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A thuja privacy screen in Bjärred

A three-metre thuja screen toward the neighbour had lost its dense top and developed brown patches along one side. We worked it down in stages, reshaped the profile, and scheduled two trims a year.

Hedge TrimmingBjärred, LommaCompleted September 2025

A freshly planted bed of yellow coreopsis in full flower after a redesign

The villa sits four blocks from Lomma Bay, with a three metre thuja hedge facing the western neighbour. After a couple of windy winters, the Thuja occidentalis Smaragd had lost density along the top, and salt-laden winds off the Öresund had left clear brown patches across the crown. The owner wanted the screen back without risking the hedge.

On our first visit we noted thinning across the top sixty centimetres, brown needle drop on the windward side, and dry, compacted soil at the root zone. Coastal thuja in Bjärred often shows this combination: salt spray scorches the foliage, westerlies dry it out, and the sandy moraine substrate holds little moisture through the summer drought.

Smaragd does not regenerate from bare wood, so a hard cut-back would have killed the screen. We planned the work in two stages across two seasons: first a careful ten-centimetre reduction on top and sides in May, then a second formative cut the following August once new growth had set. Every cut stayed inside the green canopy.

The client pays only half the labour cost thanks to the RUT deduction of 50 percent. We signed a care contract for two cuts per year, always the same weekday in June and September, plus a bark mulch top-dressing over the root zone to retain moisture and buffer salt.

What we found on site

  • Thuja hedge around 3 metres tall, 18 metres long, facing the western sea breeze
  • Thin crown and brown needle drop in the top 60 centimetres
  • Sandy moraine substrate, compacted soil, low moisture retention at the roots
  • Clear salt damage on the windward side toward Lomma Bay
  • No bare wood exposed below the green layer, the hedge judged salvageable

How we approached the work

  1. Plant by plant survey, marking dead wood and the live layer
  2. Stage one in May: 10 cm reduction on top and sides, always inside the green
  3. Clippings removed, needle litter cleared at the base for airflow
  4. Bark mulch 5 cm deep over the root zone, watering as needed
  5. Stage two in August: shaping cut once new growth has set
  6. Care contract: two cuts per year, June and September
NordVerk had the courage to say no to a hard cut-back and explain why, the crown is filling in again and we have a plan for every season.

Magnus, fastighetsägare i Bjärred

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FAQs about hedge trimming in Bjärred

Short, honest answers to what we get asked every week. If yours is not here, just call, we are happy to help.

  1. 01Can you cut thuja back hard if it has become thin?
    No, not Thuja occidentalis Smaragd. The cultivar does not regenerate from bare wood, so a hard cut leaves permanent gaps. The correct method is a staged reduction of no more than ten centimetres per pass, always inside the green canopy, spread across two seasons. Bark mulch and steady watering through dry spells help the plant fill in from below. NordVerk plans every such thuja hedge in Bjärred across two stages.
  2. 02Why do coastal thuja hedges go brown on top?
    Near Lomma Bay, the crown is exposed to salt spray on the westerly wind combined with winter desiccation. Salt pulls moisture from the foliage, and Smaragd, with its shallow roots, cannot replace it fast enough in sandy moraine soil. The result is a brown, sparse top while the sides stay green. We reduce the problem with mulching, autumn watering before the frost sets, and a slightly lower and broader form that exposes less surface to the sea wind.
  3. 03When do you cut thuja hedges?
    We prefer June after the early summer growth spurt and again in August or early September before the plant goes dormant. We avoid hot July weeks when cut surfaces dry out and brown, and we never cut after mid September as new growth will not harden off before winter. For a thuja hedge in the Bjärred coastal climate, two cuts per year is almost always the right level to keep the form dense.
  4. 04Does the RUT deduction apply to hedge cutting?
    Yes, hedge cutting counts as garden maintenance and qualifies for the RUT deduction of 50 percent of the labour cost, up to the annual ceiling per person set by the Swedish Tax Agency. We deduct it directly on the invoice, so you only pay half of the labour. Materials such as bark mulch and removal are not covered but tend to be a smaller line. NordVerk handles all paperwork with the Tax Agency for you, you just sign off the job.
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