Need
help finding the right hedge or tree?
Plants for difficult situations
While
most of our plants will adapt to a very wide range of soil conditions
and situations, some are better suited than others to those awkward
places:
Wet
sites: Alders, Amelanchier, Ash, Silver Birch, Blackthorn, Dogwoods
(all), Guelder Rose, Hawthorn, Hornbeam, Mountain Ash, Oak, Sea Buckthorn,
Snowberry, Western Red Cedar, Wild Pear, Willows and most native hedge
plants.
Dry, sandy
or stony soils: Berberis, Box, Cotoneasters, Cotton Lavender,
Field Maple, Holly, Hornbeam, Japanese Holly, Lavenders, Lonicera, Myrobalan
Plum, Privet, Red Oak, Rosemary, Silver Birch, Sweet Chestnut, Yew,
Wych Elm and most native hedge plants.
Chalky soils: Ash, Beech, Berberis, Box, Cotoneasters, Field Maple, Horse Chestnut,
Hornbeam, Lilac, Lonicera, Privet, Silver Birch, Snowberry, Spindle,
Roses, Rosemary, Wayfaring Tree, Western Red Cedar, Yew and most native
hedge plants.
Windy,
exposed sites: Ash, Beech, Blackthorn, Common Alder, Dogwoods, Guelder
Rose, Hawthorn, Holly, Hornbeam, Mountain Ash, English Oak, Sea Buckthorn,
Scots Pine, Silver Birch, Willows, Yew and most native hedge plants.
Coastal
areas: Ash, Alder, Box, Blackthorn, Cotoneasters, Cotton Lavender,
Sessile and Turkey Oak, Eleagnus, Field Maple, Holm Oak, Hawthorn, Holly,
Japanese Holly, Lavenders, Leyland Cypress, Mountain Ash, Native privet,
Roses, Rosemary, Sea Buckthorn, Sweet Chestnut, Tamarisk, and Willows.
Shade: Box, Berberis, Cotoneaster lacteus, Holly, Hornbeam, Privet, Lonicera,
Laurel, Snowberry, and Yew.
Hedge
plants for a purpose
Prickly
Hedge plants: Berberis, Blackthorn, Hawthorn, Holly, Myrobalan Plum,
Roses.
Evergreen
Hedge plants: Berberis julianae, Box, Cotoneaster (lacteus,
franchetii, simonsii), Cotton Lavender, Holly, Holm Oak, Japanese Holly,
Laurel, Lavenders, Leyland Cypress, Lonicera, Privets, Western Red Cedar
and Yew. (NB. Green/Purple Beech and Hornbeam both hold onto their brown
Autumn leaves through Winter)
Fast
Growing Hedge plants: Blackthorn, Hawthorn, Hornbeam, Leyland Cypress,
Lonicera nitida, Privet, Dog Rose, Western Red Cedar and many native
hedge plants.
Growth
rates
We
are often asked how quickly hedge plants will grow to form a hedge.
Growth rates vary enormously depending on soil conditions, weed competition,
feeding, watering etc. In general, given reasonable care, plants listed
as ‘medium-large’ will grow between 30-60cm (1-2ft) per year,
and small-medium will grow 15-30cm (6-12ins). Rates of growth may be
slower in the first year but will speed up as the roots become established.
As a guide, large hedges of about 5ft may take around 3-5 years to form,
smaller hedges should establish in between 2 and 4 years from planting
depending on variety.
Need
more help? Get in touch and we'll do our best to help. Call us or click
here to use our online form.
Preparation
for receipt of your order
Before your
plants arrive
If you are not
able to plant your hedge immediately prepare an area of ground, by digging
out a shallow trench to about a spade’s depth, so that you can
‘heel in’ your plants as soon as possible. A vegetable patch
is ideal for this purpose.
If the weather
at the time is cold or frosty, or if the ground is waterlogged or snow
covered, cover the prepared area with clear or black polythene to warm
up the soil before your plants arrive.
If possible prepare
the final area to be planted in advance. Preparation will depend on
soil type, the location, conditions of planting and varieties to be
planted. Where practical, it is best to dig out a trench about 2-foot
wide and 1 spade’s depth, and then fork over the base of the trench
to break up any compacted soil. Place a layer of well-rotted manure
or compost in the base of the trench and fork this over to incorporate
it with the soil. Further manure or compost and sterilised bone meal
can be added and mixed with the remaining soil when back filling around
the plants. For substantial lengths of native hedge etc, where digging
a trench is not practical, spray off the strip to be planted with a
glyphosate based weedkiller (ie Roundup) a few weeks prior to planting,
allow the weeds/grass to die back, then lightly fork over the ground
to loosen the soil. The plants can be planted using a spade to make
a slit into which the roots are pushed, then firm in with your heel.
If using Landscape
Fabric or mulch material, back fill the planting trench so that the
soil is a few inches above the surrounding level to allow for the soil
to settle, and lay the material on top of the soil along the length
of the trench, pegging it down with staples every 1-2 metres or bury
the edges. Then cut crossed slits aprox 6” long at the spacings
required. To plant, use a trowel/small spade through the holes, place
the plant in the hole and back fill, firming the soil around the roots.
