Gardeners tackle 300-year-old and 50-foot-high hedges

Senior Gardener Dan Bull will spend several weeks meticulously pruning the hedges - some as tall as 55ft - using a cherry picker and powered shears. The job covers over 15,000 square meters of formal hedging, a defining feature of the Baroque-style gardens since the 18th century.

Originally planted in the early 1700s, the hedges are celebrated as one of Britain’s finest examples of Baroque Garden design. Over the centuries, their shape has evolved alongside changes in gardening fashion.

Initially clipped into small cones, the hedges were later left to grow naturally during the rise of landscape gardening in the late 18th century, a trend pioneered by figures like Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown. However, the Victorian era brought a resurgence of formal gardening, returning the yew hedges to their now-famous, cloud-like shapes.

Each summer, Dan and his team scale the towering yews using a hydraulic cherry picker to prune the 55ft hedges. “It’s a bit scary when we first start cutting them, but after trimming them for several years, I’ve got used to it,” he said. Despite the height, he likened the job to trimming an ordinary garden hedge, albeit much higher in the air.

Advances in technology have streamlined the process significantly. He now spends around 6 to 8 weeks on the task, compared to the four months it once took using manual tools. Previously, 10 people would work for 17 weeks with hand shears, often relying on ladders for access to the immense yew and box hedges. Since the turn of the century, powered shears and cherry pickers have made the job quicker and safer, though still a painstaking effort.

Dan added: “I get a great sense of achievement when it’s all finished, and the tumps are back to the shape that our visitors, staff, and volunteers admire so much.”