your cars again, with no stray clippings underfoot and the surrounding ground left tidy.