DIY GUIDE · GARDEN & OUTDOOR · CHECKED OCTOBER 2026
How to remove a garden hedge yourself
A weekend or two for a short garden hedge. £57–£111 in hand tools you keep.
The legal checks, cutting down in sections, and digging out roots by hand. It stops at chainsaws and machines.
- Every step, start to finish
- Checked October 2026 — sources at the end
- Honest about when to call a pro
FIRST, THE HONEST ANSWER
Do it yourself, or get a mover?
Do it yourself if…
- The hedge is in your own garden, not on farmland or along a field or roadside boundary
- The stems are thin enough for loppers and a pruning saw
- It is a short run of shrubs rather than a line of mature trees
- You are fit for a lot of digging, and can take it slowly over several days
Get a pro if…
- The stems are thick enough that a pruning saw would take minutes per cut, or anything suggests a chainsaw
- The roots are tangled with a wall, a fence, drains or cables
- There is a tree in the line that may be protected, or you are in a conservation area
- The hedge is a boundary and the neighbour has not agreed to it going
Safety first
- Do not use a chainsaw for this unless you are trained and equipped; HSE says by law operators must have adequate training and wear chainsaw protective clothing, and that is the bar to clear.
- Lift like HSE's good handling guidance: plan the lift, keep the load close to your waist, bend slightly at the knees and hips, and do not twist while carrying root balls.
- Wear thick gloves, safety glasses and boots; lopped stems spring back and roots flick soil and stones.
- Before you dig, find out where drains, water pipes and any outdoor electric cable run; dig by hand near them and never drive a mattock blind into the ground beside a house.
- Swing a mattock only with clear space all round you, nobody within reach, and your feet planted apart.
- Pace yourself over several sessions; root grubbing is the kind of work that injures backs on day one.
Stop here: Chainsaw work, machines, protected trees and countryside hedgerows
HSE says chainsaw operators must by law have adequate training and wear protective clothing, so a hedge that needs one is a professional job. Nests in use or being built are protected by section 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 in England, Wales and Scotland and by article 4 of the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985. In England and Wales the Hedgerows Regulations 1997 protect many countryside hedgerows, though not one in or marking the boundary of a private garden. A tree in the hedge may have a tree preservation order or sit in a conservation area, which in every nation means the council first. How to hire a hedge removal contractor →
| MATERIAL | COVERAGE | FOR THIS JOB |
|---|---|---|
| Garden waste sacks or builder's bags | Heavy-duty, reusable | Several per metre of hedge once roots and soil are counted |
| Topsoil or compost | To fill and level the trench | Enough to make good the dug line |
| Replacement plants or fence | Your choice of what follows | Plan it before the old hedge goes |
How long the roots will take
Count the plants: in most garden hedges the plants are about 30–60 cm apart, so plants ≈ hedge length ÷ spacing. Dig out the first two and time them, then multiply. A 6 m hedge at 40 cm spacing is 15 plants; at 40 minutes each that is 10 hours of digging, plus the cutting down and the clearing.
The first root ball always takes longest. Measure your own pace after two or three plants, and split the job across days rather than finishing in one.
Bypass loppers cut green wood cleanly with a scissor action; anvil loppers crush and suit dead wood. For hedge removal either works, but choose long handles and a geared action if the stems are thick.
A folding pruning saw with a pull-cut blade goes through stems that loppers will not, quickly and with control. It is the tool that keeps this job off a chainsaw.
A grubbing mattock has an axe blade on one side for cutting roots and an adze for loosening soil. It does the work of a spade, an axe and a fork, and it is what most people wish they had bought first.
Cut each shrub down to a stump about knee height rather than flush with the ground. The stump is a lever: once the main roots are cut you rock it to find the last ones and pull the root ball free.
A stump grinder, a mini digger or a winch changes the risk completely. If the roots are too big for hand tools, that is the signal to hand the job over, not to hire a machine you have not used.
THE PART THAT DECIDES THE FINISH
Before you start — the checks for your hedge
Hedge removal is decided by where the hedge is and what is in it, not by the tools. Find your case before anything is cut.
