A straight guide
Looking after your trees and hedges in Surrey.
You don't need to know the jargon to keep a tree healthy and safe — but a bit of understanding helps you spot problems early and know what to ask for. Here's a plain-English guide to the main types of tree and hedge work, what they're for, and the signs that a tree might need a professional eye.
The main types of work
What the different jobs actually mean.
Crown reduction
For trees that have got too big
Taking the overall size of the canopy back evenly, so a tree that's outgrown its space is brought into balance while keeping its natural shape. Done well it isn't obvious — the tree just looks right for its setting, and reads as a healthy tree rather than a cut-back one.
Crown lift
For clearance underneath
Raising the bottom of the canopy by removing the lower branches, to give clearance over a driveway, path, lawn, fence or building — and to let more light down into the garden. Often the simplest, least invasive way to fix a tree that's crowding a space.
Dead-wooding
For safety
Removing dead, dying and diseased branches from within the crown. It's as much about safety as looks — dead limbs are the ones most likely to drop — and it keeps the rest of the tree healthier by taking out the material disease spreads through.
Hedge topping & cutting
For height and shape
Bringing an overgrown hedge back to a clean line and a sensible height, or cutting it hard back to reclaim a boundary that's got away. Regular trimming keeps a hedge dense and tidy; leaving it too long makes it woody, gappy and much harder to bring back.
When to get a tree looked at
Five signs worth a professional eye.
- 01Branches that are dead, cracked or hanging — especially over a path, drive or where people sit.
- 02A crown that's grown so large it blocks light, overhangs a roof, or is clearly too big for the garden.
- 03Fungus, brackets or mushrooms growing on the trunk or at the base — often a sign of decay inside.
- 04A tree leaning more than it used to, or ground lifting around the base after high winds.
- 05A hedge or plot that's got so overgrown it's turned into a wall of growth or a job you can't face.
If any of that sounds like a tree or garden of yours, the easiest thing is to send Lewis a photo or give him a call. He'll tell you straight whether it needs work now, whether it can wait, and exactly what he'd recommend — for free, with no pressure to book.
Got a tree you're not sure about?
Send Lewis a photo or give him a call. He'll tell you straight whether it needs work now or can wait — and quote it for free.