Pricing Guide: How Much Does Bush Trimming Cost?

Bush trimming typically costs about $48 – $75 per hour or $6 – $16 per bush.

How much bush trimming costs depends on whether your contractor charges by the hour or by the bush. On average, homeowners across the U.S. pay about $62 per hour or $11 per bush to have a professional trim their bushes.

The size of your bushes, how many bushes you have, and other factors can affect the overall price. Depending on those factors, a typical price range for professional bush trimming is $48 to $75 per hour or $6 to $16 per bush.

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Average Bush Trimming Costs in 2024

National Average Cost$275
Typical Price Range$110 – $440
Extreme Low-End Cost$30
Extreme High-End Cost$875

When the bushes in front of your house start looking shaggy, you might want to hire an expert to trim them for you. But how much will you likely pay for someone to trim your bushes?

The actual cost of bush trimming depends on the city where you live and the specific contractor you hire, but these numbers can give you a general idea of how much you should expect to spend. A generally reasonable price to pay is $48 to $75 per hour or $6 to $16 per bush.

More affordable contractors sometimes charge as little as $30 or $3 per bush, while a premium contractor might charge close to $875 or $35 per bush. Especially simple or difficult trimming jobs can also result in these low-end or high-end prices.

Bush Trimming Cost Estimator by Size

Generally speaking, whether your contractor charges an hourly rate or by the bush, you’ll have to pay more to have a large bush trimmed compared to a small bush. As you might expect, the per-bush flat rate increases along with bush size.

Size affects per-hour pricing, too, since large bushes will take longer to trim, resulting in a higher bill.

Assuming you have 10 bushes of the same size in your landscape, your overall cost of professional bush trimming would be around:

Bush Size (height)Typical Cost Range (per 10 bushes)
Small (less than 2 feet)$30 – $60
Medium (2 to 4 feet)$60 – $120
Large (4 to 6 feet)$120 – $160
Extra large (higher than 6 feet)$160 – $350

Other Factors That Affect Cost

Aside from the size of your bushes, there are several environmental and situational factors that can raise or lower the cost of professional bush trimming.

Quantity 

Line of cone-shaped bushes
Photo Credit: Stuart / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

Having a large number of bushes (think 25 or more) trimmed at once can result in a lower price per bush. Some contractors give discounts for especially large jobs, similar to buying in bulk.

How much money you could save depends on your specific contractor. Ask about any bulk discounts when getting your quote.

Location

2 bushes in front of a house
Photo Credit: tygerdsebat / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0

If your bushes are too close to a building, fence, power lines, or other structure, they could be more difficult to trim than bushes out in the open. The same goes for bushes in the middle of a landscape bed or otherwise cornered into a tight spot.

Contractors who charge by the bush may ask for a higher rate for bushes in difficult locations such as these. If your contractor charges by the hour, your bill will similarly increase since maneuvering around the bushes without causing damage will most likely take more time.

Pro Tip: Include the location of the bushes in your job description to get a more accurate quote from your contractor.

Debris Hauling

When a landscaper is done trimming your bushes, all those extra branches, twigs, and leaves must go somewhere. Many contractors will charge an additional fee to clean up and haul the debris for you.

Hauling fees can add to the total cost of shrub trimming, depending on how much debris there is and whether or not the contractor will have to pay a dump fee.

Frequency of Service

close-up of a freshly trimmed round bush
Photo Credit: zeevveez / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

Signing up for regular bush trimming service, usually once or twice a year, could result in a lower rate than paying piecemeal every time you want your bushes trimmed.

If your lawn care pro offers regular service plans, he or she most likely will suggest one as a way to save on the costs of trimming your bushes.

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Some other landscaping services go along with bush trimming. Adding these services will add a significant amount to your overall cost. However, just like having a large number of bushes trimmed by the same company can result in savings, bundling multiple services can sometimes earn you a discount.

The ability to bundle landscaping services depends on your specific contractor, but tree trimming, hedge trimming, and mulching are often offered with shrub trimming.

Tree Trimming

Worker trimming trees with a pole saw
Photo Credit: my_southborough / Flickr / CC BY-ND 2.0

Many landscaping companies who trim bushes can trim trees, too. Besides the possibility of saving you money, having your bushes and trees trimmed at the same time is a good idea because it would give your whole landscape a manicured look. You wouldn’t want a scraggly, overgrown tree to ruin the look of your newly trimmed bushes.

Tree trimming costs vary since there are so many different sizes and types of trees. Generally, pricing for tree trimming follows the same basic principle as bush trimming: Large trees or those in difficult locations will cost you more money.

Added cost: Tree service companies may charge anywhere from $85 to $1,300 for the trimming. If your tree is dead or diseased, tree removal costs around $630 on average. Plus, stump removal will cost extra.

