← All guides · Aftercare · Updated September 2026

Storm and wind damage to hedges in Medway. The recovery timeline.

A big gale does not mean the hedge is finished. Most damaged hedges recover with the right cuts at the right point in the calendar, and the ones that do not usually suffer because someone cut too hard, too early. Here is how the timeline usually runs, from the day after the storm to the first proper shaping cut, based on RHS guidance and the legal rules that still apply.

1. Straight after the storm: safety first

   Wait until the wind has dropped, then walk the full length of the hedge and look upwards as well as along the face. A large section leaning onto a path, fence or neighbouring boundary is a safety problem, and branches hanging by a strip of bark can drop without warning. Check for contact with overhead cables, and keep well clear if there is any.

   Remove debris and sections that are fully detached. Do not start making large cuts straight away. A damaged plant is already under stress, and the RHS notes that most plants grow out of weather damage, with watering and feeding doing more good than heavy pruning.

2. The following weeks: find out what is actually dead

   Scrape a little bark from branches you are unsure about. Green tissue underneath means that part of the plant is alive and may regrow. The RHS advises pruning out damaged growth once no more frost is expected, cutting back to healthy growth. Evergreens such as laurel, privet and holly often brown on the windward face after a severe gale while the stems behind stay alive.

   If a young hedge has been rocked or partly lifted, firm the soil back by heel and stake the plants so they cannot rock. Check ties regularly so they do not cut into the bark. A large established plant with a heavily lifted root plate may not recover.

3. Late winter: structural cuts to deciduous hedges

   Deciduous hedges such as hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel, beech and hornbeam can have their main structural repair cuts in late winter while they are dormant, and the spring growth then covers the cuts. Take out dead wood, cut broken stems back to sound growth and reshape what is left. Staging hard renovation of a large hedge over more than one season is gentler on the plant than taking everything back in one go.

   Evergreens are different. For broadleaved evergreens, the RHS advises cutting out scorched foliage in spring as growth resumes, so in winter limit yourself to removing broken material and make the shaping cuts later. Our staged leylandii reduction guide covers why conifers need particular care.

   If the hedge is in one of Medway's conservation areas, trees there are covered by section 211 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, which requires six weeks' notice to the council before certain work. Routine hedge trimming is normally not affected, but a larger tree growing inside a hedge may be. Our conservation area notice timeline explains the process before you start work.

4. 1 March to 31 August: check for nests

   Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, section 1, it is an offence to intentionally damage or destroy a wild bird's nest while it is in use or being built. The Act sets no calendar dates, but the RSPB advises avoiding hedge and tree cutting between 1 March and 31 August, and on conviction the penalty can be a fine, up to six months in prison, or both, counted per nest. A storm does not suspend this. If significant damage remains when spring arrives, limit cutting to what is necessary and look carefully for active nests first. Dense laurel and privet can hold late broods, so err on the side of leaving it.

   This is also the time to feed and mulch. The RHS advises feeding damaged plants in spring with a general-purpose fertiliser. Mulch with bark or compost, keeping it clear of the stems, and water in dry spells. For a month-by-month schedule, see our Medway aftercare and feeding calendar.

5. Spring and summer of year one: watch what comes back

   By mid-summer you will usually be able to tell what is dead and what was only stressed. Sections that show no new growth by then are unlikely to return, so mark them. Live sections that have pushed new shoots are the framework for the next cut.

   For gaps, the choice is between letting neighbouring growth spread and planting replacements. Larger gaps are better filled with new plants. See our Medway planting guide for timing and species.

6. Late summer: the first shaping cut

   Once nesting is over, a light shaping cut can tidy what has regrown. Work with what the plant has given you and avoid taking recovery growth back hard, because cutting too much too soon sets the plant back another season. Our Chatham cutting calendar sets out the usual timing by species.

7. The following years: recovery or replacement

   Recovery time depends on the species and how much was lost. Hawthorn, blackthorn, privet and cherry laurel regrow from old wood and usually recover well from hard cutting. Yew also regrows from old wood, but slowly. Leylandii and most other conifers do not reshoot from old brown wood, so if a conifer hedge has lost much of its green growth, replacement is the honest answer. The RHS also advises that scorched conifers should not be pruned, as they often fail to regrow from badly damaged shoots. When replacement is the answer, the Medway species guide covers which varieties suit local conditions.

Sources: Royal Horticultural Society, "Wind scorch" (rhs.org.uk/prevention-protection/wind-scorch) and "Weather damage" (rhs.org.uk/prevention-protection/weather-damage); RHS, "Hedges: Renovation Techniques" (rhs.org.uk/plants/types/hedges/renovation); Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, section 1; RSPB hedge and tree cutting advice; Town and Country Planning Act 1990, section 211, as summarised in GOV.UK, "Tree Preservation Orders and trees in conservation areas" (gov.uk/guidance/tree-preservation-orders-and-trees-in-conservation-areas).