Most shrub trimming is landscaper work: shaping a boxwood, shearing a low hedge, keeping a lilac in bounds a couple of times a year. It becomes a tree crew job once the plant is taller than a person can safely reach from the ground, has grown a trunk instead of soft stems, or is pressing into a roofline, fence, or overhead line. The difference is mostly about size, tools, and risk, not the word “shrub” versus “tree.”
If you’re trying to figure out which call to make before you book anyone, the short version below should settle it. If your situation is more specific, the sections after it walk through the common gray areas in Boise yards: overgrown privet and juniper hedges, arborvitae privacy rows, and lilacs that were never kept in check.
The Quick Answer
Call it a landscaper job if the plant is under about 8 feet, has thin flexible stems, and the work is routine shaping you’ve had done before. Call it a tree crew job if any of these apply:
- The hedge or shrub is taller than a ladder you’re comfortable using, generally 10-15 feet or more
- Stems have gone woody and thick, more like small trunks than shrub growth
- It’s growing into a roofline, siding, fence, or power line
- It hasn’t been cut back in several years and looks more like a wall of green than individual plants
- A landscaper already looked at it and turned it down, or came back with a bill for equipment you weren’t expecting
| Landscaper job | Tree crew job | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical height | Under 8 ft | 10 ft and up |
| Stems | Thin, flexible, hand-shear size | Woody, trunk-like, need loppers or a saw |
| Equipment | Hand shears, powered hedge trimmer | Pole saws, chainsaws, sometimes a lift |
| Example plants | Boxwood, low privet, small spirea | Overgrown arborvitae rows, tree-sized lilac, mature juniper walls |
| Risk | Low | Falls, power lines, structural damage to the plant |
Routine Hedge Shearing Is a Landscaper’s Job
If you’re paying someone to keep a hedge a certain height and shape a few times a season, that’s landscape maintenance, not tree work. It uses hand shears or a powered hedge trimmer, takes an hour or two, and doesn’t call for climbing gear or a chainsaw. Most landscaping crews in the Treasure Valley handle this without a second thought: boxwood borders, low privet hedges along a driveway, spirea and potentilla kept compact, foundation shrubs shaped away from windows.
The giveaway that a job is still in this category: you could, in theory, do it yourself with a pair of long-handled shears and a Saturday afternoon. The plant just needs regular upkeep, not a rescue.
When a Shrub or Hedge Becomes a Tree Crew Job
A handful of situations in Boise yards regularly cross the line from landscaping into tree work:
Overgrown privet or juniper walls. A privet hedge that’s been left alone for five or six years can hit 12-15 feet with a trunk at the base thicker than your arm. Junipers grow the same way, slower but just as woody. At that height and stem diameter, a hand hedge trimmer won’t cut it, literally, and working from a ladder against a dense wall of branches is how people get hurt.
Arborvitae rows planted as a privacy screen. These show up on most lists of fast-growing privacy trees for Boise yards, and they earn that reputation by getting tall quickly. Once a row is over a story high, keeping it in shape is a job for a crew with the right ladders or lift, not a homeowner on a step stool.
Lilacs that were never cut back. A lilac left unpruned for a decade or more stops being a shrub in any practical sense. It develops multiple thick trunks, some of them dead or hollow in the center, and can reach 15-20 feet. Bringing one back into a manageable shape is closer to crown reduction on a small multi-stem tree than it is to hedge trimming.
Shrubs growing into the house or a structure. Branches rubbing on siding trap moisture against the wall and can work their way under trim or shingles over a season or two. If a shrub has grown into a roof edge or gutter, that’s a job that needs someone comfortable working close to the structure without damaging it.
Shrubs growing into overhead lines. If a shrub or hedge is tall enough to reach a power line or the service line running to your house, stop and call Idaho Power rather than trimming near it yourself or asking a landscaper to. Stay well clear of the line until it’s been checked, and call 911 first if a line is down or arcing.
Recognize your hedge in any of that? Call (208) 247-9766 for a free on-site estimate, or reach us through the contact form and we’ll take a look at what you’ve got.
Best Time of Year to Trim in the Treasure Valley
Late winter into early spring, while plants are still dormant, is generally the safest window for a harder cut on an overgrown hedge or shrub. You can see the plant’s structure without leaves in the way, and cutting before new growth starts gives the plant a full season to recover. Spring-flowering shrubs like lilac and forsythia are the exception: prune those right after they finish blooming, or you’ll cut off next year’s flower buds.
Two things to avoid regardless of species. First, hard pruning during the peak of a Boise summer, when heat and dry air are already stressing the plant, adds recovery work on top of drought stress it’s already managing. Light shaping is fine; heavy cutback is better saved for cooler weather. Second, watch the calendar for bird nesting season if a hedge or shrub has active nests in it. Our guide on bird nesting season and tree removal in Idaho covers what the law actually requires and applies just as much to a dense hedge as it does to a tree.