Hedge Trimming

row of hedges on either side of a brick walkway leading to the entrance of a home
Photo Credit: Michael Coghlan / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0

In the same vein, having your hedges trimmed at the same time as your bushes could benefit your wallet and your landscape’s appearance. And no, hedges are not the same thing as bushes. A hedge is basically a row of bushes planted close together, and it requires a different trimming technique than a solitary bush.

As with trees and bushes, the size and location of your hedge will affect hedge trimming costs, so there’s a pretty wide range of what you could end up paying.

Added cost: Hedge trimming services usually cost between $317 and $936. If you go the DIY route, a hedge trimmer can cost anywhere from $33 to $227.

Mulching

Pile of mulch next to a wheelbarrow
Photo Credit: Joe Hoover / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0

If you have bushes planted in a landscape bed, you may want to tidy up the bed itself along with the bushes by installing fresh mulch.

Overall mulching costs are hard to calculate without specific details since the price depends on the size of the bed and the type of mulch you want (i.e., wood chips, rubber, dyed).

Added cost: Around $15 to $40 per cubic yard of mulch

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Pro Cost vs. DIY Cost 

Even if your thumb isn’t particularly green, trimming your own bushes should be an easy enough project. It can get more difficult, of course, depending on the size and location of your bushes. If you have an especially tall bush, for example, you may need to work from a ladder, which could present a challenge for many people.

If you decide to take a crack at trimming your own bushes, here are the tools you’ll need and the average prices for each.

Type of DIY EquipmentAverage Cost
Safety glasses$13
Work gloves$12
Pruning shears$14
Rake$32
Tarp$11
Cordless bush trimmer$83
Total Equipment Cost$165

Trimming your own bushes has an upfront cost of about $165 (unless you already own the necessary tools). That cost remains the same regardless of how many bushes you have or how big they are.

On average, if you have 10 bushes on your property, you’ll pay a professional landscaper between $110 and $440 to trim them all once. Remember that the amount can change drastically if you have more or less bushes or bushes of different sizes.

Since DIY bush trimming is so inexpensive, it’s definitely worth a try. However, you must have the necessary skills for the job. So, if you’re not handy with the tools or simply don’t want to do the work at all, you can always bust out the bigger bucks to hire a professional landscaper.

Cost of Bush Trimming by Location

close-up of garden shears being used
Photo Credit: Rattan Direct / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

Keep in mind that the prices we’ve presented so far are national averages. Your costs — either for hiring a professional or purchasing your own equipment — will vary depending on where you live.

FAQ About Bush Trimming

What Time of Year Should You Trim Your Bushes?

Generally speaking, the best time to trim your bushes is late winter or early spring, before the growing season. The worst time to trim is after August, as the new growth could suffer damage from having to endure winter so soon.

The rules are a little different for flowering bushes. Bushes that bloom from old growth (the branches you would probably trim back) do better when you trim them after flowering, whenever that may be for your specific plant.

On the other hand, you should trim bushes that bloom from new growth before they flower.

How Can I Trim Bushes DIY?

Here are the steps you can follow to trim bushes yourself:

  1. Lay down a tarp: Before you start working, lay a tarp at the base of the bush to catch twigs, leaves, and other debris as you cut them off. This step will make cleanup much easier later on.
  2. Start at the bottom: Starting at the bottom of the bush and working toward the top, use your garden shears to cut overgrown branches back at the base.
  3. Pay attention to shape: As you trim, do your best to maintain the natural shape so new growth won’t look wonky. Also, make the crown (or top) of the bush narrower than the base (or bottom) so sunlight can reach all the branches.

While you work, you’ll want to wear safety glasses to protect your eyes from stray debris and work gloves to protect your hands from scratches.

Note: Over-trimming a bush can damage the plant, cause suckering, or stunt its growth. Trimming about one-third of an established bush’s branches is the ideal amount.

What’s the Difference Between Trimming and Pruning?

Trimming and pruning are very similar, so the words are often used interchangeably. The main difference is that trimming refers to cutting back overgrown bushes, while pruning means removing dead or diseased branches to improve the plant’s health.

Hire a Pro to Trim Your Bushes

Bush trimming is a necessary part of landscape maintenance, whether you do it yourself or hire a professional landscaper to do it for you. DIY is the far more affordable option, with a one-time equipment cost of about $165.

If you don’t have confidence in your own landscaping skills and are willing to pay more for an expert’s touch, you can expect to pay approximately $62 per hour or $11 per bush every time you want your bushes trimmed.

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Main Photo Credit: Solveig Osk / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

Melanie Joseph

Melanie Joseph

After discovering her passion for writing through her beauty blog, Melanie left her engineering job in California, became a writer, and never once looked back. When she isn't writing, she loves dipping in the pool, tending to the garden, or doing simple home improvement projects.