Written by Mark Reid,
Trades Editor ·Verified 11 September 2026
Southampton's gardens throw up more tree work than you might expect for a city its size. Between the Victorian terraces of Portswood with their tight rear plots, the larger detached gardens out towards Chilworth and Bassett, and the mature trees lining streets in Highfield and Bitterne Park, there's a real mix of jobs going on: crown reductions on oaks that have outgrown a small garden, storm damage checks after a rough winter blow off the Solent, and stump grinding where an old sycamore has finally come down. Clay-heavy soil in parts of the city also means root systems can cause issues with nearby drives and drains, so a lot of local work involves careful assessment as much as cutting.
The businesses listed here are drawn from public business listings and ranked mainly by review rating and review count, with a small lift given to those showing a working website and phone number. We check each business's homepage to confirm tree surgery is genuinely what they do day to day, which keeps landscapers, general gardeners and other unrelated trades off this page. Listings flagged as permanently closed are removed as we find them. Where you see a Trust Verified badge, that business has gone further and passed our full verification, covering trade qualifications and accreditations, public liability insurance, trading history, customer review history and registered company information. Our How We Verify page sets out exactly what that involves. For businesses without the badge, none of that has been independently confirmed by us, so it's worth checking yourself before you book.
Before agreeing to any tree work, ask to see proof of public liability insurance and, if the job involves a protected tree, confirmation that a Tree Preservation Order or conservation area check has been made with the council. A competent tree surgeon should hold a recognised qualification such as NPTC or Lantra certificates for chainsaw use and climbing, and should be happy to explain the method they'll use, whether that's crown lifting, pollarding or a full felling. Get at least two or three quotes, particularly for bigger jobs like removing a large ash or dealing with a leaning conifer near a boundary fence, since prices for the same job can vary by a few hundred pounds between firms. Ask what happens to the waste too: some include chipping and removal in the price, others charge extra.
How We Select & Rate The Best Tree Surgeons in Southampton
Rankings are driven mainly by review rating and review count pulled from third-party business listings, with a small lift for businesses that show a working website and phone number. We check each business's homepage to confirm tree surgery work is what they primarily offer, which keeps unrelated trades off the page. Listings flagged as permanently closed are removed automatically as we come across them. Businesses marked Trust Verified have additionally passed our full verification, covering trade qualifications and accreditations, public liability insurance, trading history, customer review history and registered company information; see our How We Verify page for the full list. Other businesses on this page haven't been independently verified by us, and inclusion here isn't an endorsement. Always do your own checks before hiring.
Recommended and Featured listings are paid placements, so a business's fee affects whether and where it appears. Every other listing is ranked on rating and review count from third-party business listings. How we rank & verify →
HRG Tree Surgeons carries out felling, pruning and crown reduction work across Southampton, dealing with everything from overgrown garden trees to storm-damaged branches. Based in the SO15 area, the firm has built a strong local reputation, reflected in a 5-star rating from 40 reviews. Stump grinding and site clearance round out the services on offer.
Wyldewood Tree & Garden Ltd is a Southampton-based tree surgery and garden services company with a 4.9-star rating across 43 Google reviews. The business covers the full range of arboricultural work, from pruning and felling to stump removal and general garden maintenance. Its own name points to a scope that spans both woodland-style tree care and broader outdoor upkeep.
A perfect five-star average across 28 reviews sets Stump Force apart among Southampton's stump removal and tree surgery operators. The firm works on both domestic and commercial grounds, clearing stumps and roots that would otherwise obstruct replanting or landscaping work. Jobs are carried out with grinding equipment suited to tight or awkward access points around SO18.
A clean sweep of five stars across twelve reviews sets Delta Trees Ltd apart among tree surgeons working in Southampton. The firm handles felling, pruning and crown reduction work, with a consistency in feedback that suggests care is taken over both the job itself and the site left behind. Enquiries can be made through its website.
