How to Create and Maintain a Garden Hedge

Hedges. They’re easy to grow, cheap, and give your garden boundaries, creating a little outside privacy. You can use them to round off sections of your garden or to provide a hub for a variety of wildlife, including nesting birds.

The Basics of Hedge Growing

The ideal time for planting a hedge depends upon the species. Evergreen and semi-evergreen hedges will thrive if planted in the early autumn, and deciduous hedges are best planted in mid-autumn to late winter. However, it’s important not to plant your hedges if the soil is water-logged or frozen because this could kill the plant. So, if needed, it’s best to wait. While you are waiting for better weather, make sure to keep your plants in a frost-free shed and cover their roots with moist potting compost and a plastic sheet to prevent them from drying out.

Varieties to Plant

There’s a wide variety of trees and shrubs that have brilliant hedge-making potential. In particular, Portuguese Laural, Hornbeam, and Lavandula Angustifolia are good choices, but it’s important to research and choose the right shrub for the right garden.

A quick and easy way to establish a hedge is to buy a whip (a small hedge around 60cm high). They’re cheap and don’t need as much care as the more expensive, larger plants, and quickly form a thick hedge.

How to Plant a Hedge

Looking after a new hedge is similar to caring for other trees and shrubs, so good soil preparation is key.

Preparing the Soil

Dig over a strip of ground 70-100cm wide and one spade blade deep.
Remove all weeds (if you have not used herbicide beforehand).
Form the soil into a ridge that is roughly 18cm high and 60cm across that the hedge can be planted into.

Planting

If your hedge is going to form a boundary, make sure to position it just under a meter from the boundary line. This will let it fill out without crawling onto the pavement.
Check your planting distances within the row. Depending on the species and final size of the plant, these can vary between 30-60cm.
Trim any damaged roots with a pair of secateurs and spread them out, measuring against the planting depth. The point at which the roots flare should be level with the soil.
Now work the soil between the roots and place the plants in, keeping the soil close to the roots. Make sure to water if the soil is too dry.
Finally, mulch to a depth of 6cm to prevent weeds.

Caring for a Hedge

Keep your hedge well-watered, especially during dry spells, for the next 2 years.
Use a general-purpose fertilizer to top-dress the hedge each year, at around 70g per square meter. Reapply mulch as required.
Trim the hedge when needed, preventing it from spilling over boundaries and into neighboring gardens
Remember that hedges take time to grow. Some can take as long as 3-7 years to reach their full size, so be patient!

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