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How to trim a hedge with shears

Updated: October 2026

The shears are already in your hand, and the hedge is garden privet, beech, or a short conifer you can still see over. This is how to trim a hedge with shears so the face stays even, the leaves are cut rather than torn, and you do not damage a nest. Choosing the mechanism is on the [Fiskars hedge trimmer comparison](/hub/lawn-and-garden-equipment/fiskars-hedge-trimmer) and the [Fiskars hedge shears buying guide](/hub/lawn-and-garden-equipment/fiskars-hedge-trimmer/sub/fiskars-hedge-trimmer-buying-guide). Peter F. is passing on the RHS and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, on 22 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. If the blades do not meet, that is a buying fault, not a stroke you can correct.

The shears are already in your hand, and the hedge is garden privet, beech, or a short conifer you can still see over.

Our top picks

Fiskars Fiskars SingleStep HS22

Best overall

Fiskars Fiskars SingleStep HS22
8.9/10about £17.51
View offer
Fiskars Fiskars PowerGear II HS72

Rank 2

Fiskars Fiskars PowerGear II HS72
7.9/10about £26.31
View offer
Fiskars Fiskars Solid HS21

Alternative

Fiskars Fiskars Solid HS21
8.0/10about £20.90
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Before you open the shears
  2. 2.Sides first, then the top
  3. 3.Keep the base wider
  4. 4.When shears are the wrong tool

Before you open the shears

Look into the hedge before you cut a stem. In Great Britain, section 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 makes it an offence to intentionally damage a nest while it is in use or being built. Northern Ireland has the same idea in article 4 of the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985. The RSPB describes the usual nesting window as March to August, and it can run longer. Part the growth, especially dense privet, and stop if you find a nest. A garden hedge is outside the English farm closed season in the Management of Hedgerows (England) Regulations 2024, which exclude a hedge in a dwelling’s curtilage, and it is still inside the nest offence. The blades should be dry, sharp enough to slice a soft shoot, and meeting at the tips. UK reviews of the HS21 and the HS22 include pairs that arrived bent or with a gap. Oil a high-carbon blade before you put it away.

Sides first, then the top

The RHS order is worth following on a hedge you can reach from the ground. Put a sheet down. Cut the sides from the bottom upward, with the blade face parallel to the hedge. Sandwich Hedges, a UK contractor’s note, describes a sweeping stroke rather than a chop, and tells you not to work at full stretch. A chop mashes the stem. If the shears bruise growth, stop and sharpen, or return a pair whose edges never met. Do not keep squeezing harder. That is how a geared Fiskars joint gets forced. Leave about 1 cm of the new growth if this is a trim rather than a renovation. That is the RHS figure. Run a string line for the top once the sides are even. A top cut by eye on a long privet usually rises toward the far end. Extending a handle is extra weight at arm’s length, not a reason to fetch a ladder.
Fiskars Fiskars SingleStep HS22

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Fiskars Fiskars SingleStep HS22
8.9/10about £17.51
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Keep the base wider

A hedge that is wider at the top goes bare at the bottom, because the upper growth shades the lower shoots. The RHS asks you to taper taller hedges so the top is narrower than the base. On a short garden hedge the taper can be slight. Step back after each side. Beech, if you want it to hold brown leaves, is trimmed by the RHS in the second week of August. Miss that week and wait until the following spring, still checking for nests. Most conifers do not reshoot from bare wood. Leylandii is green fringe only, from April to the end of August, up to three light cuts, and no brown wood. Large-leaved evergreens such as laurel look shredded when shears slice the leaves. The RHS prefers secateurs there if the look of the face matters.

When shears are the wrong tool

Hand shears suit a small hedge and soft annual growth. A long, thick face is a powered trimmer. None of these listings includes a battery or a motor. If the stems are woody, a lopper is safer than forcing the shear. UK reviews of the HS72 are where a plastic joint snaps on that wood. Fiskars’ up to 3x line is a claim, not a measured capacity. Stop when the top needs a ladder. The RHS says keep the hedge at a height you can maintain safely. A telescopic handle adds a stated 63–93 cm depending on the model. Stop when a neighbour dispute may be a statutory high hedge under the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003: in England and Wales, two or more mostly evergreen shrubs over 2 metres, and the council cannot order a cut below 2 metres. If the job needs steps, hire someone.

Common questions

Do I cut the top or the sides first?
Cut the sides first, from the bottom upward, then the top to a string line. That is the RHS sequence, and Gardeners’ World describes the same order. Leave about 1 cm of new growth if this is a trim, not a renovation.
How do I keep the top straight?
Use a string line between two canes and cut to the string. Eye alone tends to rise as you walk. The blade face stays parallel to the hedge, in a sweep, not a chop. If you are at full stretch, the hedge is already too tall for a comfortable shear.
Can I use shears on a long Leylandii hedge?
Only for a light trim of the green fringe, and only from the ground. The RHS limits Leylandii to roughly April to the end of August, and to about three light cuts. Do not cut into brown wood, because most conifers will not reshoot there.
When can I trim a beech hedge?
The RHS points to the second week of August if you want a beech hedge that holds its brown leaves. If you miss that, trim the following spring, and still look for nests. The nest check comes first, whatever the month.
Do I have to wait until September because of nesting birds?
You do not have a blanket ban that lifts on 1 September for a garden hedge. The March-to-August farm rule excludes a hedge around a house. Birds are protected whenever a nest is in use or being built, often March to August and sometimes longer. If you find a nest, wait.
When should I hire someone?
Hire when the hedge needs a ladder, when a farm hedgerow rule may apply, when a neighbour row may be a statutory high hedge, or when your hands hurt after a short session. A telescopic Fiskars handle is not a substitute for that decision.

Related pages

Fiskars telescopic hedge shears

Best Fiskars hedge shears

Fiskars hedge trimmer

Fiskars hedge shears buying guide, mechanism first

Fiskars PowerGear vs SingleStep for a short UK hedge

Sources

Public UK sources for the legal and horticultural points. Prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk listings in this category. Last checked 22 October 2026.

  1. Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, section 1 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  2. Management of Hedgerows (England) Regulations 2024 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  3. RSPB, Wildlife and Countryside Act (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  4. RHS, pruning hedges (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  5. Fiskars UK FAQ (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  7. Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003, section 66 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  8. HSE INDG480, powered trimmer vibration (retrieved 22.10.2026)