Elsternwick Hedge Pruning & Trimming
Hedge trimming, shaping and hard reductions in Elsternwick — privacy screens up to 10 m, formal hedges, every clipping taken away.
- Free quotes
- Fully qualified & insured
- 16+ years
Hedge pruning and trimming in Elsternwick, done properly
Aps Tree Removal has cut hedges in Elsternwick and Ripponlea, Gardenvale and Balaclava for over 16 years, from waist-high box to boundary screens taller than the house. We time the cut to the plant, take the clippings away, and come back on a schedule if you want the shape kept year after year.
The nearest suburbs we also cover are Ripponlea (about a kilometre), Gardenvale (about a kilometre), Balaclava (2 km), so a job in Elsternwick is often paired with one next door.
A reduction is agreed before it starts: how tall, how wide, how much light you want through. We cut to that, shape the result, and warn you if the species will look bare for a season before it fills — lilly pilly and photinia bounce back fast; conifers do not regrow from bare wood at all.
We start every hedge with a look at the species and the condition, because that decides how hard it can be cut. Then the faces are cut to a line, the top levelled, the base cleared, and the clippings collected on sheets and chipped. On a tall screen the crew works from platforms and ladders with long-reach trimmers; nobody stands on a wobbly ladder in a garden bed.
Hedge Pruning & Trimming in Elsternwick — 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
Check the council rule below before a hard reduction of a very large old hedge in Elsternwick — a few hedge species grow into trees big enough to count as a canopy tree, and Api will tell you if yours does.
The full service pages: Hedge Trimming and Green Waste Removal — every one available in Elsternwick.
Guides from Api: Emergency tree removal in Melbourne: what to do first and how fast help comes · Affordable hedge trimming in Melbourne: what drives the price and how to keep it down
Do you need a permit to remove a tree in Elsternwick?
The rule that applies to a tree in a Elsternwick garden is the Canopy Tree Protection Local Law — here is what it says.
Glen Eira runs both systems and says which wins: where a tree meets the test under the planning scheme and the local law, the planning scheme prevails and only one application is made. Under the Canopy Tree Protection Local Law a permit is required to prune, remove or undertake works within the Tree Protection Zone of a canopy tree on private land — the council’s definition lists a palm taller than 8 m, a tree taller than 5 m, a trunk circumference of 140 cm or more measured 140 cm up the trunk (single or combined), or a stump of 140 cm at ground level — and of any tree on the Classified Tree Register.
Two exemptions matter: minor pruning once a year of no more than 10 per cent of the canopy with branches under 10 cm around, and removing or pruning to make a hazard safe, for which the council recommends an arborist’s statement and photos.
A planning permit under the state canopy-tree clause is not needed to prune up to a third of the foliage, and the council will confirm what applies through its online request; planning and building on 9524 3333.
Source: Glen Eira City Council — trees on private property, 9524 3333. 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 inner south-east. Nothing staged, nothing stock.
Hedge trimming around Elsternwick
The same crew, the same day rates, in the suburbs next door:
Other services in Elsternwick
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 inner south-east say
Pierre Macquet
26 Aug 2023
Excellent work nice and tidy relable
Amy
26 Aug 2023
I had some large trees at the front of my property that needed to be removed and also two small stumps . I contacted Ap’s tree removal on Wednesday an…
Ramesh
13 Aug 2023 · Werribee
I had 10 pine trees at my property which I planned to remove. I did a google search and found Aps Tree Removal. Api has quoted a very reasonable price…
Fiona Kennett
26 July 2023
Api was easy to deal with - prompt service - professional and good price - left the site clean and tidy - highly recommend
mckay sione
26 July 2023
Good honest workers, with quality outcome 👍 would definitely recommend to friends and family
Cam Rowe
26 July 2023
Api and his guys were great. Very happy with his service
Maria O'Leary
26 July 2023
Api and the team did a great job trimming my ginormous oak tree and other trees in my garden. They arrived on time, discussed with me what needed to b…
Fuyao Liu
26 July 2023
all jobs did very professional. Affordable price, good services. Hope this review can help other people needed .
Shane Gardiner
26 July 2023
Api and his team tackled a 20m high gum tree situated in very precarious position on my property and to watch the boys bring it down piece by piece wa…
Dion Eden
26 July 2023
I'm a freelance arborist and have contracted for Api several times, I haven't got one bad thing to say about the bloke. Api is as genuine and hard wor…
bert natural
26 July 2023
Got the job done! They arrived on time, trimmed the pine trees for a good hedge - looks neat, and tidied up after the job was done. Would recommend th…
Dean Crupi
26 July 2023
great work, back yard looks amazing and left the yard nice and clean . will use again A+++
Elsternwick Hedge Pruning & Trimming — common questions
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Elsternwick?
Yes, in most cases: Glen Eira’s Canopy Tree Protection Local Law requires a permit to prune, remove or work near a canopy tree — the council lists palms over 8 m, trees over 5 m, trunks (or combined trunks) of 140 cm circumference at 1.4 m, and stumps of 140 cm at ground level — and any classified tree. Minor pruning of up to 10 per cent once a year, and making a storm hazard safe, are exempt. Where the state canopy-tree clause also applies, the planning permit is the one you need. 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 Elsternwick?
Priced per job, not per hour, so you know the figure before we start. Clippings removal is included; it is the part nobody wants to do themselves.
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 — and where the far side is the neighbour’s, we will speak to them so both faces can be done properly.
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?
Usually. Most hedge species will regrow from older wood if they are reduced in stages and the top is narrowed so light reaches the base. Cypress is the exception — it does not regrow from bare wood, so it can only be shaped, not restored. Api will tell you which you have.