Altona Hedge Pruning & Trimming
Hedge trimming, shaping and hard reductions in Altona — privacy screens up to 10 m, formal hedges, every clipping taken away.
- Free quotes
- Fully qualified & insured
- 16+ years

Hedge pruning and trimming in Altona, done properly
Privacy hedges in Altona do their job for a decade and then start to fail — bare at the base, too wide for the path, brown patches where they were hacked. We can restore most of them with a proper reduction and a shaping programme, and we will tell you honestly when one is past saving and should be replaced.
The nearest suburbs we also cover are Seaholme (3 km), Laverton (4 km), Seabrook (5 km), so a job in Altona is often paired with one next door. 2 of the reviews on this site are from Altona customers.
Overgrown boundary hedges — the ones that have swallowed the path or leaned into next door — are cut back to a straight face, thinned where they are congested, and the base cleared so you can see what you have. If the neighbour’s side needs doing too, that can be arranged with them.
Pruning, as opposed to trimming, is for hedge plants that flower or fruit: we time the cut to the plant so you do not lose next year’s flowers, and prune by hand where shears would spoil it.
Hedge Pruning & Trimming in Altona — what we do
Tall privacy hedges
Screens and boundary hedges up to 10 m, from platforms.
Formal hedges
String-lined faces, level tops, crisp corners.
Hard reductions
Overgrown hedges brought back to a workable size.
Clippings removed
Chipped and taken away; nothing left on the drive.
A tip from Api
If the hedge is on the boundary, agree with the neighbour before it is reduced. We will happily quote both sides in Altona, and the result is far better cut together.
The full service pages: Hedge Trimming and Green Waste Removal — every one available in Altona.
Guides from Api: Hedge trimming services in Melbourne: what is included and how the job is done · Commercial hedge trimming in Melbourne: kerb appeal, safety and scheduling for businesses
Do you need a permit to remove a tree in Altona?
Homeowners in Altona ask this more than anything else, so here is Hobsons Bay’s rule as the council publishes it.
Hobsons Bay protects trees on private land two ways. Under the Community Local Law 2025 a permit is required to remove, damage or interfere with a “significant tree” — a tree or palm with a trunk circumference of 110 cm or more measured 1.5 m above the ground, a multi-stemmed tree whose exterior stems add up to 110 cm, or a stump of that size — including one that overhangs from next door.
The application goes through the council’s permit portal; the fee is $137 (half for concession-card holders), the owner has to be the applicant, and the council asks for 15 business days. A permit is also needed to touch any tree on council land, including the nature strip.
The state canopy-tree clause applies on top, so a smaller tree near the front or rear boundary can need a planning permit even when it is under the local-law size.
Source: Hobsons Bay City Council — trees on private property, 1300 179 944. Read 13 September 2026; councils change their local laws, so Api checks the current rule when he quotes.
Across Victoria since 15 September 2025
Clause 52.37 Canopy Trees
A canopy tree is a tree more than 5 m tall, with a trunk circumference over 0.5 m at 1.4 m above the ground and a canopy at least 4 m across. In a residential zone a planning permit is needed to remove, destroy or lop one in a residential zone if the lot is vacant, or, where there is an existing house, if any part of the trunk is within 6 m of the narrowest street frontage or 4.5 m of the rear boundary.
Dead trees, emergency and safety works, maintenance pruning and listed weed species are exempt; councils usually condition a permit on planting a replacement canopy tree, and most decide these through VicSmart in about ten business days.
What this means for you: tell Api where the tree sits on the block and he will tell you whether a permit is needed before anything is cut — and where one is, we can prepare the arborist assessment the application needs.
Hedge trimming jobs by Api and the crew
Real jobs, real photos — Api, the crew and the truck, across Melbourne’s bayside west. Nothing staged, nothing stock.
What Altona customers say
Samantha
Altona · June 2020

Api and crew were reliable, hardworking and very easy to deal with, so polite. They did a fantastic job removing three trees and general tidy up of the yard. Completed beyond what I expected, thank you so much. Highly recommend.
Zalia P
Altona · Apr 2022

Professional , punctual and overall great service
Hedge trimming around Altona
The same crew, the same day rates, in the suburbs next door:
Other services in Altona
Tree services made easy
At Aps Tree Removal, we simplify the tree and hedge removal experience with a clear, step-by-step approach.
Contact us
Want to learn more? Call 0422 856 090 or send the form and speak with Api.
Get a quote
Getting a quote is quick, easy, and free.
On-site inspection
A quick, thorough site assessment — species, access and risks.
Professional removal
Clean and safe work, chipped and cleaned up — no mess, no hassle.
What clients across Melbourne’s bayside west say
Altona Hedge Pruning & Trimming — common questions
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Altona?
Yes, if the trunk measures 110 cm around or more at 1.5 m above the ground (single trunk, or the stems of a multi-trunk tree added together): Hobsons Bay calls that a significant tree and requires a local-law permit ($137, about 15 business days). Smaller trees still fall under the state canopy-tree clause if they sit near a boundary. Across Victoria, Clause 52.37 Canopy Trees also applies since 15 September 2025: a planning permit is needed to remove, destroy or lop one in a residential zone if the lot is vacant, or, where there is an existing house, if any part of the trunk is within 6 m of the narrowest street frontage or 4.5 m of the rear boundary. Api checks both at the quote.
How much does hedge trimming cost in Altona?
By the size of the hedge and the amount of growth: a light annual trim costs a lot less than a restoration cut. Regular customers pay less per visit because the hedge never gets away. Call 0422 856 090 or send photos.
How long does it take?
Half a day is typical; the clean-up is included in that.
Can you get in if the access is tight?
Yes. Hedges on the boundary of a side path are the most common job we do in Altona; we work from the accessible side and from platforms where the path is too narrow.
What happens to the waste?
Sheets under the hedge as we cut, then raked, blown and chipped. The drive and the path are cleaner than when we arrived.
My hedge is bare at the bottom and too tall — can it be fixed?
Often. Pittosporum, lilly pilly, photinia, viburnum and murraya all come back from a staged reduction. If yours is a cypress that has gone brown inside, Api will tell you honestly that replacing it is the better spend.



