Getting rid of giant hedge

[lamby12]

We have a nice ish garden, lots of potential but we've really not reached it yet. Funny shape, lots of weird paths, steps, rockeries and nooks and crannies. At first I liked its character but it's a lot of work and really doesn't give any function at the moment, it's just a dump we fight with every year and vow to get it sorted by the next.

Over the last few years we've had a baby and an extension; both of which have taken their toll on the garden (lack of time and money).

We want to really use the garden rather than being slaves to it, all we do is fight back massive hedges and bushes and never have any time to create areas we can actually use or plant a few nice pots etc.

The main culprit is the whole garden is lined with giant conifers, approx 30-35 metres worth and 2.5metres high. At least a metre deep. Takes us weeks each year to cut it back and still looks a pigs ear. Quotes over £300 to have it trimmed for us and we really can't spend that on a hedge, we've a long list of other house and garden stuff to do as we save money. However, we're thinking of bumping the hedge up the priority list but to get it all ripped out, including the bushes that sprawl out of it, and put a fence up. We'll gain a metre of garden all the way round and less maintenance.

Does anyone have any experience of this and was it a success or a mistake? I'm worried about losing character and greenery from the garden. It's not a square and still lots else going on so it won't be like a box, just wondering if anyone has done such a drastic move? And any ideas on cost?

Thanks!

There are some incredible statements on here:

Removal of trees / hedges cannot cause subsidence. It can, however, cause heave, which is different (although admittedly as undesirable). It is highly unlikely to happen in these circumstances, however.

Burning of wood from conifers is a fiendish business. The wood is remarkably sappy, so would need to be seasoned for a long time. It would not make good kindling.

OP, I'm sure all of the nay-sayers who are quoting environmental impact are sound more than enough to compensate for the removal of your hedge (🤔 🤣), so I wouldn't let that trouble your conscience:

you shouldn't remove a hedge now. it's illegal to disturb nesting birds.

Well they need to check for nesting birds first, right? She can take it down if there are none.

I wonder how easy it is to thoroughly check a very tall dense conifer and be 100% confident that there is no tiny birds nest, tucked in anywhere?

@BewareTheBeardedDragon

I wonder how easy it is to thoroughly check a very tall dense conifer and be 100% confident that there is no tiny birds nest, tucked in anywhere?

Fairly easy actually. You can see birds go in and out, hear them, and see nests. They aren’t that tiny.

I guess conifers are only dense on the outside. Are all birds nests not tiny though? I have wrens in my garden and they are unbelievably small - I can't believe they wouldnt build petite little homes.

Just looked up wrens nests (out of curiosity). Apparently they build them in hollows and crevices in trees (as well as elsewhere). I'd imagine that would be very easy to miss.

Wrens tend to go for holes in trees etc, it’s unlikely they’d be in a dense conifer hedge, although possible, but you’d still see them if you spent any time sitting looking at the hedge, coming in and out. They don’t just sit in there soundless.

We have a number of different hedges, no conifer, but yew snd Laurel, Portuguese and cherry, snd there is no nests in them. 100 percent guaranteed.

For me, the op can spend some time just watching to see if any birds are flying in and out, and also spend an hour walking round, looking carefully, pulling branches apart and listening and do it a couple of times. And she’d know if she’s nesting birds, she’d hear them, or they’d fly out when she got close.

For smaller birds she can put some bird boxes out, as birds like wrens don’t nest till may and they would usually pick somewhere like that over a conifer hedge.

It’s important to be sure though, you don’t want to disturb them or their young, but if she spends some time she will know. Birds are relatively noisy. They fly in and out for food etc, and if you get close they will fly off quickly,

That is very informative, thank you.

@Bluntness100

Wrens tend to go for holes in trees etc, it’s unlikely they’d be in a dense conifer hedge, although possible, but you’d still see them if you spent any time sitting looking at the hedge, coming in and out. They don’t just sit in there soundless.

We have a number of different hedges, no conifer, but yew snd Laurel, Portuguese and cherry, snd there is no nests in them. 100 percent guaranteed.

For me, the op can spend some time just watching to see if any birds are flying in and out, and also spend an hour walking round, looking carefully, pulling branches apart and listening and do it a couple of times. And she’d know if she’s nesting birds, she’d hear them, or they’d fly out when she got close.

For smaller birds she can put some bird boxes out, as birds like wrens don’t nest till may and they would usually pick somewhere like that over a conifer hedge.

It’s important to be sure though, you don’t want to disturb them or their young, but if she spends some time she will know. Birds are relatively noisy. They fly in and out for food etc, and if you get close they will fly off quickly,

Any good tree surgeon won't touch a hedge in bird nesting season, it's just wrong.

We took our conifers out and replaced with fence, planted shrubs and lots of flowering plants for bees etc. Best thing we did.

I long to remove our conifers. Which were planted 5 years ago to replace..... some other conifers that got far too big 🙄 (not our work by the way, previous occupants...!). We have just had to remove a huge (and I mean huge- it was 2m wide and a good 3m tall) beech hedge this winter as it has looked less and less alive the longer we have lived here. No idea what happened to it, I suspect those who decided to rip out conifers and replace them with conifers probably had something to do with it. We now have a nice fence and plenty of room for a border to grow climbers up it/plants around it and don’t have to fight through the dark wood out of LOTR every time the toddler kicks a football a bit hard. It’s a shame as I do like a beech hedge but not ones of such epic proportions nor ones that are dead/dying.

I long to replace our conifers with something more like Laurel or yew which won’t be so fast growing and far more friendly to the local wildlife (although frankly at present that seems to consist entirely of crows which then behead your daffodils so the jury is still out!!). Plan to remove them at back end and then you’ve all winter to get rid of the crap you will no doubt uncover and make a plan for spring once it’s cleared.

Noparticularpattern you might get more interesting and varied wildlife if you have a more wildlife friendly hedge than the conifers!

Any good tree surgeon won't touch a hedge in bird nesting season, it's just wrong

Any good tree surgeon will be able to tell if there is nesting birds before they cut down any tree.

like Laurel or yew which won’t be so fast growing Laurel is quite fast growing, faster than hawthorn.

@Bluntness100

Any good tree surgeon won't touch a hedge in bird nesting season, it's just wrong

Any good tree surgeon will be able to tell if there is nesting birds before they cut down any tree.

Nope, any good tree surgeon won't work on hedges until bird nesting season is over

I'd absolutely get rid of a conifer hedge, but maybe replace at least part of it with a native hedge. We have fence panels and they are fairly miserable. Climbers have taken a long time and not really made that much impact on it.

Any good tree surgeon will be able to tell if there is nesting birds before they cut down any tree

Regardless, it's illegal. Would you want someone prepared to is the question?