Hello -

I've inherited responsibility for maintaining a couple of hundred metres of
unkempt hedgerow in Devon. The hedge contains many different species, with
some of them being ferociously spiky. I've got a sturdy petrol hedgetrimmer
with a longish reach, and I don't mind the exercise at all.

What's the best time for trimming it? It seems a pity to trim it now,
because it's full of berries, insects and birds.
The local farmers seem to trim their hedges in the early autumn, but would
that deprive the birds of berries for the winter?

Any tips gratefully received.