I have a row of fir trees between my garden and my neighbour's garden. They're getting pretty tall now and I think they might be getting too big to cut easily by hand. That being said though, I am a bit loathed to spend money on an electric hedge trimmer when I already have loppers that would do the job. It would simply take more time if I was to use them. Would you say it's worth buying a hedge trimmer or should I just do it by hand?
If the tools you have can get the job done, even though it will take a little more exertion think of it as exercising some more. It sure may not feel like while you work but I don't there's a need to buy new tools when you could do without them.
If it were me - as trimming fir trees is generally only a once a year job at most - I have to admit that I would be more inclined to choose the cheaper option of using the loppers - rather go to expense of buying something that I would rarely use. That said - if lopping the trees by hand was a somewhat over facing task - another but cheaper alternative to buying a hedge trimmer - may well be to considering hiring one for a day or two instead.
Do you have any neighbors with hedge trimmers you can borrow? I'm all about borrowing weird stuff like this that might only be used once a year. Seriously. We happen to live in a close-knit neighborhood where it seems like everyone has something to share, and we trade things around all the time. It is always good if you have something equally valuable for trade, so you aren't always the taker... but keep in mind that your trade could as easily be a service as an object. Think about it.
I'd probably make do, unless you'd be using the electric (or gas powered) trimmers more than once or twice a year. I routinely borrow my neighbor's tree lopper once a year or so, to trim back a few trees that hang over my property. They only use it a few times per hear themselves, and don't mind at all if I borrow it. As a matter of fact, they've said if i need it, to just go get it out of their shed, and if it's missing, they'll know I borrowed it. I actually borrowed it yesterday, and will be using it over the next day or so, then will return it. When I return it, I usually bring them some banana bread or whatever else I've baked, as a thank you.
