Brunswick Hedge Pruning & Trimming
Hedge trimming, shaping and hard reductions in Brunswick — privacy screens up to 10 m, formal hedges, every clipping taken away.
- Free quotes
- Fully qualified & insured
- 16+ years
Hedge pruning and trimming in Brunswick, done properly
Most hedge trouble in Brunswick 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 Princes Hill (2 km), Parkville (2 km), Travancore (3 km), so a job in Brunswick is often paired with one next door.
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.
A hard reduction is different from a trim: we take the height and width back to where you want them, cutting into older wood where the species can handle it, then shape what is left. Some hedges bounce back in a season; others need a second lighter cut to fill in. Api will tell you which you have.
Hedge Pruning & Trimming in Brunswick — 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
Trim formal hedges in late spring and again in late summer; screens once a year in late winter or early autumn. Avoid cutting in a heatwave — freshly cut foliage scorches.
The full service pages: Hedge Trimming and Green Waste Removal — every one available in Brunswick.
Guides from Api: Hedge trimming contracts: what a regular hedge maintenance plan covers in Melbourne · When to trim hedges in Melbourne: a season-by-season maintenance schedule
Do you need a permit to remove a tree in Brunswick?
Homeowners in Brunswick ask this more than anything else, so here is Merri-bek’s rule as the council publishes it.
In Merri-bek a Tree Works Permit is required to remove a mature tree, or to prune more than 15 per cent of its canopy, on private property. A mature tree is 8 m or taller with a single trunk diameter greater than 40 cm, or multiple trunks adding to more than 40 cm, measured 1.2 m above the ground; trees on the Significant Tree Register are covered regardless of size.
Pruning under 15 per cent needs no permit, but the council recommends an AQF Level 3 arborist and before-and-after photos. Where a tree is protected by an overlay or by a condition on an earlier planning permit, a planning permit (or an amendment) is the route instead, and the planning scheme takes precedence over the local law.
The rule sits in clause 2.5 of the General Local Law; the Urban Forest team on 9240 1111 handles questions.
Source: Merri-bek City Council — trees on private property, 9240 1111. 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 north. Nothing staged, nothing stock.
Hedge trimming around Brunswick
The same crew, the same day rates, in the suburbs next door:
Other services in Brunswick
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 north 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…
Brunswick Hedge Pruning & Trimming — common questions
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Brunswick?
Yes, for a “mature tree” — 8 m or taller with a trunk diameter over 40 cm at 1.2 m (single or combined) — or a tree on the Significant Tree Register: Merri-bek requires a Tree Works Permit to remove it or to prune more than 15 per cent of its canopy. Trees protected by an overlay or a planning-permit condition need a planning permit instead. 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 Brunswick?
Priced per job, not per hour, so you know the figure before we start. Clippings removal is included; it is the part nobody wants to do themselves.
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. Hedges on the boundary of a side path are the most common job we do in Brunswick; we work from the accessible side and from platforms where the path is too narrow.
What happens to the waste?
Sheets under the hedge as we cut, then raked, blown and chipped. The drive and the path are cleaner than when we arrived.
My hedge is bare at the bottom and too tall — can it be fixed?
Often, yes: reduce the height, narrow the top, feed and water it, and give it a season. Lilly pilly, pittosporum, photinia and viburnum all come back; conifers largely do not.