30/04/2026
From March to the end of August, a hedge is not a garden boundary. It is a building in full use.
Blackbirds nest from March. Blackcaps, chaffinches, and dunnocks follow through April and May. Cutting a hedge during this window does not trim the hedge — it destroys active nests with eggs or chicks inside. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it is a criminal offence in England and Wales to intentionally damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while it is in use or being built.
Hedgehogs give birth in May and June, frequently tucking a nest into the dense base of an established hedge. A single pass of a hedge trimmer can destroy an entire litter.
Bumblebees nest in the ground at the base of hedges and forage heavily on elder, hawthorn, and bramble — everything a mixed hedge provides through summer. Pipistrelle bats use dense hedge sections as roosting and commuting cover from dusk onwards.
After August, you can cut — but leave some sections uncut each year for winter roosting cover, and never cut the whole length in a single season.
A hedge cut in nesting season is just a fence. A hedge left alone from March to August is a working ecosystem. 🌿🦔🦇🌸