A hedge inside your own garden
The usual case, and the simplest legally.
- Check the whole hedge for active nests and, if you find one, wait until the young have gone
- Confirm with the neighbour if it is anywhere near the boundary, and agree what replaces it
- Find drains, pipes and cables along the line before you dig
- Book the disposal before you start; a hedge makes far more waste than it looks
A hedge on a boundary with farmland or open countryside
Where hedgerow rules may apply.
- In England and Wales, a hedgerow 20 m or more long, or meeting other hedgerows at each end, on or next to farmland, common land or similar may be protected by the Hedgerows Regulations 1997
- A hedge inside or marking the boundary of a private garden is outside those regulations
- If there is any doubt, ask the local planning authority before cutting; removing a protected hedgerow without notice can bring an unlimited fine
- In Scotland and Northern Ireland, ask the council and check any farm agreement that covers the boundary
A hedge with trees growing in it
Common in older boundary hedges.
- Ask the council whether any tree in the line has a tree preservation order
- If you are in a conservation area, work on trees above the small-tree size needs notice to the council first
- Leave any tree you are unsure about standing until you have an answer
- Felling a tree is tree surgery, not hedge removal, and is outside this guide
A conifer or leylandii hedge
Fast-growing, often tall, dense to the core.
- Expect thicker trunks than they look from outside; measure the base of a few stems first
- Work from the ground only; do not climb or lean a ladder into a conifer to top it
- Conifer roots are shallow and wide, which makes them easier to dig than they look
- If the trunks need more than a pruning saw, stop and get the hedge felled by a professional
A hedge next to a wall, fence or building
Roots may be holding things up or pushing them over.
- Look for cracks or lean in the wall before you start, and photograph them
- Dig carefully near footings; cut roots rather than levering against the wall
- If a wall or fence post moves when you lever a root, stop
- Leave large roots under a wall in place and cut them flush; removing them can undermine it
THE JOB
How to remove a hedge, in order
Do the checks and line up the disposal
30 minWork through the checks above for your hedge. Look into it for nests, ask about any tree in the line, and confirm the boundary with the neighbour. Then decide where the waste is going: a series of trips to the household waste recycling centre, a skip, or a registered waste carrier. A hedge removed by hand produces brash, stems, and root balls heavy with soil.
- Photograph the hedge and the boundary before you start
- Check your council's rules on trade-sized loads at the recycling centre; some limit vans and trailers
- If you use a carrier, take their registration number
Mistake to avoid: Starting to cut before you know where the waste is going. You end up with a mountain of brash on the lawn for a month.
Strip the side growth
1 hrStart at one end and cut off the side branches with loppers, working down each plant to its main stems. This opens the hedge up so you can see what you are dealing with, and it is far easier to bag small material now than to wrestle whole bushes later. Pile thin brash in one place and stems in another.
- Cut into short lengths as you go; long branches will not fit the bags
- Watch for wire, old fence ties and nails inside the hedge
- A shredder, if you have one, turns thin brash into mulch
Mistake to avoid: Trying to pull whole shrubs out with the branches on. You cannot see the roots, and the weight fights you all the way.
Cut the main stems to knee height
1 hrWith the pruning saw, cut each main stem at roughly knee height, leaving a stump. Make the cut with a steady pull stroke, and if the stem is leaning, cut from the side it leans towards last so the weight does not pinch the blade. That stump is your lever later.
- Undercut a heavy stem slightly first so the bark does not tear down the stump
- Keep your free hand well clear of the blade path
- If a stem needs more than a couple of minutes with the saw, note it as a possible professional job
Mistake to avoid: Cutting the stems flush with the ground. Without a stump to lever and rock, the root ball is far harder to get out.
Open a trench round each root ball
20 minWith the spade, dig a trench about a spade's depth all round the stump, roughly a forearm's length out from it. Throw the soil to one side on a tarpaulin. Use the fork where you suspect pipes or cables, so you find them rather than cut them. Allow about that long for each plant.
