Essendon Hedge Pruning & Trimming
Hedge trimming, shaping and hard reductions in Essendon — privacy screens up to 10 m, formal hedges, every clipping taken away.
- Free quotes
- Fully qualified & insured
- 16+ years
Hedge pruning and trimming in Essendon, done properly
Aps Tree Removal has cut hedges in Essendon and Aberfeldie, Strathmore and Moonee Ponds 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 Aberfeldie (2 km), Strathmore (2 km), Moonee Ponds (2 km), so a job in Essendon is often paired with one next door. 2 of the reviews on this site are from customers in Aberfeldie, Strathmore and Moonee Ponds, next door to Essendon.
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.
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.
Hedge Pruning & Trimming in Essendon — 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
Trim formal hedges in late spring and again in late summer; screens once a year in late winter or early autumn. Avoid cutting in a heatwave — freshly cut foliage scorches.
The full service pages: Hedge Trimming and Green Waste Removal — every one available in Essendon.
Guides from Api: Professional hedge trimming: the DIY mistakes it avoids on Melbourne hedges · Commercial hedge trimming in Melbourne: kerb appeal, safety and scheduling for businesses
Do you need a permit to remove a tree in Essendon?
Homeowners in Essendon ask this more than anything else, so here is Moonee Valley’s rule as the council publishes it.
Moonee Valley’s Activities and General Amenities Local Law 2018 (clause 4.31.1) says a person must not carry out works to a significant tree or canopy tree without a permit, unless the works comply with the council’s Tree and Canopy Protection Guidelines.
A canopy tree is one with a total trunk circumference of 110 cm or more measured 1.5 m above the ground, a multi-stemmed tree whose combined circumference reaches 110 cm at that height, or any tree 150 cm around at ground level. Removal goes through a Tree Removal Permit application, and the council may ask for an arborist’s or engineer’s evidence for claims about condition or damage.
Significant trees are also protected through Schedule 2 to the Environmental Significance Overlay in the planning scheme, and the state canopy-tree clause covers the residential zones.
Source: Moonee Valley City Council — trees on private property. 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 north-west. Nothing staged, nothing stock.
What customers near Essendon say
Belinda
Niddrie · Jan 2023
Very prompt and efficient
Tory
Aberfeldie · July 2020
Api was professional, friendly and did a great job pruning several large shrubs and trees.
Hedge trimming around Essendon
The same crew, the same day rates, in the suburbs next door:
Other services in Essendon
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 north-west say
Siva Sankar
4 Dec 2024
Just Fab, Awesome job. Thank you for your work.
Emily Cavka
3 Dec 2024
I had 3 trees removed and I am very happy with their work.
Harrison singh
19 Nov 2024
Api is very professional and reliable. I have used his services few times and he has always exceeded my expectations. I highly recommend his services.
Sonny Reyes
14 Oct 2024
Very professional. The best job done at reasonable price. Thank you so much!
Suhair Bdeiwe
3 Oct 2024
Great service, I highly recommend them.
Ian Rogers
3 Oct 2024
Very happy with Api and his team with the removal of a very large jacaranda tree and several yucca trees. Always on time and provided advice on tasks…
Graciela Marinaro
26 Sept 2024
The guys were fantastic, very helpful with great customer service. I needed a very tall she oak removed in between my other plants, the guys were very…
Daniel M
26 Sept 2024
Api was a pleasure to deal with from the first call. He came the same day to have a look at the trees which needed to be cut and provided a very compe…
mikep p
25 Sept 2024
Two trees and stumps removed and site cleanup afterwards at a very reasonable price. Professional and friendly staff. Apps Tree Removal should be your…
Em
13 Sept 2024
Had Api come and trim back some out of control trees on our new property to a maintainable level, looks fantastic and he and his team were prompt, tid…
Mostafa Haroun
12 Sept 2024
API came through to our house with his team and gave us a quote for the work that we where happy with. When he was done we where so greatful and appre…
MonS S
4 Sept 2024
Exceptional service. Api and the team chopped and mulched trees and cleaned up to leave the yard immaculate. Highly recommend!
Essendon Hedge Pruning & Trimming — common questions
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Essendon?
Yes, if it is a “canopy tree”: 110 cm or more around the trunk at 1.5 m (stems of a multi-trunk tree added together), or 150 cm at ground level. Moonee Valley’s local law requires a Tree Removal Permit for works to a canopy or significant tree, and the state canopy-tree clause applies as well. 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 Essendon?
Length, height, growth and access — with the clippings included. A regular annual trim in Essendon costs far less than a first cut on a hedge that has had five years off. Api quotes free.
How long does it take?
Usually within a fortnight, and we will suggest a better time of year if you have asked for a hard cut in the wrong one.
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 Essendon; we work from the accessible side and from platforms where the path is too narrow.
What happens to the waste?
Chipped and removed as part of the job. If you want the mulch, it is yours.
My hedge is bare at the bottom and too tall — can it be fixed?
Most species, yes: reduce the height, narrow the top so light reaches the base, feed it and give it a season. Conifers are the exception — they can be shaped but not restored from bare wood.