WGS Tree Services operates as a tree surgery business in Southampton, covering the SO19 area. The company describes its work in the straightforward terms of the trade, taking on the range of tasks typical to arboricultural contracting. Eleven Google reviews have returned a perfect five-star rating, suggesting consistently solid work across its local patch.
Tree surgery, stump removal and hedge cutting are among the core services offered by Billys Broken Branches Tree Care, operating across Southampton and the surrounding area. The company also carries out deadwooding, tree felling, tree shaping and lawn mowing. A Google rating of 4.5 from 17 reviews reflects a solid local reputation for practical, ground-level arboricultural work.
Older properties in Southampton with mature gardens make up much of the workload for Evergreen Tree Surgeons, where established oaks and overgrown boundary trees often need careful reduction rather than outright removal. Work also extends to new build plots requiring clearance before landscaping begins. Site visits are arranged to assess access and any protection orders before quotes are given.
Transparency notice: Recommended and Featured listings are paid placements, so a business's fee affects whether and where it appears. All other listings are ranked by a combined score drawn from ratings and review counts published on third-party business listings, plus basic completeness signals such as a working website and phone. A Trust Verified badge means we have independently checked that business's documents; businesses without it have not been independently verified by us. How we verify →
Is your business missing?
Get listed and reach customers actively searching for your services in this area.
How much does a tree surgeons cost in Southampton?
Smaller jobs like crown thinning on a single garden tree tend to run from around £150 to £350, while felling a large tree with a difficult access point can push past £800 to £1,000 once waste removal and stump grinding are added. Stump grinding alone is often £80 to £200 depending on the diameter. Prices vary a fair bit across the city depending on access, whether a crane or rigging is needed near power lines, and how much wood needs hauling away, so getting two or three quotes for anything beyond a quick prune is the sensible approach.
Do I need permission to cut down or prune a tree in Southampton?
You might. Southampton City Council maintains Tree Preservation Orders on certain trees, and if your property sits in a conservation area, even healthy trees can require six weeks' notice before work starts. A reputable tree surgeon should check this for you as part of the quote, but it's worth ringing the council's planning department yourself to confirm before any cutting begins, since the responsibility for getting it wrong ultimately sits with the property owner.
What's the difference between tree surgery and general gardening?
Tree surgery covers specialist work like climbing, felling, crown reduction, deadwooding and stump removal, usually requiring chainsaw certification and rigging equipment. A general gardener might handle hedge trimming or small shrub pruning but shouldn't be taking on anything involving climbing or a chainsaw at height. If a job needs ropes, a harness or working above a couple of metres, it's a tree surgeon's job, not a gardener's.
How quickly can a tree surgeon come out after storm damage?
Most established local firms will offer an emergency callout, often within 24 to 48 hours, for dangerous situations like a split branch overhanging a road or a leaning tree threatening a fence or shed. Expect to pay a premium for genuine same-day emergency work, sometimes an extra £50 to £100 on top of the standard job price. For anything urgent, mention it clearly when you call rather than just booking a standard slot.
Will a tree surgeon deal with the wood and mess afterwards?
Most will, but always check what's included before the job starts. Some firms clear all brash and logs as standard, others will leave logs stacked for firewood if you ask, and a few charge separately for waste removal and tipping. It's a common source of disputes after the fact, so get it written into the quote rather than assuming.
How do I choose between tree surgeons in Southampton?
Start by checking recent reviews for patterns, not just the star rating, since a run of complaints about missed appointments or mess left behind tells you more than an average score. Ask each firm directly for proof of public liability insurance and their NPTC or Lantra chainsaw qualifications, and don't be shy about asking for a couple of references from recent local jobs. Get a written quote that specifies the exact work, waste removal and any TPO checks, and compare at least two before deciding. If a badge on this page shows Trust Verified, that business has already been through our full checks; for anyone without it, doing these checks yourself before booking is worth the twenty minutes it takes.
Related Guides
More independently researched rankings you might find useful
