Are your hedges fast becoming an eyesore? It may be time for a trim. Hedge trimming typically costs $48 to $79 per hour, for an average price of $63 per hour.
Some professionals, though, may charge as little as $35 or as much as $100 per hour depending on the time and complexity of the job.
If your hedges need a little TLC, or you are considering adding hedges to your landscape, this article will give you an idea of how to budget for a routine trimming.
How Much Does Hedge Trimming Cost?
- National average cost: $63 per hour
- Typical price range: $48-$79 per hour
- Extreme low end: $35 per hour
- Extreme high end: $100 per hour
On This Page
- Cost Estimator by Time
- Other Factors That Affect Cost
- Extra Services
- Cost of DIY Hedge Trimming
- Cost of Hedge Trimming by Location
- FAQ
- Conclusion
Cost Estimator By Time
Most professional landscapers budget hedge trimming by time. This makes things a little different from shrub trimming.
Since it can be harder to count the number of bushes in each hedge, trimmers will estimate the amount of time it will take to do the job and give you a price based on that.
The average cost runs about $63 per hour while the average low to high range is $48 – $79 per hour.
Other Factors That Affect Cost
These are a few other factors to consider that may affect your hedge trimming costs:
Landfill fees vs. municipal pickup
If your lawn crew is going to haul away a significant amount of debris, that may be an extra fee. Some crews will include this in their hourly figure, but others will itemize it as a separate cost.
The debris removal fee will largely depend on the amount of hedge trimmings, but this usually ranges from $25 to $55 per job.
However, if you have a city pickup or if your regular trash pickup allows for yard waste, your hedge trimming crew will often bag the debris and you can eliminate the extra cost.
Level of difficulty
If there are obstructions that affect accessibility to your hedges, such as power lines, or if the bushes lie close to a building or other structure, this may increase the price of the service.
Difficulties in the terrain and slope of your property also can affect the price of hedge trimming and how long it will take the crew to complete the work.
Height
As with bushes, height is a major factor in determining the price of hedge trimming. In sum, tall hedges will cost more.
Most hedge trimming crews can reach up to 6 feet without a ladder. After that, they can do up to 10 or maybe even 15 feet on a ladder. For hedges higher than 15 feet, hiring an arborist is usually a better solution.
Bottom line: Height increases the amount of surface area that needs cutting and the time it takes to get the job done. Most crews offer a free on-site estimate.
Extra Services
Trip costs and vehicle usage are a major portion of your lawn crew’s expenses. So, while they’re on your property, you might want to consider bundling a couple of other lawn care services to get the most for your money.
Lawn mowing
If you’d like to have someone else to rev up the lawn mower for a change (or routinely), consider having your crew mow at the same time as they trim the hedges.
The average cost for mowing ranges from $25 to $80 for a weekly cut. The major factors determining price are the size of your lawn and how long it will take the crew to do the job.
Bush trimming
Bushes are another landscaping favorite. If you have free-standing bushes in addition to your hedges, you might as well get those cut, too.
Expect to pay $4, $6, $10, or $16 per bush for small, medium, large, and extra large bushes, respectively.
Planting flowers
While the crew is trimming your hedges, why not have them add some color to the lawn and install new flowers or other ornamental plants?
Landscaping installation costs range from $4 – $14 per square foot on average, with simple tasks like planting flowers occupying the lower end of the range.
Cost of DIY Hedge Trimming
If you have shorter hedges, for example, and want to try your hand at hedge trimming, here are a few tips on how to get started:
Equipment needed
A hedge trimmer helps to get the job done fast. The best hedge trimmers on the market today average $123, and range anywhere from $33 to about $320.
Alternatively, you often can rent these trimmers from local hardware stores by the hour, day, week, or month. A four-hour rental starts at about $30.
Also, you may want to purchase small hand trimmers if you like to hand prune.
How to trim your hedges (in 5 steps)
- Grab an electric (or gas powered) hedge trimmer and a tarp.
- Lay down the tarp.
- Start by trimming the top of your hedge. Keep the hedge trimmer flat and level.
- Trim the sides and edges. (Pro Tip: Trim the sides so that they are wider at the base than at the top. This allows for sun and rain to hit the bottom as well as the top of the hedge.)
- Roll up the tarp, bag up your hedge trimmings, and you’re done.
DIY cost vs. professional service
If you want to go the DIY route, the cost to buy a trimmer ranges from $33 to $320, or you can rent one for four hours starting around the $30 mark. (Or borrow one from a neighbor.) The hourly rate for professional know-how is around $63.
Cost of Hedge Trimming By Location
Hedge trimming prices also vary widely by region. Generally, expect prices to be greater in more densely populated areas than in suburbs or rural areas.
Also, if your lawn care company carries its own insurance, this factors into the pricing as well.
FAQ About Hedge Trimming
It depends. Azaleas, forsythia, and other early bloomers should be trimmed right after they are done flowering. Non-flowering hedges are usually trimmed in spring and mid-summer.
Do your research: Consult with your yard crew, or look up the name of your hedge if you know it, and see when it’s best to trim.
Beyond choosing the right plants for your space, you’ll need to check with your city to see if there are certain code requirements homeowners have to meet to put up a hedge.
Some cities have stipulations involving height and property lines that you’ll need to know to make sure you will be in compliance.
Yes! A great tip for hedges is to put down tarps along the length of the hedge before you trim. Then when you’re through trimming, roll up the tarps and place the trimmings in a compost bin or put them on the street if you have a city pickup. This eliminates the need to rake through mulch or other ground cover.
Conclusion
Whether you are seeking more privacy, wind reduction, or just an easy, low-maintenance plant to beautify the lawn, hedges are a great way to add these benefits to your outdoor space.
But once you have planted a hedge, it will need to be trimmed regularly. How regularly will depend on the bushes or shrubs that make up your hedge.
If you’re considering hiring a professional hedge trimming service, you can expect to pay around $63 per hour or anywhere from $33 and up to buy your own hedge trimmer.
Main Photo Credit: Dave Catchpole / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
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