THINK TREES AND HEDGES
Now’s a great time to plant trees and hedges. From November to March they can be bought bare root, meaning dug out of the ground and sold without containers. As they haven’t been looked after in pots, they’re cheaper and their roots are likely to be more developed so will establish more easily in your garden.
GETTING TO THE ROOT
Some plants are sold as root-balled – these have been dug up in the same way as bare root, but lifted with the soil still around the roots to help them survive the journey to your garden. Root-balled and bare root plants are ordered unseen, which can be nerve-wracking. Take advice from the retailer about the right size and number.
CHOOSING A HEDGE
Decide whether you’d like a deciduous or evergreen variety. If you want screening all year round, go for evergreens like laurel, yew or privet. If you’d prefer to have seasonal changes or to let more light in during winter, choose deciduous plants such as beech or roses. Also consider how formal you’d like your hedge to be. Evergreens tend to be neat, almost like green walls, but deciduous plants like roses, lilac and flowering currant are more loose and relaxed. The neater the plant, the more work is involved in keeping it pristine. Finally, think about height and size. Low hedges form an edge rather than a screen: lavender, box and hebes are all good for this. But if you want shading, screening or shelter, you’ll need taller plants that grow more quickly. For 6ft-tall hedges, choose laurel, privet or beech, and buy them quite big if you can, at least 4ft high, otherwise you’ll wait for years before they reach the height you want. Whatever size, but especially if you’re putting in taller and evergreen plants, it’s important to keep them watered. Even in winter, evergreens lose water from their leaves so need a good steady supply to their roots.
THE SIZE IS RIGHT
If your garden is small, you might not want a tall tree. For a small option, around 6ft, look for dwarf rootstock, where the top of the tree has been grafted on to a trunk with very limited growth. Some are even small enough to survive in planters. For something a little bigger there are varieties of crab apple, cherry trees and mountain ash that are quite small. But watch out for the ‘eventual size’ as many can grow 10 metres tall. Also think about what you want the tree for. If it’s to screen, it needs to be positioned carefully. Trees are difficult to move so it’s worth imagining a tree in different spots in the garden before planting.