Hawthorn Hedge Pruning & Trimming
Hedge trimming, shaping and hard reductions in Hawthorn — privacy screens up to 10 m, formal hedges, every clipping taken away.
- Free quotes
- Fully qualified & insured
- 16+ years
Hedge pruning and trimming in Hawthorn, done properly
Most hedge trouble in Hawthorn is size: the pittosporum screen that was 2 m when it went in is 7 m now and eating the path. We bring it back — in one cut if the species allows, in stages if it does not — and tell you honestly which it will be before we start.
The nearest suburbs we also cover are Burnley (about a kilometre), Toorak (2 km), Kew (2 km), so a job in Hawthorn is often paired with one next door. One of the reviews on this site is from Hawthorn customers, and another 2 from Burnley, Toorak and Kew.
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.
For a maintenance trim we set string lines on anything formal, cut the faces flat with a slight batter so the bottom keeps its leaves, level the top, and collect the clippings on sheets as we go. Tall screens are done from platforms and ladders with long-reach hedge trimmers, and the chipper deals with the pile on the street.
Hedge Pruning & Trimming in Hawthorn — 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
Feed and water a hedge after a hard reduction. It has just lost half its leaves and needs help putting them back.
The full service pages: Hedge Trimming and Green Waste Removal — every one available in Hawthorn.
Guides from Api: Hedge trimming services in Melbourne: what is included and how the job is done · Hedge trimming contracts: what a regular hedge maintenance plan covers in Melbourne
Do you need a permit to remove a tree in Hawthorn?
Homeowners in Hawthorn ask this more than anything else, so here is Boroondara’s rule as the council publishes it.
Boroondara’s Tree Protection Local Law is one of the strictest in Melbourne. A canopy tree is any tree with a trunk circumference of 110 cm or more at 1.4 m above the ground, or 150 cm or more at ground level, with multi-stemmed trees measured by adding the stems. You need a permit to remove a canopy tree even when it is dead or a recognised weed species; pruning is allowed without one provided it follows Australian Standard AS 4373-2007.
Significant trees need a permit for pruning as well as removal, and works near any protected tree need a permit of their own. The council’s free Tree Protection Local Law and planning enquiry tool gives a guide answer for an address before an application is lodged.
The state canopy-tree clause applies in the residential zones on top of the local law.
Source: City of Boroondara — 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 inner east. Nothing staged, nothing stock.
What Hawthorn customers say
Kate
Hawthorn · June 2021
Very professional and got the job done quickly.
Hedge trimming around Hawthorn
The same crew, the same day rates, in the suburbs next door:
Other services in Hawthorn
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 east say
V J
29 Aug 2024
Fantastic service! What a great company! Thank you Api and his amazing team. I have a large gum tree out front that had become a menace to my neighbou…
Joseph Faltas
17 Aug 2024
APi is a great guy , honest and knowledgeable
Scott Cooper
16 Aug 2024
I called to have my tree trimmed. API and team done an excellent job they came on time and cleaned up afterwards. They were very polite and friendly I…
utkarsh singh
14 Aug 2024
Api's been amazing in helping us remove hedges off our property. He is quite honest, friendly & reasonable,always wiling to share the best advise for…
Nik Westbury
8 Aug 2024
The job Api performed was top notch. His professional advice on how the job should be done was much appreciated and the clean up after left no sign of…
Taiwo Adebayo
3 Aug 2024
Excellent job on the Yucca removal and the price was good
Trisha Jenkins
26 July 2024
Api and his team were great. Friendly and responsive. Arrived on time and completed the task well. Would highly recommend.
Benjamin Phiri
24 July 2024
Had Api come around yesterday to trim some trees in the backyard that were getting too high. Api's service was well quoted and went above and beyond o…
Stewart Vong
12 July 2024
Api did an amazing job with our trees. He was very friendly and the work was done to a very high standard. I would highly recommend his services to an…
Thi Tran
11 July 2024
Api did a great job, excellent and very friendly. High recomment.
Alex Tsilemanis
12 June 2024
Api and team removed a couple of trees for us from a tricky narrow space. Great job and customer service, highly recommend.
jojo jojo
29 May 2024
Api did a great job removing and stump grinding big yuccas on the narrow side of my house. Turned up to quote and did the job by himself. Reasonable p…
Hawthorn Hedge Pruning & Trimming — common questions
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Hawthorn?
Yes, for a canopy tree — 110 cm or more around the trunk at 1.4 m (stems combined), or 150 cm at ground level — Boroondara requires a permit to remove it, even if it is dead or a recognised weed. Canopy trees can be pruned without a permit to AS 4373; significant trees need a permit to prune or remove; 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 Hawthorn?
Hedge trimming is priced on length, height, how much is coming off, and access for the platforms. A tidy annual trim of a 20 m boundary hedge in Hawthorn is a routine job; a first cut on a neglected 8 m screen is not. Api quotes free and the price includes removing the clippings.
How long does it take?
A few hours for a standard trim in Hawthorn; a day for a long, tall or badly overgrown hedge. Booked to the right season for the species.
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?
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?
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.