If you’re not sure how often a given plant needs attention in the first place, our piece on how often trees should be trimmed covers the general Boise pruning calendar, and most of that logic carries over to woody shrubs.
Getting It Wrong Costs More Than Getting It Right
A hedge or shrub that’s cut back too hard, too fast, or at the wrong time can end up worse off than if it had been left alone. Junipers and other evergreens in particular don’t grow new needles from bare wood, so cutting past the green into a dead zone leaves a permanent gap that never fills back in; extension horticulturists generally recommend replacing an evergreen shrub that far gone rather than trying to prune it back into shape. That’s very close to what happens when a tree is topped: the International Society of Arboriculture calls topping one of the most harmful pruning practices there is, because the plant is stressed, the cuts don’t close cleanly, and the outcome looks worse than the overgrowth did. Some deciduous shrubs are better handled with a staged approach over two or three years, removing a portion of the oldest stems each time instead of cutting everything back at once in a single session.
If a privet or lilac wall has gotten away from you and a landscaper has already said it’s outside what they do, that’s usually a sign the plant has grown past shrub-scale tools. A tree crew can assess whether a gradual cutback will bring it back into shape or whether specific overgrown stems (or the whole plant, in the case of a far-gone juniper) are better removed and replanted.
What It Costs
Shrub and hedge trimming pricing depends on height, how woody the stems are, how many plants are involved, and whether a crew needs a pole saw or a lift to reach the top safely, so we quote it on site rather than over the phone. As a general reference point, small-scale professional tree trimming in Boise (trees under about 25 feet) typically runs $150-$400, and overgrown shrubs or hedges that have grown tree-sized tend to land in a similar range once real equipment is involved. Our Tree Removal Cost Calculator walks through the factors that move a quote up or down, and a free on-site estimate is the most accurate way to get a number for your specific hedge or row.
How to Decide Who to Call
A short walk around the plant answers most of the question. Look at the base: is it a cluster of thin stems you could snip with hand shears, or a trunk? Look at the height compared to your gutter line or a second-story window. Look at what’s around it: a fence, a wall, a power line, a walkway that’s getting crowded. If the plant is small and the work is routine shaping, a landscaper is the right call and usually the cheaper one. If it’s tall, woody, structurally overgrown, or close to something that will get damaged by a fall, that’s tree trimming territory, and it’s worth bringing in a crew that carries the right equipment.
When you’re not sure which category you’re in, our guide to hiring a tree service in Boise has the questions worth asking before you book anyone, shrub job or tree job.
Not sure which bucket your hedge falls into? Call (208) 247-9766 and describe what you’re looking at. If it’s a same-day hazard, tell us that when you call; otherwise we’ll set up a free on-site estimate to take a look.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my hedge is too big for a landscaper to trim safely?
If the stems at the base are thicker than a broom handle, or the top of the hedge is above where you could reach standing on a stable stepladder, it’s past routine landscaping. A landscaper working with hand shears or a powered hedge trimmer on a hedge that size is often working outside the tool’s design and their own safe reach.
Can I cut an overgrown hedge back hard in one session?
Sometimes, but not always. Deciduous hedges like privet often tolerate a hard cutback in late winter and recover well. Evergreens like juniper, spruce, and pine generally don’t grow new foliage from bare wood, so cutting past the green leaves permanent bare patches. A gradual cutback over two or three seasons is safer for most evergreen shrubs.
Is there a wrong time of year to trim shrubs in Boise?
The riskiest windows are the height of summer heat, which adds stress on top of what the plant is already managing in our dry summers, and active bird nesting season. Late winter to early spring, before new growth starts, is generally the safest time for a hard cutback on most shrubs, with spring-flowering types pruned right after they bloom instead.
Do you trim shrubs, or only trees?
We handle shrub and hedge work when it’s grown past what a landscaping crew is set up for: overgrown privacy hedges, tree-sized lilacs, arborvitae rows, and anything close to a roofline or power line. Routine hedge shearing on smaller shrubs is better handled by a landscaper.
What if my hedge is growing into the power line to my house?
Stop trimming near it and call Idaho Power rather than doing the work yourself or asking a landscaper to. Stay well clear of the line in the meantime, and call 911 first if you see a line arcing or down.
How much does it cost to trim an overgrown hedge in Boise?
It depends on height, stem thickness, how many plants, and whether a lift or pole saw is needed, so we don’t quote a number without seeing it. Small-scale tree trimming in Boise typically starts around $150-$400, and an overgrown hedge that’s grown tree-sized tends to fall in a comparable range; a free on-site estimate gives you an exact figure.