Tree surgeons in Croydon

We are Tree Ninjas, tree surgeons working across the London Borough of Croydon, from Thornton Heath and Norbury in the north to Purley, Coulsdon and Sanderstead in the south. We fell and remove trees, prune and reduce them, grind out stumps and cut hedges, for homeowners and businesses. Every quote is free and comes after we have seen the job.

Trees in Croydon

Croydon's gardens vary as much as its streets. In the north, around Thornton Heath, South Norwood, Norbury and Addiscombe, Victorian and Edwardian terraces have long, narrow back gardens with no side access, so most trees there are taken down or reduced in sections and carried out through the house or along a passage. Further south, in Purley, Kenley, Sanderstead and Selsdon, larger plots on the slopes of the North Downs hold mature oaks, beeches, limes and conifers that have often outgrown the houses beside them.

The ground changes too. Much of the north of the borough sits on clay, where thirsty trees such as willow, poplar and oak close to a house can play a part in subsidence. The south is chalk, with thinner soil that suits beech and yew. We take both into account when we advise on what a tree needs.

Tree preservation orders and conservation areas in Croydon

Croydon Council protects many trees with Tree Preservation Orders, and the borough has a number of conservation areas. The rules are worth knowing before any work is booked:

• A tree with a TPO needs the council's consent before it is pruned or felled.
• A tree in a conservation area needs at least six weeks' notice to the council before most work.
• The penalties are real: the council can fine up to £20,000 for cutting down or destroying a tree in a conservation area without consent.

We check whether your tree is protected before we quote, and help with the application or notice. Street trees on the pavement and verge belong to the council, which looks after them, so we work on trees on private land only.

What we do in Croydon

• [Tree felling and removal](/tree-removal/): taking trees down in sections in tight gardens, and clearing dead and fallen trees.
• [Pruning](/pruning/): crown reduction, thinning, lifting and deadwooding, all to BS3998.
• [Stump grinding and removal](/stump-grinding/): stumps ground below the surface, or dug out for building work.
• [Hedge trimming](/hedge-trimming/): trimming, lowering and removing hedges, from front-garden privet to tall leylandii.
• [Emergency tree work](/emergency-tree-work/): trees brought down or split by storms, made safe and cleared.
• [Site clearance](/site-clearance/): clearing overgrown plots before building or landscaping.

Areas we cover

We work across the CR0, CR2, CR5, CR7 and CR8 postcodes, which take in central Croydon, Addiscombe, Shirley, New Addington, South Croydon, Sanderstead, Selsdon, Coulsdon, Thornton Heath, Purley and Kenley, and nearby parts of South Norwood and Norbury.

Planting in Croydon

Croydon Council has set out to plant more than 250,000 trees over ten years. If you are replacing a tree you have lost, or want one in a new space, our tree planting page explains how to choose a tree that suits the spot and the soil.