In the garden: hedges, fruit trees and carports, safely
Scaffolding makes people think of house walls. Yet a garden holds just as many jobs at height: the three-metre conifer hedge along the boundary, the old apple tree that badly needs thinning, the gutter on the carport, the roof of the garden shed. Most people reach for a ladder, and that is where the trouble starts. In a garden, ladders stand on soft, uneven ground, and anyone holding a hedge trimmer has no hand left to hold on. This guide explains when a small scaffold tower is the better choice and how to set it up safely on lawn, beds and slopes.
Why the ladder is so often the problem
A ladder is meant for short tasks where one hand can hold on. In the garden, neither condition usually applies. Hedge trimmers need two hands and swing from side to side. Pruning means leaning into the crown to reach the next branch. And the ground gives way: lawn is soft after rain, under bark mulch there is loose soil, on a bank the ladder stands crooked. One stile sinks a few centimetres, the ladder slides sideways, and a fall from two or three metres ends on a path or a bed edging.
A tower with a working platform offers a place where you can move freely, with a guard rail, intermediate rail and toe board all round. The platform stays at its height when you turn or push. That makes the work safer, and often quicker and tidier as well.
Which solution for which job
| Job | Platform height | Suitable equipment |
|---|---|---|
| Hedge up to about 2 m | working height up to 2 m | step platform or low podium with guard rail |
| Hedge 2–4 m | platform at 1–2 m | small mobile tower on load-spreading boards |
| Tall boundary hedge, topiary from above | platform at 2–3 m | tower with stabilisers, moved section by section |
| Thinning a fruit tree | platform at 1–3 m | tower beside the crown, levelled on slopes |
| Carport gutter | just below the gutter | tower on the paved drive |
| Re-covering a shed roof | at the eaves | tower or small scaffold along the eaves, roof not walked on |
For most of these jobs a light aluminium tower to EN 1004 is the practical answer. Two people can erect it, it fits in a shed or garage, and it is useful for many jobs on the house too. The difference between a tower and a facade scaffold is explained in facade scaffold or mobile tower.
Towers on lawn and soft ground
Castors are made for firm, level surfaces: paving, concrete, workshop floors. On lawn, the weight of tower, person and tools presses the castors in, and the tower leans. That is not just uncomfortable but dangerous, because a free-standing tower is only stable when it is plumb. Three principles apply in the garden:
- Spread the load: on soft ground the tower stands on sturdy timber boards or plates that are large enough. Bricks, hollow blocks or stacked timber offcuts do not belong under a scaffold. See sole board.
- Do not roll it on soft ground: a tower pushed across a lawn can sink in, jam and tip over. Move it only where the ground is firm and level, or dismantle it and re-erect it at the next spot. The manufacturer's instructions state where and how it may be moved.
- Brakes and stabilisers: on boards too, every castor stays braked and the stabilisers are set exactly as the instructions require, with their feet on firm ground. More on scaffold castors.
Levelling on slopes
Few gardens are flat. The hedge stands on a bank, the fruit tree on a slope, the drive falls towards the road. Small differences are taken up by the adjustable legs on castors or base plates. Check with a spirit level on the first platform, in both directions, that the tower is plumb. The instructions set the maximum extension.
A worked example: a hedge on a bank with a 10 % cross-fall. With a tower 1.35 m wide, the difference between the two pairs of castors is about 13.5 cm, which many systems can take up. On a 30 % slope it would be about 40 cm, beyond the adjustment range of many legs. That spot needs another solution, such as a levelled, load-bearing base, or a professional. Never level with stones, stacked boards or wedges; they slip, break or sink unevenly.
Cutting hedges and pruning trees from the platform
Hedges
Set the platform so that the top of the hedge is between chest and shoulder height. Cutting overhead tires you quickly and costs control over the trimmer. Place the tower parallel to the hedge and close enough to reach the face without leaning out. Nobody leans over the guard rail, not even for the last corner.
- Corded trimmers need a cable route that does not cross the platform or run through the rails; battery tools are easier on a tower.
- Sweep clippings off the platform regularly, as wet leaves make it slippery.
- If the tower must go on the neighbour's ground, ask first.
- Very wide hedges are cut from both sides rather than reaching far over the rail.
Many countries protect nesting birds, and some restrict heavy cutting of hedges during the breeding season. Light shaping is usually allowed all year. Look into the hedge before you start, and check the local rules with your council or local authority.
Fruit trees
A tower goes beside the crown, not into it. Watch for roots lifting the ground and hollows under the turf. Position the tower so that the branches you cut are in front of you. If the crown cannot be reached from one spot, move the tower. Do not tear or pull heavy branches down from the platform: a branch that catches as it falls can strike the deck or push the tower sideways. Cut heavy limbs in sections, from the outside in, and keep the area below clear. Chainsaws on a tower are for trained people with protective equipment; secateurs and a pruning saw are enough for normal fruit tree work.
Look up as well. Near an overhead power line a generous safety distance applies, and aluminium towers and long tools conduct electricity. Contact the network operator before working near a line.
Carports, sheds and pergolas
Many carport and shed roofs are made of polycarbonate sheets, thin profiled metal or light rafters. They are not designed to be walked on, and anyone who steps onto them risks falling through. Work on gutters, roof edges and coverings is done from a platform beside the roof. A tower on the paved drive, with the platform about 1 m below the roof edge, lets you reach the first rows of the covering comfortably. A facade scaffold usually cannot be tied to a carport, because the structure cannot take the tie forces; a free-standing tower with stabilisers is almost always the better choice. Pergolas carry their own weight, plants and some snow, and are not a support for boards or a tie point.
Typical mistakes
- tower placed straight on the lawn without boards,
- tower pushed along with someone on the platform,
- slope levelled with bricks or blocks of wood,
- stabilisers left off because the hedge is too close to a wall,
- ladder or bucket placed on the platform to gain height,
- working in wind above the limit given in the instructions,
- walking on a carport roof not designed for it.
If you regularly work on hedges, trees or gutters above two metres, a small aluminium tower that also serves the house pays for itself. Keep two to four sturdy boards ready, check every position with a spirit level and move the tower only on firm ground. More for homeowners in your own scaffold; used towers and parts are listed under aluminium scaffolding and castors.