Bare Root Planting Tips

Bare Root Hedging

It's only for a starter sized hedge and when thinking on this option you should read all this section. There is a risk to bare root plants, can we repeat that again in case you skimmed over it There is a risk with bare root plants. You will lose some and if you are neglectful or unlucky you could lose most of them. If you follow these few tips on looking after your plants, the weather is kind to you and do your best - you might not lose any. You should buy at least 20% extra and plant them in a pot in the soil away from the hedge to replace any that fail. If you want to save a possible fortune on a hedge, then you ought to have a try with the bare root.

Planting bare root: Get ready before you take delivery, you don't really want them hanging about un-planted for a long period. As soon as you have received your delivery it is important to get them planted as soon as possible. If they are not planted within a few days make sure the roots do not dry out so give them a good soaking at the base every day or earth over the roots for longer preservation. You must cut back the top 1/3 of last year’s growth to compensate the fact that have likely lost at least the same number of roots when they are dug for you from the field. Certain lines are easier than others to establish

The trickier ones are beech and yew. Treat them with particular care, neither like to sit in wet soil and can easily rot in the root. If your site lays very wet pick carpinus for beech and think again about yew. Make sure the soil is free draining and well prepared - broken down and fertile. Don't plant too deep - if you look at the stem you can see the original soil level it was at before dug, that's your planting/ground level. Yew like a very well drained site, you can prepare this with added grit/gravel and plant them in a slightly raised planting bed, so water drains away better.

Once planted you should ensure the plant is not going to rock in the wind. Firm the soil around the plant to make sure the roots have good contact with your soil. With taller bare root plants, they should be securely staked with a cane and a suitable tie. As with all new planting water in as soon as they are planted and keep them well watered in dry times for the first growing season. Come the spring and the plants are establishing themselves, you must keep away any unwanted grass and weed from the new plants as will compete for moisture and food. Don't let them dry out in dry weather during the first season after planting.

Fagus - Beech Is a traditional English hedger, it has lovely green or copper purple, oval foliage that changes to yellow and then a rich russet brown in Autumn. They do tend to keep hold of some of the leaves during the Winter months, but they are mainly a deciduous plant. The leaves then start to bud up round February / March time and the leaves open from April onwards depending on the weather. This can grow into a specimen sized tree, but we do recommend that you maintain it to the desired height Clipping Beech Hedging Beech hedging should be pruned once or twice a year depending on how quickly it grows. In the second year of being planted it will grow quicker as it becomes more established. We would suggest pruning the hedge with loppers or if you have the time using secateurs as it will leave the hedge looking tidier. Dislikes The beech hedging doesn't really have any dislikes other than it doesn't want to sit wet. If you do have a wet flower bed you would be best looking at hornbeam. Feeding Beech Hedge The best feed for beech hedging is bonemeal or fish blood and bone, this can be done throughout the growing season, normally in late Spring and again late Summer

Buxus sempervirens A true garden classic. Box hedging is a popular evergreen that provides much needed garden structure. As an architectural plant, Box hedging is the perfect border plant, withstanding frequent shaping and shearing. Box hedges look stunning planted around flower borders and vegetable gardens and can also be grown as a standalone feature plant. Buxus or box as it is commonly known is the ideal plant for formal hedges or hedging as well as being the topiary plant of choice at hundreds of stately homes and gardens. Buxus sempervirens has dense small round dark evergreen leaves. It is a slow growing plant achieving around 10 - 15cm in a season. Buxus Sempervirens should be trimmed in mid-summer. Clipping box hedging Box hedging can be pruned and has the ability to grow from old wood. To maintain trimmed forms and hedges you need to prune them twice a year. The first time should be done around late May or mid-June, after the first growth spurt. Dislikes don’t trim box hedging too late in the season, any re growth needs time to ripen fully otherwise it will be vulnerable to frost damage that will allow fungal spores’ entry into your plants. Always water from below so that the foliage stays dry. Also don’t use a high nitrogen fertiliser on your box, excessive soft leafy growth will always favour blight, use a more balanced feed instead such as vitax box feed available from the plant food section on this website.

Carpinus - hornbeam A traditional English hedger a good alternative to beech. It has very attractive green foliage that changes to yellow in the Autumn and bears hop like fruit clusters in late Summer and Autumn. Unlike the beech hedging it likes the soggy - wood land sites that most hedges don't. Trimming Carpinus You only need to prune carpinus once a year and you are best doing it late Summer to encourage them to retain their foliage during the Winter months. Always start trimming the hedge at the top and working your way down. Dislikes Carpinus don't really have any dislikes they are very easy to grow and don't normally have any problems Feeding Carpinus You can feed Carpinus with a general-purpose feed such as bonemeal or chicken pellets you can do this in Spring and again in Summer.

