Hedge Trimming in Posen, IL

Hedge trimming

Shrubs back in shape, and kept there

How often do hedges and shrubs need trimming?

Most shrubs around here need trimming a couple of times a season, and fast growers along a foundation or a fence line can need more. The tell is simple. If a bush is touching the siding, blocking a window, crowding a walk, or has long shoots sticking out past the rest of it, it is time. Waiting a full year means cutting into thick old wood, which leaves bare spots that take a long while to fill back in. Our customers usually get on the schedule with our Posen landscaping team early in the season, so nothing gets that far gone.

What does hedge trimming actually involve?

Shaping, thinning, and cleanup. We cut the hedge back to a clean line, keeping it slightly wider at the base than the top so sunlight reaches the bottom branches and the shrub does not go bare underneath. Overgrown or crossing branches get removed at the base rather than just sheared off the top, which keeps the plant healthy instead of turning it into a hollow shell. Then everything gets raked, blown, and hauled away, so you do not have a pile of clippings sitting in the bed or on the drive for a week.

Do you trim hedges at commercial properties?

Yes, and commercial sites usually need it more than homes do, because overgrown shrubs at an entrance or along a parking lot read as deferred maintenance to everybody who pulls in. We trim shrubs and hedges at warehouses, office buildings, and multi-family properties on a rotation inside the regular maintenance schedule. It pairs naturally with our seasonal clean up service, since spring and fall are when the biggest cutbacks and the heaviest debris hauling happen on a property.

When is the best time of year to trim shrubs?

It depends on the plant, and getting it wrong costs you a season of flowers. Shrubs that bloom in spring, like lilac and forsythia, set their buds the year before, so they get trimmed right after they finish blooming. Summer bloomers are cut back in late winter or early spring while they are still dormant. University of Illinois Extension explains the split clearly in its guide on pruning flowering shrubs for more blooms. We time the cuts by what is planted at your property rather than doing everything on the same day.

How much does hedge trimming cost?

It depends on how many shrubs there are, how big they have gotten, and how much debris comes off. Estimates are free with no obligation, so you get the number before we start.

Do you haul away the clippings?

Yes. The beds get raked out, the walks and drive get blown off, and the clippings leave with our truck. You should not be able to tell we were there except for the shrubs.

Can you save a hedge that is badly overgrown?

Usually, yes, though it may take more than one season. Cutting a very overgrown shrub back all at once can leave it bare, so we often stage it across two visits instead.

How short can you cut my bushes?

It depends on the plant. Some shrubs take a hard cutback fine, others go bare and stay that way. We tell you what yours can handle before we start rather than after.

Is trimming included in weekly service?

No. Shrub and bed care are add on services. Call early in the season to get on our schedule.

Do you trim hedges outside of Posen?

We do. Our residential routes cover the southwest suburbs, including Tinley Park, Midlothian, Orland Park, Oak Forest, and Blue Island, and we trim shrubs at commercial properties across the Chicagoland area.