Lonicera. A fast growing plant with many small, dark green leaves which make for a good, dense hedge. Keep these hedging plants tightly clipped for a lovely formal look. Plant them 30cm apart in a single row.
Berberis (evergreen). Darwin's Barberry to give it it's common name is a prickly plant great for deterring unwanted visitors! With small dark green leaves and cheerful orange flowers, it's a hedge with added interest. Plant them 30-45cm apart in a single row.
Privet. Choose privet and its oval shaped dark green leaves for a tradtitional garden hedge and keep it tightly clipped. Fast growing and semi-evergreen, creamy white flowers will bloom in summer. Plant these in a single row, 45cm apart.
Holly. The well-known and charismatic holly; they're not just for Christmas! Slower growing than others and a little temperamental but worth the trouble. Plant them 30-45cm apart for an attractive, full hedge.
Beech. Beech make a beautiful soft garden or field hedge and is extremely popular. Turning a golden brown in winter, they keep many of their leaves, providing a good screen for much of the year. Especially good on lighter soils, plant beech in a double staggered row, 45cm apart. Make sure to side trim the plants to encourage bushiness.
Copper Beech. A wonderful dark purple Beech to add interest to your hedge. Plant them the same as common Beech.
Hornbeam. A neglected but first rate hedge plant. Hornbeam create a beautiful soft native hedge and holds its brown leaves through winter like Beech but is more vigorous and better suited to heavy soils. Plant them in a double staggered row, 45cm apart.
Hawthorn. The great English hedge plant. Great for wildlife with its white blossom in spring and red haws in autumn. Plant these 30cm apart in a double staggered row and cut them back after planting to encourage bushy growth.
Blackthorn* Similar to Hawthorn, Blackthorn will produce attractive early flowers as the hedge matures. It will then form dusky blue-black sloes come the autumn. Plant in the same way as Hawthorn.
Mixed Countryside Hedging. For an interesting and wildlife-friendly hedge, try our countryside hedging mix. Suitable for grant schemes, include species of your choice from Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Hazel, Guelder rose, Field maple, Dogwood, Buckthorn and Dog rose to Spindle*
Please note, plants marked with an * are poisonous and are not recommended for areas with livestock.
Ground preparation is vital in the establishment of new hedges. If the yardage is short, digging a trench and backfilling with organic material will give the plants a good start. If this is inpractical, it is important to make sure you have a weed free site to plant into.
Protecting your new plants from pests is often necessary and this can be acheived either by fencing the area or using tree guards such as spirals and canes or shelters and stakes for those larger, bushier plants. Take a look at our Tree Nursery Catalogue for a list of the different guards we can provide.
All newly planted hedges will benefit from good weed control either by manually removing them or by mulching (lawn clippings make a great mulch) and make sure to water new hedges well during dry spells.