Is it worth hiring someone to trim my shrubs?

Hiring out shrub trimming is worth it when the work is tall, heavy, risky or frequent: hedges you cannot reach from the ground, plants grown into power lines, shrubs so overgrown they need saw work, or more hedge than you have weekends for. A handful of low shrubs is a reasonable do-it-yourself job if you learn when each plant should be cut. Many homeowners split the difference, keeping the easy shrubs and hiring out the rest.

The case for doing it yourself

Low hedges and foundation shrubs you can reach from the ground are well within most homeowners' reach. You need hand pruners for branches up to 3/4 inch, loppers for 3/4 to 1-1/2 inches, a pruning saw for anything larger, and hedge shears for hedges,^[4] or a powered trimmer if you have a lot of hedge. Doing it yourself also means you control the timing, which matters more than most people expect.

That timing is the main thing to learn. Virginia Tech's guidance is that shrubs that flower on old wood are pruned just after they flower, or next year's flower buds are cut off,^[1] while shrubs without showy flowers, such as yews and boxwood, can be pruned most any time except late summer.^[1] Our guide to when to prune shrubs in Virginia goes plant by plant, and how to trim overgrown hedges and shrubs covers the technique.

The case for hiring out

Frequency. Most hedges need trimming at least twice a year, and some need three or four trimmings^[4] to stay crisp. One trim is a pleasant Saturday; four a year on a long privacy hedge, plus raking and hauling, is a standing commitment.

Height and staging. The top of a tall hedge is where most of the effort and risk sits. Holding a powered trimmer overhead on a ladder is the part of shrub care most worth paying someone else to do.

Power lines. Under Virginia's Overhead High Voltage Line Safety Act, no one working in a trade or business may cause a person, tool, ladder or equipment to come within 10 feet of an overhead high voltage line^[5] unless the danger has been guarded against. The act covers above-ground lines carrying more than 600 volts.^[6] A professional crew has to plan around that, and you should not be working there either. Shrubs grown into lines may need the power company involved.

Overgrown plants. A neglected hedge often needs a multi-year renewal plan, saw work and a truck for debris. Some plants are also unforgiving. Arborvitae and junipers form a dead zone in the center, and cuts into it seldom regrow.^[4]

Boxwood that looks sick. Watch for brown leaf spots, leaf drop and black streaks on the stems.^[3] Those can be signs of boxwood blight, which spreads easily, and the plant should be diagnosed before anyone prunes it. See why boxwoods turn brown.

Hiring well

A crew that shears everything into the same shape at the wrong time can do more harm than an unhurried homeowner. Topping, cutting stems back at an arbitrary height rather than to a bud, side branch or main stem, is regarded as an unacceptable practice by trained horticulturists and arborists,^[2] and Virginia Tech warns that topping crapemyrtles can lead to stem decay and eventual plant death.^[2] Before work starts, walk the yard together and agree what happens to each plant.

Ask about boxwood sanitation. Boxwood blight spores can be spread on pruning tools, clothing, equipment and anything that has touched infected plants.^[3] Virginia Tech's advice is to discuss your concern about boxwood blight with any lawn or landscape company you hire, learn what it does to avoid moving the disease from one client's landscape to another, and then decide whether that approach is acceptable to you.^[3]

Ask about spraying. If the crew offers to treat insects or disease, Virginia requires that anyone who uses any pesticide on another person's property for pay must be a certified commercial applicator and work for a company with a Pesticide Business License.^[7] Ask to see the certification.

Ask about bigger work. Trimming is different from reshaping the yard. The Board for Contractors' landscape service specialty covers excavation, clearing, grading, retaining walls for landscaping and landscaping timbers;^[8] if a quote grows into that, look the business up on DPOR's License Lookup.^[9]

Get the basics in writing. Which plants, what will be done to each, how many visits, whether cleanup and hauling are included, and proof of liability insurance. Our guide to hedge trimming costs in Virginia lists what a good quote includes.

Stop and call a pro if

• You cannot reach the top of the hedge without holding a powered trimmer on a ladder.
• An overhead line runs through or near the shrubs.
• The job needs a chainsaw, or the shrubs need to come out roots and all.
• Boxwood shows leaf spots, black stem streaks or sudden leaf drop.

Browse more lawn and landscaping answers, see hedge and shrub trimming services, or look up lawn and landscaping businesses around Blacksburg. When you are ready, describe the job once and local businesses quote it.