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

Hedge pruning and trimming in Toorak, done properly
Whether you want a formal hedge kept razor-sharp or an overgrown boundary screen brought back under control, Aps Tree Removal does hedge work in Toorak the way it should be done: the right time of year, clean cuts, and a tidy finish. Fully insured and led by a qualified arborist.
The nearest suburbs we also cover are Burnley (about a kilometre), Armadale (2 km), Prahran (2 km), so a job in Toorak is often paired with one next door. 2 of the reviews on this site are from Toorak customers, and another 2 from Burnley, Armadale and Prahran.
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.
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 Toorak — 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
Taper the hedge so it is narrower at the top than the bottom. Hedges in Toorak that go bare at the base almost always do so because the top was left wider and shaded the bottom out.
The full service pages: Hedge Trimming and Green Waste Removal — every one available in Toorak.
Guides from Api: Affordable hedge trimming in Melbourne: what drives the price and how to keep it down · Commercial hedge trimming in Melbourne: kerb appeal, safety and scheduling for businesses
Do you need a permit to remove a tree in Toorak?
The rule that applies to a tree in a Toorak garden is the General Local Law — here is what it says.
Stonnington’s General Local Law protects significant trees on private land: a tree or palm 140 cm or more in circumference at 1.4 m above its base, one whose trunks total 140 cm at that height, one 180 cm or more around at the base, or any tree on the Significant Tree Register. Removing, pruning, or carrying out works inside the Tree Protection Zone — building, excavation, trenching, filling, storing materials — needs a Tree Works Permit, and removal without one is fined.
The application takes a location sketch and at least two photographs; only the owner (or someone with the owner’s written authority) can apply. For an urgent removal, a qualified arborist’s assessment is emailed to the council first.
Since September 2025 a planning permit can also be needed in the residential zones under the state canopy-tree clause, even with no overlay on the land; the council’s permit finder walks through both.
Source: City of Stonnington — trees on private property, 8290 1333. 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 Toorak customers say
Graeme
Toorak · Apr 2022

Great job. Delivered what they promised, unlike others who previously promised but didn't deliver. Professional and friendly at a very competitive price.
Mark F
Toorak · Feb 2022

Connected with Aps Tree Removal and would recommend them
Hedge trimming around Toorak
The same crew, the same day rates, in the suburbs next door:
Other services in Toorak
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
Toorak Hedge Pruning & Trimming — common questions
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Toorak?
Yes, for a significant tree — 140 cm or more around the trunk at 1.4 m (trunks added together for a multi-stem tree), 180 cm at the base, or a tree on the Significant Tree Register: Stonnington requires a Tree Works Permit to prune or remove it, or to dig or build inside its root zone. Residential-zone canopy trees near a boundary need a planning permit under the state clause. 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 Toorak?
Length, height, growth and access. Tell Api how tall you want it and he will quote the cut and the clean-up together, free.
How long does it take?
A few hours for a standard trim. Reductions take longer and may need a second visit the following season to tidy the regrowth.
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, everything raked and chipped, driveway and path blown. The mulch is yours if you want it; otherwise it goes to a green-waste recycler.
My hedge is bare at the bottom and too tall — can it be fixed?
It depends on the species. Many can be brought back with a staged reduction; a few cannot and are better replaced. We will give you a straight answer at the quote rather than sell you a cut that will not work.



