Leylandii and conifer hedges need their own approach.

Why conifers are different

Leylandii, thuja, Lawson cypress and most other conifer hedging share one trait that changes everything about how you manage them: they do not produce new growth from bare, brown wood. A deciduous hedge like beech or hornbeam will happily throw new shoots from an old stem cut hard back. A conifer won't. Once you've cut past the green needle-bearing layer, that face is permanently brown.

What that means in practice

• Never let it get away from you. Annual maintenance trims that stay inside the green zone keep a conifer hedge manageable indefinitely.
• If it's already overgrown, expect staging. A hedge with little green left below head height needs a multi-year reduction plan, not a single hard cut.
• On the seafront, conifers earn their keep as windbreaks even when they're not the prettiest option - they take salt exposure that would scorch a beech hedge to nothing.

What's included

• Assessment of the green zone before any cut is agreed
• Staged reduction plan where a single cut would leave permanent brown patches
• Routine annual maintenance trims to keep a healthy conifer hedge from reaching that point
• All arisings cleared

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