Exford Hedge Pruning & Trimming
Hedge trimming, shaping and hard reductions in Exford — privacy screens up to 10 m, formal hedges, every clipping taken away.
- Free quotes
- Fully qualified & insured
- 16+ years
Hedge pruning and trimming in Exford, done properly
A hedge trim in Exford (3338) is easy for us to schedule — once a year for most screens, twice for formal hedges and fast growers. Api quotes it free, and the same crew comes back each time so the shape stays consistent.
The nearest suburbs we also cover are Brookfield (3 km), Hopetoun Park (5 km), Cobblebank (6 km), so a job in Exford is often paired with one next door.
Pruning, as opposed to trimming, is for hedge plants that flower or fruit: we time the cut to the plant so you do not lose next year’s flowers, and prune by hand where shears would spoil it.
For a maintenance trim we set string lines on anything formal, cut the faces flat with a slight batter so the bottom keeps its leaves, level the top, and collect the clippings on sheets as we go. Tall screens are done from platforms and ladders with long-reach hedge trimmers, and the chipper deals with the pile on the street.
Hedge Pruning & Trimming in Exford — 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
Check the council rule below before a hard reduction of a very large old hedge in Exford — a few hedge species grow into trees big enough to count as a canopy tree, and Api will tell you if yours does.
The full service pages: Hedge Trimming and Green Waste Removal — every one available in Exford.
Guides from Api: When to trim hedges in Melbourne: a season-by-season maintenance schedule · Hedge trimming services in Melbourne: what is included and how the job is done
Do you need a permit to remove a tree in Exford?
The rule that applies to a tree in a Exford garden is Clause 52.17 of the Melton Planning Scheme — here is what it says.
Melton sits on the Victorian Volcanic Plain, where only about one per cent of the original grasslands and grassy woodlands survive, so native vegetation is tightly controlled: a planning permit is required from the council to remove, destroy or lop it under Clause 52.17, and inside the Urban Growth Boundary Clause 52.16 and the Native Vegetation Precinct Plans in the estate structure plans apply instead.
Threatened species and habitat can also bring in the Commonwealth EPBC Act. None of that touches a planted exotic in a suburban yard.
What does apply to every residential lot is the state canopy-tree clause — large trees near the street or rear boundary need a planning permit.
Source: Melton City Council — trees on private property. 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 outer west. Nothing staged, nothing stock.
Hedge trimming around Exford
The same crew, the same day rates, in the suburbs next door:
Other services in Exford
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 outer west say
Joseph Faltas
26 June 2023
APi is a great guy , honest and knowledgeable
Cathy Palio
26 June 2023
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! I can’t speak highly enough of Api and his team from APS tree removal. It was a huge job and they tackled it with ease and a smile…
Ann Davies
26 June 2023
Prompt and efficient service - courteous and helpful - a pleasure to have them on the job - would definitely recommend them to friends
Ann D
21 June 2023 · Malvern East
Most efficient and prompt - very friendly and will use them again
Jason M
18 May 2023 · Taylors Hill
Api and the team were very professional and did a thorough job including immaculate clean up. Highly recommend due to exceptional service. Their price…
Travis
28 Mar 2023 · Werribee
Professional courteous on time and service to the next level completed everything cleaned up and have no hesitation in recommending there service than…
Jennifer D
14 Mar 2023 · Sunbury
Api was a force of nature, the team felled 15 very large pine trees in 2 days and removed stumps. They cleaned up the site, left the wood in neat pile…
Heath
1 Mar 2023 · Point Cook
They did an awesome job, the trees look great, they did pruning and removed 2 others. Cleaned you after themselves. super happy. Thanks guys
Loryn
13 Feb 2023 · Wyndham Vale
Awesome service! Super efficient, neat and tidy. All the team were respectful and pleasant to deal with. Job done to a high standard, will definately…
Belinda
11 Jan 2023 · Niddrie
Very prompt and efficient
David A
31 Dec 2022 · Werribee
Connected with Aps Tree Removal and would recommend them
Mark
30 Dec 2022 · Altona Meadows
Connected with Aps Tree Removal and would recommend them
Exford Hedge Pruning & Trimming — common questions
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Exford?
For native vegetation, yes — Melton requires a planning permit to remove, destroy or lop it under Clause 52.17 (Clause 52.16 inside the growth areas), and the Commonwealth can be involved on the western grasslands. For a planted exotic tree the state canopy-tree clause is what applies, if the tree is near a boundary in a residential zone. 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 Exford?
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?
Usually within a week or two of the quote, timed to the right season for the species where it matters.
Can you get in if the access is tight?
Yes — long-reach trimmers and platforms mean we rarely need to get behind a hedge to cut it properly.
What happens to the waste?
Every clipping is raked up, chipped on site and taken away. Hedge mulch is fine on garden beds if you want it kept; 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.