Before you trim a hedge, check it carefully for active nests. It is an offence to damage or destroy a wild bird's nest while birds are building or using it. The main nesting season runs from early spring to late summer, and it can go on for longer.
If you find an active nest, leave that hedge until you are sure the young birds have flown. Winter is a good time to trim, as birds are less likely to be nesting then. A formal hedge needs cutting up to three times a year to stay neat, so plan those cuts around the birds.
How you cut matters too. Keep the top narrower than the base, so light reaches the lower branches. Go lightly on a conifer hedge, because it does not regrow from old wood. In a conservation area, or where trees in the hedge have a tree preservation order, you may need council permission first.
Getting the timing and shape right saves you a hedge that is bare at the bottom, or a conifer cut back too hard to recover. Winter is a good time to call me, once you are sure no birds are still using the hedge. I do shrub and hedge trimming across Edinburgh, so get in touch and I will book yours in.