- Work round the plant rather than digging one deep hole on one side
- Keep the topsoil on its own pile for refilling
- Stop and investigate anything hard and regular in shape
Mistake to avoid: Digging straight down beside the stump. You meet the thickest roots at their strongest point and get nowhere.
Cut the roots with the mattock
20 minUse the axe blade of the mattock to sever each root you have exposed in the trench, cutting it on the outside of the trench so the root stays attached to the ball. Short, controlled chops are safer and more accurate than big swings. Clear soil from each root before you cut it, or the blade blunts on stones. Allow about that long for each plant.
- Stand with your feet apart and the mattock swinging between them, never towards your shin
- Cut the thick roots first; the thin ones tear when you rock the stump
- A pruning saw finishes a root the mattock bounces off
Mistake to avoid: Swinging the mattock over your head. It is less accurate, tires you faster, and a glancing blow comes back towards you.
Rock and lift the root ball
10 minPush the stump back and forth to find the roots still holding it, cut those, and repeat. When it moves freely, lever it out with the spade under one side and lift it with the load close to your body. Roll heavy root balls onto a tarpaulin and drag them rather than carrying them. Allow about that long for each plant.
- Knock loose soil off the root ball back into the hole; it is your topsoil
- Two people lift a big root ball, not one
- Leave fine roots that break off in the ground; they rot away
Mistake to avoid: Lifting a root ball full of wet soil from a bent-over position. This is the single most likely injury in the whole job.
Clear stragglers and suckers
30 minOnce every plant is out, fork through the line to find broken roots and runners. Some hedge plants, privet and laurel among them, regrow from roots left in the ground, so lift what you can find. Repeat this check in a few weeks when any new shoots show.
- Pull new shoots with as much root as you can rather than snapping them off
- Forking is enough; you do not need to sieve the soil
- Mark the line so you can find it again for the follow-up check
Mistake to avoid: Assuming the job is done when the stumps are out. Regrowth from a missed root can be back in a season.
Refill, level and settle the trench
45 minReturn the topsoil, adding compost if you are replanting, and firm it by treading as you go. A trench where a hedge has been is full of air pockets and decaying root, and it sinks. Overfill slightly and let it settle for a few weeks before you lay turf, a path or a fence line on it.
- Water the filled line to help it settle
- Top up after the first heavy rain
- If you are planting a new hedge, improve the soil now, along the whole line
Mistake to avoid: Laying turf or paving straight onto the fresh fill. It dips along the line within a month.
Dispose of the waste lawfully
VariesShred or compost what you can. Take the rest to the household waste recycling centre or your council's garden waste service, or use a registered waste carrier. In England and Wales you have a legal duty to hand household waste only to an authorised person, so a man with a van who will not give a registration number is a risk to you as well as the verge he tips it on.
- Keep the carrier's name, registration number and receipt
- Root balls with soil can count as soil or rubble at some recycling centres; check first
- Avoid a bonfire; it causes nuisance and damp brash smoulders for hours
Mistake to avoid: Paying cash to someone who will not say where the waste is going. If it is fly-tipped and traced to you, the duty falls on you.