On
receipt of your order
Unpack and inspect
your plants immediately. All plants will deteriorate if left in their
packaging for too long.
If you find any
damages or shortages, or are dissatisfied with any plants, please inform
us within three days of receipt.
The plants will
be alright for a few days if kept in a shed or garage out of wind and
sun, with their outer packaging removed, but roots still wrapped and
kept damp.
Before planting,
soak all the roots of bare-rooted plants for up to one hour in buckets
of water or a water butt.
If you are not ready
to plant, heel in bare-rooted plants in a pre-prepared trench immediately
after soaking. Make sure that all roots are well covered with soil.
Water the plants
in even if the soil is damp, as this will help the soil settle around
the roots.
Keep the roots damp
until you are ready to plant.
Pot grown plants
can be set aside in a sheltered area until required and should be watered
regularly.
Planting
Do not attempt
to plant in their final position if the ground is frozen or waterlogged.
If the plants have
been heeled in prior to planting, gently loosen the soil around the
roots with a fork. Pull the plants out of the soil taking care to minimise
root damage.
Soak the roots,
and keep them in a plastic sack until planting, only getting out a few
at a time as required. Never leave bare roots exposed to sun or drying
winds.
Set the plants out
in their planting position at their recommended spacings. Back fill
the trench with soil and incorporated organic matter, making sure that
all the roots are well covered.
For substantial
lengths of native hedge etc, ‘slit’ plant and firm in with
your heel.
Firm the soil around
the roots and water in well.
If protection spirals
are used, place these around the plants and secure with planting canes,
ensuring that all plants are straight.
If you need
any further advice, call, fax or e-mail Glebe Farm Hedging! 01206 323
200. Or click here to fill out our online form.
Aftercare
Care in the first
few years after planting is essential for your hedge to survive and
thrive. By following these tips you can be assured of vigorous, healthy
growth:
Watering.
Your hedge will
require regular watering for at least the first three years after planting.
Through the first Winter, check regularly that the soil along the hedge
has not become dry, if necessary water at a rate of 2-4 litres per plant.
From Spring water once or twice weekly at a rate of 2-4 litres per plant.
In hot dry weather, water plants at least every 2 days at a rate of
4 litres + per plant, preferably in the evening. We would strongly recommend
the use of porous soaker hose for this purpose. Plants should not need
watering in subsequent Autumn/Winters unless conditions are very dry.
Keep watering through Spring and Summer for the second and third years
as before. In subsequent years watering should only be necessary in
hot dry spells.
Feeding.
Because hedge plants
are grown in close proximity to one another they are very demanding
for nutrients. Organic matter or a balanced slow release granular fertiliser
should be applied to soil along the hedge in Spring and again in early
Summer. Liquid fertilisers can be applied at any time through the growing
season to promote healthy growth. Do not feed with high nitrogen fertilisers
after the end of July, as this encourages soft lush growth, which can
be susceptible to frost damage.
Weeding.
The area along the
hedge line and at least 6” outside the ultimate width of the hedge
should be kept weed free to minimise competition for water and nutrients.
Some hand weeding will always be necessary between plants. The easiest
way of controlling weeds is by using mulch materials or landscape fabric.
If using chemical controls, always check the manufacturer’s recommendations
before use. The majority of suitable chemical herbicides should only
be used when the plants are dormant between November and March. Spiral
or similar guards should be used to protect young hedge plants from
direct contact with spray.
Clipping.
Most deciduous plants
should be pruned by a third in the first year of planting. Some benefit
from harder pruning, notably: Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Myrobolan Plum and
Privet. Although this may seem drastic it will encourage the plant to
produce side and basal shoots, and so create a bushier hedge. In general
conifers and evergreens should only be clipped along their sides until
they have reached the desired height and then should be trimmed to 10%
below the height required, to allow for re-growth. Clipping should always
be carried out at least once a year, usually in mid-late Summer, to
keep a hedge in shape.
Protecting.
If rabbits or hares
are known to be a problem in your area you will need to protect young
plants with guards or wire mesh fencing. These will also give some protection
from deer damage. Spiral guards should be removed after 3-5 growing
seasons to allow lower branches to develop - after this time plants
will be less susceptible to severe damage. In areas of serious infestation,
a wire mesh fence is the only answer. The bottom 6-12” of the
wire should be buried below soil level to prevent rabbits burrowing
underneath. Above ground, secure the mesh to stout stakes at regular
intervals.
In exposed areas
some young hedge plants may need protection from cold and strong winds.
Holly, Laurel, Lonicera, Lavender, Rosemary, and Evergreen Oak are particularly
at risk from harsh Winter and early Spring weather. Protection for these
and other species can be provided by erecting windbreak netting secured
to stakes along the windward side of the hedge. In particularly harsh
spells ‘at risk’ plants should be covered with fleece material.
If you
need any further advice, call, fax or e-mail Glebe Farm Hedging! 01206
323 200. Or click here to fill out our online
form.
