Managing the trees/bushes in our garden

[redskytwonight]

We have a number of trees and large bushes in our garden that are very overgrown. They are also misshapen in some places and woody in others, partly due to DH randomly hacking branches off a few years ago on the basis that the trees would "recover." They haven't The trees/bushes also form the boundary between us and neighbours so we want to retain to some degree for privacy purposes.

On the basis of the lack of DH and my gardening knowledge and the fact that last time DH tried to tame the trees he made things worse, we want to hire an expert to advise which bits of tree should be cut back and potentially advise on additional planting to fill gaps that might then arise.
Only trouble is that we don't know what sort of person we need. I think it's not just a tree cutter as we want to know "what" to cut first. Is it a landscaper? A garden designer? Some combination of these? Someone else? Or is there something better to do?

A good starting point would be asking a couple of local gardening firms to come around and take a look at your garden. They will give you advice and quote for the bits of the work they can do and that will almost certainly involve the bushes. If the trees aren't something they cover then they'll be able to recommend tree surgeons in your area who can help.

Not all gardening firms are equal, so get recommendations from people you trust before you make the first call.

My first thought is you need an arboriculturalist for advice This article basically agrees but says go to a firm, as @BunnyBettChetwynnd says, so you have an arborist/arboriculturalist to advise and a tree surgeon to carry out the work.

Most local gardening contractors will just come and chop the whole lot back to the rough height and shape you want without any consideration of the best time of year or pruning method for each individual species. They just want to get the garden tidy and the job done, and get paid.

Try this:

www.rhs.org.uk/plants/types/shrubs/renovation

@Yamadori I am an RHS trained gardening contractor. All the other gardening firms I work with locally are also RHS trained and follow their guidelines on pruning methods and timing, especially with reference to nesting birds.

As I've said earlier on this thread, not all gardening firms are equal but there are many, professional gardeners out there who operate ethically.....the key thing is to find them.

I agree with you - the thing is, how do the uninitiated tell the good ones from the Chainsaw Charlies?!

The best way to do this is by personal recommendation and by observing work completed. Always worth getting two or three companies in and getting a feel for how they operate. One thing is for sure with gardeners....good gardeners are in high demand and will not be cheap. Anyone offering to do tree work at cut price is a cowboy.