The mistakes that turn this into a bigger job
- Cutting before checking for nests, a protected tree or a protected hedgerow
- Cutting stems flush and losing the stump to lever on
- Lifting heavy, soil-laden root balls bent over and alone
- Leaving roots of a suckering plant, so the hedge comes back
Stop here and get a hedge removal contractor
- Any stem needs a chainsaw, or the hedge is tall enough that cutting it down means working off the ground
- The roots are too big for hand tools and the answer is a stump grinder or a digger
- The hedge is tangled with a wall, a drain run, cables or a neighbour's structure
- There is any doubt about a protected tree, a protected countryside hedgerow, or an active nest
| WHAT YOU SEE | WHY, AND THE FIX |
|---|---|
| Hedge growing back after removal | Roots or runners left in the ground. Fork out new shoots with their roots as they appear over the first season; most plants give up after two or three rounds. |
| Ground sinking where the hedge was | Fill settling as old root rots. Top up with soil and firm it, and wait a few weeks longer before turfing or paving. |
| Root ball will not budge | One deep tap root or a root under a wall. Dig down one side to find it and cut it with the saw; if it runs under a structure, cut it flush and leave it. |
| Mattock bouncing off roots | Soil or stones on the root, or a blunt blade. Clear the root first and file the blade; finish tough ones with the pruning saw. |
| Wall or fence leaning after removal | Roots were bracing it, or digging disturbed the footing. Stop work near it, prop it if needed, and get it looked at. |
| Mushrooms or fungus along the old line | Decaying root in the soil. It is harmless and fades as the wood rots; lift what you can when replanting. |
| New hedge plants failing in the same line | Exhausted or compacted soil, or old roots competing. Dig in compost along the whole trench and water through the first summer. |
| Neighbour complaining about the gap | A shared boundary is a shared decision. Agree the replacement before work starts; a temporary screen helps while new plants establish. |
WHAT YOU SAVE
What it costs to do it yourself
| Grubbing mattock | £13–£32 |
|---|---|
| Loppers | £19–£37 |
| Folding pruning saw | £9 |
| Digging spade | £11–£24 |
| Gloves | £2–£5 |
| Garden waste sacks | £3–£4 |
| Total, first time | £57–£111 |
| DIY total | £57–£111 |
Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.
The tools are a one-off. The real extra is disposal: several trips to the recycling centre, a skip, or a carrier's charge, which you should price before you start.
RATHER NOT?
Hedge removal contractors near you, with prices shown
The ones who cover your area, nearest first, with one score from every review. No account needed to look.
Or post the job free and let them come to you.
Walk the old line every couple of weeks for the first season and fork out anything that sprouts.
Give the filled trench a few weeks and a few rains before a fence, path or turf goes on it.
Compost or shred what you can; the rest goes to the council's garden waste collection, the household waste recycling centre, or a registered waste carrier whose number you keep.
Clean soil off the mattock and spade, dry them, and file the edges; oil the loppers' pivot and fold the saw blade away dry.
Removing a garden hedge: questions people ask
Not for a hedge in your own garden, but check for nesting birds, any protected tree in it, and whether it is a countryside hedgerow. In England and Wales the Hedgerows Regulations 1997 cover many hedgerows on or next to farmland and similar land, but not one in or marking the boundary of a private garden.
Late autumn and winter, outside the main nesting season and when the ground is workable rather than frozen or waterlogged. Whenever you do it, check for active nests first.
You can, but many hedge plants regrow from the stump, and the roots stop you planting or building on the line. Digging out the root ball is the reliable way.
Sometimes, slowly, and only with an amateur product used exactly as its label says. HSE is clear that garden pesticides must be used as instructed on the label; digging out is quicker and more certain.
Shred or compost the soft material, then use the council's garden waste collection, the household waste recycling centre, or a registered waste carrier. Keep the carrier's registration number.
The Locufy UK price guide puts hedge removal at £150–£700 per job, typically £275. Ask whether that includes stump grinding and taking the waste away.
MORE GUIDES
More DIY guides
Sources — checked October 2026
- HSE — working with chainsaws: training and protective clothing required by law
- HSE — manual handling: good handling technique
- STIHL — tackling an overgrown garden: cutting back and digging out roots and stumps
- Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, section 1 — wild birds, their nests and eggs
- Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985, article 4
- Hedgerows Regulations 1997, regulation 3 — the hedgerows covered (England and Wales)
- GOV.UK — countryside hedgerow protection: removing hedgerows (England)
- GOV.UK — tree preservation orders and trees in conservation areas
- HSE — using pesticides in your garden, home or allotment
- GOV.UK — dispose of garden waste
- Environmental Protection Act 1990, section 34 — duty of care
- Wickes — price check: mattocks
- Wickes — price check: loppers
- Wickes — price check: pruning saws
- Wickes — price check: spades
- Wickes — price check: gardening gloves
- Wickes — price check: garden waste sacks