Home  |  Frequently Asked Questions About Hedging Plants

Q. How far apart do I need to plant to form a dense screen?

A. We recommend planting Bareroot plants between 40cm and 65cm apart, in a double staggered row. Hedges planted 40cm ( 5 per metre ) will make a thicker hedge faster.

Pot grown plants are slightly different. The size and habit of the plant and the pot size are the main factors which govern the appropriate spacings. Advice can be given on a case by case basis.

Buxus sempervirens (Common Box) needs to be planted at between 5 - 7 plants per metre, when used as formal edging plants at a height of 25cm—30cm. When planting specimen shrubs, 2 per metre run is the general rule, but it does depend on the size of the plants.

Q. When is the best time to plant bareroot shrubs?

A. Bareroot shrubs can only be transplanted during the dormant time of October to March. To prevent failures we only sell bareroot during this time. If a hedging is needed out of this time period then pot grown is recommended.

Q. How do I get the hedge to "fill in" quicker?

A. The easy answer to this is to clip/prune the young hedge to promote thicking. Different specimens require different types of pruning. Most mixed hedges, Yew and Leylandii will benefit from Motorize clippers. Laurel, Holly, and Portuguese Laurel will require a more methodical pruning using secateurs.

Q. Is it possible to keep a leylandii hedge small and/or narrow?

A. Leylandii can be kept to any size if trimmed often. If you want to keep a leylandii hedge small, it will require gentle clipping twice a year. You must remember not to cut a Leylandii hedge back too far as dead wood will not regenerate.

Q. When is the best time to trim a hedge?

A. You can trim a hedge at any time of year. We do ours annually in September. You should avoid trimming/ pruning during the bird's nesting season (March to July) lots of birds will be nesting in hedges at that time.

Q. Do smaller plants grow faster than larger specimens?

A. No. Smaller plants do establish quicker but will in the end take longer to make a tall hedge. If you require a tall hedge quickly, the best way is to buy larger specimens. Smaller plants will have the same grow rate as larger plants if given sufficient food and water.

Q. What size do the holes need to be when planting Bareroot plants?

A. This depends on what size plants are being planted. Bareroot plants up to 1.5metre will need a hole of 15cm ( 6” ) wide. 22cm ( 9” ) deep. Compost will be needed to promote quick establishment, the normal amount required is 3lt per plant.

Q. How far from a wall or fence can I plant them?

A. For Mixed/Traditional hedging 45cm - 60cm (18-24 inches) is adequate. If your planning to grow a tall hedge then slightly more space will be required.

Q. What protection from Rabbits and Deer do you sell?

A. We stock Brown “Rainbow” spiral guards for our Bareroot whips. We have been using these guards for the last 10 years and found them very effective at keeping the saplings straight and protected from Rabbits. They offer a very low unit cost but also are very quick and simple to install.

We stock 2 sizes.
18” ( 45cm ) Guards for 45cm - 60cm, 60cm –90cm Hedging
24” ( 60cm ) for 60cm –90cm, 90cm - 120cm Hedging

For larger hedging we stock Green “Acorn” shelters guards. These are mostly used for trees with in hedges. They are more expensive but if you have major Deer problems unfortunately the choice is made for you.
We stock 1 size, with 4 widths.
75cm High and a widths of 80-110mm

Q. What after care will my new hedge need?

A. We suggest you keep your hedge free of weed and grass for a width of 45cm ( 18” ) either side. For ease of use, a Non-selective herbicide can be applied. To keep weeds under control, composted wood chippings or bark mulch should be applied to a depth of 100mm ( 4” ). This will also help retain moisture and in the case of wood chippings, will help too introduce mycorrhizal fungi.

To keep your hedge healthy and growing fast, irrigation is a necessary requirement. We stock “Techline” which has pressure valves every 30cm ( 12” ) that drip .3 of a liter per hour.

Q. Do I need to feed my new hedge?

A. If the hedge was planted with a good amount of compost then this should be adequate for the first 9 months. To keep the hedge growing fast, a Spring/Autumn granule top dress is necessary. We suggest Growmore Granules.

Q. Do you offer a planting service.

A. YES we do! We have experienced teams working in Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk. Please use our Planting Services page for further information.

Q. How can I pay and how does your online payment system work?

A. Payment can be made by credit/debit card online and your details are sent over a secure transfer to our holding area. If we have your order in stock we will process your payment and ship immediately. We do this for a number of reasons:-

If there is a query with the order, adjustments can be made.
If the items are not in-stock or we are waiting on a delivery then your payment will not be processed until we are can ship your order.
We might have stock that better suits your requirements and budget.

Q. Can I place an order via telephone?

A. Yes you can. We accept telephone orders ( 01206 804 732 ). In fact we would rather your called to discuss your situation as we want you to spend your money in the best way possible. Our nursery has a very high turn over in stock and we may have products that will be better suited to you.

Q. How do I place an order?

A. You can place your order online 24/7 or call us on 01206 804 732. Our Telephone opening hours are 8am - 5pm Monday to Friday or 10am to 3pm Saturday.

Q. Do you have to have a mixed native hedge or can be single specie ?

A. No you can have a single specie native hedge. A basic Hawthorn hedge will make a nice stock and burglar proof hedge.

Q. What is tallest hedging you stock?

A. We stock up to 150cm Bareroot, and 2 metres Potgrown plants. But we can source anything up to 3.5 metres+. Please call our team on 01206 804 732

Q. How much water will my hedge need during the growing season.

A. Unfortunately there is no easy way of suggesting how much water a hedge will need. It changes from hedge to hedge.

Underwatering will cause the leaves to burn, and if not caught quickly enough, the plants will die. You only need to get this wrong once to undo all the hard work put in. On the other hand overwatering can be just as serious. This can cause the leave to droop and the plants to decay from fungal or bacterial rots.

If you treat the hedge as a large pot plant for its first year. You must assume it cant get water for its self and that rain will not provide enough water to sustain the plants needs.

We can supply Techline irrigation which has pressure valves every 30cm ( 12” ) that drip .3 of a litre an hour. We also stock “ Rain Bird ” Automatic water valves. You can set the frequency of watering and length of each watering cycle.

Q. What is your guarantee

GUARANTEE

We guarantee that all our plants are fit for purpose, healthy, and in good condition when leaving our nursery. For any reason you are dissatisfied please inform us with in 3 days of receipt. Plants can only be accepted in return if they have been looked after. Dried out or damaged plants will not be accepted. We reserve the right to refuse a refund on returned items if they are not received in good order.

If contact is made outside of 3 days, we can not be held responsible due to too many factors beyond our control. If your deciduous Bareroot hedging fails to come into leaf with in its first growing season we will replace it the following year. Please note you will be required to pay the postage for the new plants. We will not replace plants that have failed due to vandalism, drought, physical or chemical damage, Fungal or Insect damage, waterlogging, winter-damage and/or poor practice. This does not affect your statutory rights.