We are currently working our way through the garden. Not everything that the previous owner had planted seems to have been properly maintained in recent years.
Along the side boundaries of the property, there were thuja hedges planted. These were a single row, which we were still able to trim fairly comfortably with the electric hedge trimmer. It was our first time doing this, so maybe there are special techniques we don’t know about. We cut quite aggressively, and now you mainly see dried brown parts and cut branches. It doesn’t look great—will it grow back green again?
The bigger problem, however, is a real jungle of thuja planted around the inner courtyard, which rises from the basement level. The "slope" up to the ground floor level is like a staircase made of flower pots and is about 3.50 meters (11.5 feet) high. This means you can’t stand securely from the front to trim the thuja, and from behind it’s practically not accessible either. This doesn’t seem to be just a single row of thuja but rather twisted hedges forming a thicket. I would estimate it’s about 2 meters (6.5 feet) wide. From the back, at garden ground level, we can access the rear side of this thuja jungle and have already cut back quite a bit there.
Even standing safely from the back, the problem is that the hedges have grown so densely that, despite using a powerful electric hedge trimmer, it’s difficult to cut much because the branches are so thick. We can’t get the trimmer far enough into the thicket to really reduce the height.
Chainsaw? Should we call in a professional?
Along the side boundaries of the property, there were thuja hedges planted. These were a single row, which we were still able to trim fairly comfortably with the electric hedge trimmer. It was our first time doing this, so maybe there are special techniques we don’t know about. We cut quite aggressively, and now you mainly see dried brown parts and cut branches. It doesn’t look great—will it grow back green again?
The bigger problem, however, is a real jungle of thuja planted around the inner courtyard, which rises from the basement level. The "slope" up to the ground floor level is like a staircase made of flower pots and is about 3.50 meters (11.5 feet) high. This means you can’t stand securely from the front to trim the thuja, and from behind it’s practically not accessible either. This doesn’t seem to be just a single row of thuja but rather twisted hedges forming a thicket. I would estimate it’s about 2 meters (6.5 feet) wide. From the back, at garden ground level, we can access the rear side of this thuja jungle and have already cut back quite a bit there.
Even standing safely from the back, the problem is that the hedges have grown so densely that, despite using a powerful electric hedge trimmer, it’s difficult to cut much because the branches are so thick. We can’t get the trimmer far enough into the thicket to really reduce the height.
Chainsaw? Should we call in a professional?
Don’t you know a farmer who could come in the afternoon with a tractor to remove all the roots for you?
If not, try to get in touch through the fire department or a bowling club... no idea...
These 1980s arborvitae are terrible, really terrible... and remind you of the end of life.
If not, try to get in touch through the fire department or a bowling club... no idea...
These 1980s arborvitae are terrible, really terrible... and remind you of the end of life.
So far, we don’t know any farmers with a tractor here, but it doesn’t have to be done tomorrow – maybe we’ll know someone soon. However, renting a mini excavator costs 140 euros for 8 hours – perhaps an alternative? The roots probably need to be removed, or could they be left in? We would need to install a fence at this spot...
Attention!
If the roots are very close to the foundation (fence) and are quite large, you could damage the foundation when pulling out the roots.
We had the following situation:
The property was surrounded on three sides by a thuja hedge that hadn’t been trimmed for at least 18 years.
The hedge measured about 8 meters (26 feet) high, 5 meters (16 feet) wide, and 70 meters (230 feet) long!
We cut everything down with a chainsaw. You first have to work your way down to the roots, from both sides. On the outside, there was a chain-link fence completely overgrown by the hedge. So you had to fight your way through the branches with a chainsaw between the fence and the thuja. Then you approached the roots from the front, and only then could you fell the 8-meter (26-foot) sections.
We debarked some of the material afterwards and used it as firewood. Other parts were left on site. After we finished with the 70 meters (230 feet) of hedge, we called in a chipper. It mulched everything in our garden and transported it away. It didn’t cost anything because we left half of the main trunks in place, so the chipper could reuse or resell the chips properly.
I have now cut about half of the stumps flush with the ground using a chainsaw and an electric pruning saw. The rest will have to be done eventually.
Several people advised against pulling the roots out, as we definitely would have destroyed the fence foundation.
By the way, the fence was so overgrown in some parts that we had to replace it or spent days just pulling branches out of the chain-link fence.
It was a tough job, but it was worth it. We now get an hour more sunlight in the garden since the "forest" was removed…
Best regards
Specki
If the roots are very close to the foundation (fence) and are quite large, you could damage the foundation when pulling out the roots.
We had the following situation:
The property was surrounded on three sides by a thuja hedge that hadn’t been trimmed for at least 18 years.
The hedge measured about 8 meters (26 feet) high, 5 meters (16 feet) wide, and 70 meters (230 feet) long!
We cut everything down with a chainsaw. You first have to work your way down to the roots, from both sides. On the outside, there was a chain-link fence completely overgrown by the hedge. So you had to fight your way through the branches with a chainsaw between the fence and the thuja. Then you approached the roots from the front, and only then could you fell the 8-meter (26-foot) sections.
We debarked some of the material afterwards and used it as firewood. Other parts were left on site. After we finished with the 70 meters (230 feet) of hedge, we called in a chipper. It mulched everything in our garden and transported it away. It didn’t cost anything because we left half of the main trunks in place, so the chipper could reuse or resell the chips properly.
I have now cut about half of the stumps flush with the ground using a chainsaw and an electric pruning saw. The rest will have to be done eventually.
Several people advised against pulling the roots out, as we definitely would have destroyed the fence foundation.
By the way, the fence was so overgrown in some parts that we had to replace it or spent days just pulling branches out of the chain-link fence.
It was a tough job, but it was worth it. We now get an hour more sunlight in the garden since the "forest" was removed…
Best regards
Specki
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