Using hedges in garden design.

I keep being asked if business is slow at the moment. Not so at all. We are booked until Christmas with various planting jobs, but largely we are planting bare root trees and hedges at the moment.

I think you get much better value for money and a better hedge from bare root stock, so if it’s possible I would always recommend clients whose gardens I’ve designed do this.
A hedge is a sort of ‘wall’ composed of plants. Some hedges are purely decorative, while others serve primarily a practical function. Hedge plants used decoratively are often trimmed to precise sizes and shapes and include evergreen and deciduous shrubs. Such hedge plants may also serve the practical function of affording a property some security. Bare root hedging are field grown plants that are dug up after leaf fall in the autumn when they are dormant. Depending on the season, they can be planted from about mid-November to mid-March, provided they are kept correctly.

Hedges are a vital part of creating natural boundaries and divisions within a planting scheme. They protect the main planting areas from ravages of wind, frost and other weather extremes. A small micro climate is often created within these boundaries to accommodate more exotic planting that wouldn't otherwise survive. They also offer the added bonus of providing natural habitats for wildlife and birds. In terms of garden design, hedges are invaluable for giving a garden purpose, structure and flow.There are a bewildering variety of hedging plants available in nurseries at the moment and it can be hard to decide which is the best for your garden. My advice would be to take advice from the nursery, but do some homework first. Notice how much sunlight the hedge is likely to get and check to see what sort of soil you have. For example is it heavy clay or sandy loam? Is it acidic or alkaline? Looking at what grows in your neighbours’ gardens is a good way to decide too!

After you have made the decision on which hedge to plant, the next key ingredient is preparation of the ground and that will be covered next week.