Yew Hedging  There is nothing more stately and quintessentially British than a yew hedge. There are several forms of Taxus but only really Baccata are mass grown for evergreen hedging. They are a little slow growing, so buy as big as you can afford, but once established they make a perfect formal hedge. The foliage is a lovely dark green, very dense and the plant can be clipped to any shape of height. There is a flush of growth in spring and a second smaller flush in late summer. The new growth is much lighter green and matures to the darker green with age. In winter, and on the female bushes, the classic red, squidgy yew berries are an important winter feed for birds. These should be pointed out to small children as the seeds could make them ill if eaten. Clipping Yew can be kept in check with a pair of shears or a hedge cutter and is best done on a cool day in summer between the two growth flushes. Dislikes They do not like being stood in wet soil, so if you have wet ground and want to establish a yew hedge, sort the drainage out first. Apart from that they are easy to get growing in all soils and situations. Feeding Yew hedging Give them plenty of organic fertilizer in early spring to get them to the height. Once they have reached your desired height a light feed of fish, blood and bone will keep them looking green. Any other general-purpose plant food is fine, but always read the label and under feed rather than over feed

Hawthorn Hedging When you’re after a plant that can serve as a practical and natural screen hedge, while at the same time providing a striking aesthetic feature to your garden, our traditional English hawthorn hedge could be exactly what you’re looking for. This stunning garden planter makes for a beautiful yet prickly hedge that will not only enhance the look of any garden, but also provide the ideal intruder-deterrent for your outdoor space. Native to the UK, hawthorn hedge plants are synonymous with their glossy green leaves, cream fragrant flowers and dark red berries. If you are looking to attract wildlife to your garden, hawthorn is the ideal hedge planter. Planting your hawthorn Initially it’s worth using a rigid tree stake in order to fully support the young plant and protect it against strong winds. Once this is done, simply apply an all-purpose granular feed such as chicken pellets and water well. When it comes to soil, hawthorn plants are not too particular and they thrive in most soil types including chalky and alkaline rich soil. Unlike many hedge plants, hawthorn actually prefers wet or moist conditions. These plants are very versatile and flourish when planted in full view of the sun or in partial shade, but they can also survive in sheltered and shady locations, making them suitable for all landscapes. Looking after your hawthorn hedge Hawthorn, or quickthorn as it is commonly known, are very low maintenance plants which need little attention once they are established. This means that usually, hawthorns only require cutting back once or twice a year, and only to remove dead growth or to thin out overly bushy areas. However, it’s important to remember, pruning a hawthorn too early in its development could stunt growth and damage the shrub. These plants should only be pruned once they have had time to fully mature and are at a height of at least 4ft. Also, this should only be done during the winter months when the hedge is dormant.

Elaeagnus Hedging Are not your normal hedge choice when you think of buying a new hedge. It is time that they should be thought of some more as they make lovely hedges. Elaeagnus are mainly evergreen with some varieties being deciduous. They have simple often scaly foliage which can be green in colour, some varieties are green rimmed with yellow and vice a versa. An extra bonus to this hedger is the lovely scents of the blossom. It requires very little pruning as it is mainly grown as a loose hedge rather than a tightly knitted one as its foliage is a larger size. Simply prune to shape and cut off any unwanted branches. Elaeagnus really doesn't like to be planted in shallow chalk soil, other than that it can tolerate pretty much everything else, it is even drought tolerant and is very tough, even likes clay once they have established in the ground. Can be fed with a general purpose feed or you can mulch to offer food as well, this can be done in spring and again in summer.

Laurel Hedging If you want an evergreen screen or privacy in a hurry, these are for you! Laurels are an extremely popular species made up of numerous trees, shrubs and hedging plants. Their practicality and aesthetic appearance come second to none as they are seen in thousands of gardens throughout the UK. Each type of laurel has a unique set of characteristics. That can be utilised to help you achieve a range of gardening goals. With an abundance of practical advantages, added interest and ability to grow in challenging environments, Laurel hedging should certainly be a major contender when considering garden hedge ideas. A Laurel hedge will need trimming at least twice a year, we would suggest using secateurs as it keeps the plants looking tidy or for a quick ob trimmers can also be used. They are quite easy to maintain you should trim your laurel hedge in late spring or early summer as the hedge will produce new shoots very quickly at this time of year which is great as it will cover up any leaves that are left looking “tatty” after using a hedge trimmer. Cherry laurels will tolerate most conditions with the exception of wet and chalky soils and they will thrive in sun or shade, so they are perfect to plant in any part of your garden! Cherry laurels will not thrive very well in wet or chalky soils. With chalky or clay soils the drainage is very poor and cherry laurels cannot sit in wet, poor drained soil. This can cause leaves to turn yellow. No other reason will make the leaves turn yellow so quickly. The roots of a laurel plant will rot if they sit in waterlogged conditions for a long period of time.