Hedge your bets right now
THIs is a good time of year to plant deciduous hedges, such as beech, hawthorn, and hornbeam — as long as the ground isn’t frozen or waterlogged.
or try mixed native hedging, which might include blackthorn, hazel and dog rose, bringing a touch of the countryside to your garden.
If you put them in the ground now, while they are bare root and dormant, they will have plenty of time to establish roots before the spring and summer.
Use a string tied between two sticks to mark a straight line where you want the hedge, then dig out a trench about 10 to 15cm deep. break up the bottom with a fork and add humus-rich organic matter such as peatfree compost or well-rotted farmyard manure. You can also add bone meal fertiliser.
Then place the individual plants into the opening, spaced 45 to 60cm apart until they are covered to a few centimetres above the roots. replace the soil and firm it in with your boot.
Hedging might not put on much growth in its first year, but within three to five years it will provide a thick barrier which helps to reduce flooding and pollution. It is great for wildlife, too.