How To Plant Hedges

How do you prepare the ground for a hedge?

Soil preparation Prepare the ground by digging over a strip 60-90cm (2-3ft) wide and one spit (or spade blade) deep. If a herbicide (weedkiller) has not been used beforehand, remove all weeds. Soils that become waterlogged in winter may require a permanent drainage system.

How far apart do you plant a hedge?

Hedge plants should be about 18″ (45cm) apart with the recommended number of plants about 5-7 per metre if bare root, or 4-5 if container grown.

What month do you plant hedges?

Plant deciduous hedges from January to March, and evergreen hedges in March or April. Water or soak each plant well at least an hour before planting. If you buy bare-root plants, soak immediately for an hour, then heel into spare ground until planting. Keep the plants in a bucket of water while waiting to be planted.

How do you start a hedge?

How to Grow a Thick Hedge Fast, in Brief: Choose the right location for the hedge. Determine what height of fence you want. Choose the right fencing plants. Determine its width. Determine the right spacing for the plants. Survey the planting area ready to install the fence. Plant the shrubs or trees.

Can you plant hedges in spring?

Spring is the perfect time to take stock of your hedges and see what condition they are in or to look to plant a new hedge. As the leaves and blossoms emerge, you can get a better picture of where you have gaps in your hedge than in the winter time.

How deep should soil be for hedges?

To prepare the soil for hedges, dig a trench at least 45cm (18in) wide and 30cm (1ft) deep along the length of the proposed hedge infilling with improved soil as necessary. For individual trees or shrubs clear a circle approximately 1 metre / 1 yard diameter of grass and weeds.

How many hedge plants do I need?

In general, 3 plants per metre is the ideal spacing: this will give you a thick hedge quickly. If you planted any closer together, you wouldn’t really get any benefit and the plants would compete with their neighbours too much.

How often should I water a new hedge?

New hedges need to be kept well-watered if the weather is dry, especially evergreen rootball plants and larger potted hedging. As a guide, a new hedge will need at least 5-10 litres per metre of hedge, twice a week but larger rootball plants will need substantially more.

How do I make my hedges thicker?

To thicken this hedge up, I’d just pull some branches from different plants down and zip tie them together. That stimulates vertical growth in the now empty spaces. The picture to the right shows the common problem. The easy solution is to bend some branches, to weave the plants together.

How long does it take for hedges to grow?

Training your shrubs as a hedge Generally this takes 1-2 seasons after planting. To train as a hedge, trim top and sides a few times per year as necessary, removing about one-half the length of new shoots.

What do you put under hedges?

Compost (garden or spent mushroom), leaf mould, well-rotted manure, wood or bark chippings or even seaweed all make excellent mulches for use not only under hedges but across the garden.

What is the best fertilizer for hedges?

We recommend a 6-7 month slow release fertilizer for most climates. Apex makes a 16-5-9 slow release 6-7 month release, which works great for our hedge varieties. In the Pacific Northwest, you can use a longer-release fertilizer of 8-9 months. For longer release, Osmocote Blend 18-5-12 is a great choice.

How do you keep weeds out of hedges?

After planting, apply a thick layer of organic mulch such as straw, shredded bark, cocoa shells, rushes, etc. between the plants. For this layer to be an effective weed control barrier, it is essential to keep it topped up and raked over.

What is the best time of year to plant hedges?

Ideally, you can plant evergreen hedges between late autumn and late winter. These hedges can be planted from mid of autumn till the end of winter. The dried ground is preferable to plant a deciduous hedge; hence, if you find the soil to be heavy with frozen solid, then it’s better to wait until the ground dries.

Do hedges need compost?

As well as eliminating compaction and improving drainage, this will ensure your hedging plants are able to root out freely through and across the loosened surrounding soil profile. Build in plenty of good-quality compost or organic matter such as well-rotted garden compost, manure, mushroom compost or composted bark.

How do you dig a trench for hedges?

Dig about 100mm deeper and 200mm wider than you need to fit your plants in your holes or trench. Back fill your holes or trench to a slightly higher level than you need to allow the plants to settle. Line up three or four plants at a time.

How do you protect a newly planted hedge?

Protecting Hedge Plants Put up guards after planting hold spirals up with a cane and guards with a stake. Drive stakes in before you plant hedgerow trees to avoid damaging the roots and then plant as usual and put the guard over the tree and attach it to the stake.

How wide should a hedge be?

Formal hedges There is no need for the width of even vigorous hedges to exceed 60cm (2ft) if they are regularly trimmed. Formal hedges should be slightly tapered on both sides so that the base is wider than the top and light can reach the bottom of the hedge.

How do you calculate plant spacing?

To determine the total space needed by each plant, multiply the distance between plants within the rows (X) by the distance between the rows (Y). A. For a square planting pattern with plants spaced 6″ on center (O.C.), X = 6 and Y = 6. Therefore, 6 × 6 = 36 in2.

Can you mix hedge plants?

Creating a Mixed Hedge The main purpose of a mixed hedge is to let different species bring out the best in each other, though a mixed hedge is also an excellent solution if you simply cannot choose between two or more species of hedging plant.