300-year-old hedges trimmed using cherry picker

By Ed Chatterton

Workers have begun the "world's toughest gardening job" by using a cherry picker to painstakingly trim the 300-year-old hedges at a historic castle.

Brave gardener Dan Bull will spend the next two months undertaking the mammoth task at Powis Castle in Welshpool, mid Wales.

Dan uses a hydraulic cherry-picker with a pair of electric shears to prune the gigantic 55ft (16m) yew hedge at the National Trust venue.

It will take around eight weeks for the 1 to clip all the topiary ‘tumps’ back into their familiar cloud-like shape and keep them in pristine condition.

Originally planted in the 18th century, the 15,000sq m of formal hedging is considered one of the greatest examples of Baroque garden design in Britain.

Dan said: "The views from the top are incredible.

"The vistas on foot from the top terrace are always breathtaking, so it’s even more spectacular from the top of the cherry picker.

"It’s not as scary as it looks, I’m harnessed in so I can move around easily and swap between the long and short shears.

"I really enjoy this annual job, it brings a great feeling of achievement and satisfaction once it’s completed.

More from this section

Is JetBlue’s 25 for 25 Promo Worth It? I Did the Math.

'Greatest con job ever': Trump trashes climate science at UN

Ticketmaster agrees clearer prices after Oasis probe

"The tumps go back to their billowing shape, a bit like clouds, when they are fully trimmed so it’s always a rewarding job.

"The hedge brings so much joy to our visitors which is lovely to see”.

Before cherry-pickers and hedge cutters, it used to take 10 men four months to clip all the box and yew hedges at Powis Castle, originally built in 1200 as a medieval fortress.

They used hand shears and balanced on long ladders, tied together where necessary, to reach the tops of the taller yews.

The hedges, which tower above the 17th century Italianate terraces, are among the largest in the entire country.

They were originally the vision of several generations of the Herbert family, who occupied the castle from the 1570s.

Lady Violet, the wife of the fourth Earl of Powis, who was responsible for restoring the gardens, said they had the potential to be ‘the most beautiful in England and Wales’.

They were originally clipped into small cones but allowed to grow more naturally and tree-like after landscape gardening became more popular by the end of the 18th century thanks to the likes of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown.

This lasted until formal gardening made a resurgence in the Victorian era and the yews were again clipped back giving them the unique shape visitors still see today.

The castle and gardens are cared for by National Trust Cymru.