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As the expert you should consider yourself as being correct rather than deferring to well intentioned but less knowledgeable customers. Leylandii is right now Sep/Oct indeef I am doing one today. I would purchase a pruning book or online resource which will cover specific variants and you can then proactively advise customers rather than wait for them to say 'can you trim back...'. It is a more professional and profitable approach to your work output.
My rule of thumb is never to trim hedges if the weather is anywhere near frost, especially conifers which will get frost burnt and die back, then its your fault in the customers eyes, even if they where insistant on it being done.
As Ben says be careful with conifers, but I'm usually cutting hawthorn right up to December time.
Peter said:
Some good pointers. I know sometines you have to insist that what a customer wants might not be for the best. Most requests have come from people I haven't done work for so I've not had many opportunities to be proactive with suggestions - hopefully that will come with time.
We have a very small hawthorn hedge outside the front of our house - must have caught a bullet though as it's definitely struggling. Looks like it was planted too thinly and maybe wasn't cut back on planting as it's really leggy. I might put in a new one.
most deciduous hedges any time as the weather allows, holly can de don in winter if you need to cut back beach or hornbeam this is best don in early spring (before the birds start nesting) it will green up quicker
if you don't do it someone else will
I've reduced the height of conifers in the snow before with no ill effects, I know you're not supposed to do it in winter but even trimming conifers in a hot dry summer , or late spring can cause them to go brown.
If they've been pruned well over several years there can be little margin for error anyway with leylandii.
If re'shaping deciduous hedges (privit/box/lonicera) also be aware that new growth will not appear for several months s best left till next year.
ive got a hl-101 chainsaw pole saw and i took off saw and put on my hedge trimmer from my ht-100 hedge trimmer it works great for really high hedges..