AT THE CUTTING HEDGE
For inexpensive, seasonal beauty, plant a lush and green boundary
To create a boundary or screen, the simple answer is to plant a hedge. Not only are they inexpensive, they’re also nature-friendly, beautiful and easy to maintain. they reduce noise, create shelter, afford privacy, encourage wildlife and provide seasonal interest.
a hedge can be as big or little as you like. the tallest I’ve seen was beech and needed scaffolding to trim. the smallest could be ankle-high miniature box. With either, the only care they need is an occasional tidy.
this is an excellent time to prepare for a hedge. You can plant containerised hedging whenever you like, though autumn is best.
Bare- root plants will be available from next month and can be planted between then and March. Hedging plants need care on arrival. If potted, keep them watered and plant as soon as you can.
the soil is still warm at present, so their roots will have time to establish well before winter.
Bare-root hedges should be planted between october and March. If the ground is not ready when they arrive, set them in a shallow trench, cover the roots with soil and water them thoroughly. those roots must never be allowed to dry, so leave them undisturbed until you’re ready for planting.
HEDGE YOUR BETS
HEDGES are long term. even the fastest take years to mature, so it’s important to choose the most suitable plants and plan the size of your hedge.
You should decide whether the hedge will be clipped formally to a precise shape, or kept relaxed with an annual trim. Don’t be tempted to choose the fastestgrowing plants. Leyland cypress is speedy, but usually a disastrous choice. Yew, though condemned for slowness, grows faster than most people expect. It’s excellent for formal hedging and needs only one annual clip.
Holly responds well to clipping and there are many varieties. For faster growth, Portuguese laurel, Viburnum tinus and privet are all good. For less formal hedging, there’s beech or hornbeam and cherry laurel. Flowering shrubs can make charming hedges, too. Pyracantha provides spring blossom, winter berries and is bird-friendly. Flowering currant, Osmanthus
delavayi and hawthorn are also pretty in spring. Your hedge will be there for a long time, so take care to prepare the ground before planting.
DIGGING IN
BEGIN by removing any perennial weeds or skimming off turf. Dig a trench and partially back-fill it with a mix of topsoil and compost. Plant your young hedging into that.
If drainage is poor, you may have to dig a deeper trench and lay gravel first. on dry or sandy soils, add extra organic matter.
If you buy the smallest available hedging plants, they’ll look tiny and vulnerable. But they’ll cost far less than mature ones and grow much faster.
Whatever their size, keep them clear of weeds and away from grass. It competes and holds back hedge growth.
Finally, never be afraid of cutting a new hedge. With fastgrowing plants, it’s wise to shorten the height by 25 per cent straight after planting. that may seem brutal, but it will ensure you get the bushy growth you need right from the start.