There is a large hedge (acer, I think?) which I inherited, on the
boundary of my garden, and although it's regular and 'rectangular' in
cross-section, is way bigger than necessary presumably due to
insufficient trimming over the years. It's probably 9' tall and 6' deep
(ie, across the boundary) and it's now very hard to reach the middle of
the top to trim it. Not to mention the waste of garden space!

What would happen if I attacked it ruthlessly to carve it down to about
half the height and thickness? It would obviously look really crap
initially, but would the leaves eventually regrow and make it look OK
again? Or would it just die?

Or is the hedge a write-off now? :-(

David