Tree Surgery and Pruning in Norfolk and Suffolk
Crown reduction, thinning and safe removal across Norfolk and Suffolk
Hilton & Green Landscaping carries out tree surgery and pruning across Norfolk and Suffolk: crown reduction, crown thinning, deadwooding, formative pruning and removal.
We look at every tree before we quote and agree what the right work is before anything is cut. A well-managed tree is an asset to a garden, so we will tell you plainly whether it needs reducing, thinning or taking down, rather than going for the biggest job.
Every job is planned around access, the neighbours and what happens to the wood. We chip the brash on site and take everything away, unless you want the chippings left for mulch or the logs split and stacked.
What's included
- Crown reduction
- Crown thinning
- Deadwooding
- Formative and remedial pruning
- Tree removal
- Brash chipping and removal
- Log splitting by arrangement
How we work
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Tree assessment
We visit and assess the tree, looking at size, species, health and what work is appropriate. We discuss what you want to achieve and give you honest advice about what is possible.
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Work planning
We check whether the tree is subject to a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) or sits in a Conservation Area. We will advise you to confirm this with your local authority before we proceed if there is any doubt. We plan the sequence of work, access and disposal.
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Safe execution
Work is carried out with appropriate equipment. Ground staff clear brash as the climber works. We take care around neighbouring property and gardens.
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Chip removal and tidy
Chippings are removed or, where the customer prefers, left as mulch. The site is cleared and left tidy.
Protected trees and timing
A Tree Preservation Order protects a tree the council considers important to the area, and working on one without consent is a criminal offence. In a conservation area you must give the council six weeks’ notice before most work. If there is any doubt, check with the council before booking. We can advise on the process, but the responsibility sits with the owner.
Timing matters for some trees. Apples and pears are best pruned in winter while they are dormant; cherries and plums in summer, to reduce the risk of silver leaf. Most other work can be done at any time of year, but we avoid disturbing nesting birds between March and August.
Reduction, thinning or removal
Crown reduction brings the height and spread of a tree down by cutting branches back to suitable points further in, so it keeps its natural shape at a smaller size. It is the usual answer to a tree that has outgrown its space or is shading the house.
Crown thinning takes out a proportion of the smaller branches inside the crown, letting more light and wind through without changing the outline. Deadwooding removes dead branches before they fall. Formative pruning shapes a young tree so it grows into a sound structure.
What we will not do is top a tree, cutting the whole crown off at a set height. It leaves weak, crowded regrowth and a less stable tree, and you end up back where you started within a few years. Sometimes removal really is the right answer, and when it is we say so.
What affects the cost of tree work
The size of the tree and the work needed come first, but access and what is around it matter just as much. A tree over a roof, a conservatory, a greenhouse or a neighbour’s garden has to come down in small sections lowered on ropes, which takes far longer than felling into open ground.
Waste is the other variable. Chipping and taking away the brash is part of the job; splitting and stacking the logs is by arrangement.
We price every job after seeing it, and the visit and quote are free.
Common questions
Have a question not answered here? Get in touch and we will be happy to help.
What is the difference between crown reduction and crown thinning?
Reduction makes the whole tree smaller while keeping its shape. Thinning removes some of the inner branches to let light and wind through, leaving the outline the same.
Do I need permission to cut back a tree?
Only if it has a Tree Preservation Order, which needs the council’s consent, or is in a conservation area, which needs six weeks’ notice. Otherwise, no.
Can I cut back my neighbour’s branches?
You can cut overhanging branches back to the boundary, unless the tree is protected. Anything you cut belongs to the tree’s owner, so offer it back, and do not do anything that would harm the tree.
When is the best time for tree work?
Most work can be done at any time of year. We avoid the nesting season from March to August where we can, prune apples and pears in winter, and cherries and plums in summer.
What happens to the wood?
We chip the brash and take it away. The chippings can be left as mulch, and logs split and stacked, if you ask.
Do you do emergency call-outs?
No. We do not run an emergency service. If a tree has come down or is dangerous, call the council or your insurer first; we can deal with the rest once it is safe.
Get a free tree surgery quote
Free, no-obligation quotes. We cover Norfolk and Suffolk.
In our customers' words
Genuine reviews from clients across Norfolk and Suffolk
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★★★★★
Ben and Ed at Hilton & Green have done amazing and difficult landscaping jobs for me in the past few years, from erecting a fence close to the house in a challenging setting, to a transformational soft landscaping project at the rear of the sloping garden. The guys are very professional and the results are stunning. I highly recommend Hilton & Green for your landscaping requirements.
George Smithon Google
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★★★★★
Hilton and Green Landscaping have done wonders to our driveway and fencing. Their work is competent and professional. They are both very friendly and knowledgeable in how to make your ideas practical.
Scott Leamonon Google
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★★★★★
We are so pleased we found Ben and Edd to put in our new patio. They have done an awesome job. They are two of the nicest people we have met and their work is exemplary. From start to finish the guys were brilliant at their work and the end result is awesome. Would highly recommend Hilton and Green to everyone. Two thumbs up for excellent work!
Su Eyleson Google
We carry out tree work across Norfolk and Suffolk. Most of our work is in and around Norwich, Long Stratton, Diss and Wymondham, and we travel further for the right job.