Shrub & Hedge Trimming near you

Not every shrub should be sheared. Formal hedges are cut across their outer surface to hold a crisp shape, but most flowering and naturally shaped shrubs look better and bloom more when branches are removed one at a time, back to a side branch or to the ground. A good crew matches the cut to the plant instead of running a hedge trimmer over everything in the yard.

The right time depends on the plant. Shrubs that flower in spring, such as lilac and forsythia, form their buds on last year's growth, so they are pruned soon after blooming; cut them in fall or early spring and the flowers go with the branches. Shrubs that bloom in summer on the current year's growth, such as panicle hydrangeas and many spireas, can be pruned in late winter or early spring before growth starts.

Cedar and other evergreen hedges are usually trimmed once the spring flush of new growth has lengthened, with a lighter touch-up in summer if needed. Avoid heavy trimming late in the season, because shoots that sprout after a late cut may not harden before the cold. Deciduous hedges such as privet or alpine currant are sheared once spring growth firms up and again in summer. Those same months are nesting season, which affects how the work is done.

Dense hedges and shrubs are favourite nesting sites. Under the federal Migratory Birds Convention Act and the Migratory Birds Regulations, 2022, the nests of all migratory bird species are protected when they are occupied, meaning they contain a live bird or a viable egg, which is generally during the breeding season. Environment and Climate Change Canada lists clearing trees or other vegetation among the activities that can harm migratory birds, and says the best way to avoid disturbing or destroying active nests is to avoid harmful activities during the breeding season.

Before a spring or summer trim, watch the hedge for adults flying in and out rather than pushing through the branches: the department notes that actively searching for nests is generally not recommended, since nests are hard to find and the search itself disturbs birds. If an occupied nest turns up, stop work near it, move away quickly and quietly, and leave a buffer around it until the young have permanently left the area. The right distance varies with the species and the disturbance, so err on the generous side and finish that section later.

A hedge should be slightly wider at the bottom than at the top, so sunlight reaches the lower branches. Hedges sheared straight up and down, or wider at the top, shade their own base, which thins and goes bare over time. A narrow, rounded or gently peaked top also holds less heavy snow than a broad flat one, which can splay open under the load.

Cedars regrow readily from green, leafy growth but rarely from old brown wood, so each trim should leave some green on every surface.

Hand shears give the cleanest finish on small shrubs and topiary, and bypass pruners and loppers remove single branches for selective pruning. Powered hedge trimmers cover long runs quickly, and pole trimmers reach the tops of tall hedges without climbing. Tall hedges often call for a stable platform rather than a stepladder, and dull blades tear the foliage, leaving ragged tips that turn brown.

Hedges and shrubs sometimes grow into the service wire running to the house or toward street lines. In Quebec, Hydro-Québec states that, by law, pruning where a person, a tool or part of the tree could come within three metres of electrical wires is reserved for arborists it has authorized, and tall hedges near wires raise the same danger. In Ontario, the Electrical Safety Authority warns homeowners to be careful with ladders when trimming bushes and hedges, and to call a certified utility arborist or their local distribution company when growth is too close to power lines. A landscaper should stop and flag any hedge growing into wires rather than trim it.

A long hedge produces a lot of clippings, so settle who handles disposal before the work starts. Many crews haul everything away; others bundle or bag it for municipal yard waste collection, which usually runs on set dates and has rules on containers and branch size. In Montreal, for example, green waste collection takes garden residues, including cedar hedge trimmings, and branches up to 5 cm in diameter tied with fibre cord in bundles no more than 1 metre long, 50 cm across and 25 kg. Plastic bags are not accepted, and larger branches go to an ecocentre.

Trimming can't fix every problem. Cedars that turn brown after a harsh winter, shrubs with dieback, cankers or insects in the bark, and hedges that brown in patches may be suffering from winter burn, salt spray from the street, drought, root damage or pests. A landscaper can cut out dead growth, but the diagnosis and treatment belong to a certified arborist or tree service, especially when several plants decline at once.

Some shrubs should come out rather than be shaped. The Quebec government lists common buckthorn and glossy buckthorn, both from Eurasia, as invasive exotic species that form dense thickets and shade out other plants. Under Quebec's new regulation on invasive exotic plant species, the sale of common buckthorn and its cultivation for propagation are prohibited as of June 4, 2026; for glossy buckthorn, cultivation for propagation is prohibited from that date and sale from June 4, 2027. If buckthorn has seeded into a hedge, have it removed, and keep its berries out of the compost.