how to plant, grow & care for hedging

Since arriving at Perch Hill, we have planted 750 metres of hedging, and over the next few years another 3000 metres is planned, plus another 150 metres to enclose and protect the garden. 

We should all be planting more hedges if we have room – as, not only are they great for creating year-round interest, but they offer huge benefits to gardens of all shapes and sizes. They look spectacular with varying leaf shapes, flowers, and fruits, and are brilliant for providing food and shelter for wildlife, protecting our gardens from strong winds, as well as helping with carbon capture, flood control, and soil erosion – the list is almost endless!

how to plant, grow and care for your hedging

Our UK grown hedging plants are supplied as cell-grown saplings ready for immediate planting into their final positions. Cell-grown plants are known to have high establishment success rates with rapid early growth and are uniform and compact in size for quick and easy planting.

• Prepare the ground prior to planting by clearing all weeds - at least 30cm from either side of the planting line.
• Next, dig a series of holes for the length of the planting line. We recommend these be staggered in a zig zag-like pattern allowing 5 plants/m. The holes should be a little deeper than the size of the cell-grown root ball and approximately twice as wide. Now, prick the sides and bottom of the hole with a hand fork – just enough to loosen the soil.
• The key to successful establishment is all about the soil – fork in a little well-rotted manure to each hole and mix with the soil. We also recommend using Sarah Raven Rootgrow™ which contains mycorrhizal fungi – a natural and plant friendly fungi which greatly aids the uptake of nutrition and water. Just sprinkle a little amount into the bottom of the hole and ensure the root ball comes into contact with it.
• Now, make sure the root ball is moist enough by soaking in water for a few minutes before planting. Then, fill the planting hole with water and allow to drain away. Sprinkle a little Rootgrow™ to the base of the planting hole.
• Place the plants into the holes ensuring the soil meets the old soil mark on the plant. This a good way to check and ensures that it’s not planted too deeply or too shallow. No staking is necessary.
• Back-fill with soil and firm in and around the plants to make sure there are no air pockets.
• Water in well. This is important as it pulls all the soil particles together, plugging the air gaps and bringing the fine feeding roots into close contact with the soil.
• Monitor moisture levels and keep well-watered during the first few years after planting.