How to plant a hedge

BBC Gardeners' World Magazine

Published: Wednesday, 2 January 2019 at 12:34 pm

Find out how to plant a bare-root hedge that will look great for years to come.

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Not only is autumn the best season for new plants to get established, it’s also a great time to buy hedging plants as cheaper bare-root plants.

Garden centres usually sell bare-root hedging plants root-wrapped in bundles of ten, or you can bulk order direct from nurseries. Bare-root plants become available in mid- to late autumn, so ground preparation is best in early autumn.

Keep your hedges in fine fettle with our tips for pruning evergreen hedges and deciduous hedges.

Discover how to plant a bare-root hedge in four quick steps, below.

Take care not to over-compact the soil around the plants’ small root systems.

You Will Need

Garden spade
Soft string or twine
Mycorrhizal fungi

Total time: 1 hour

Step 1

How to plant a hedge - unwrapping bare-root plants

Unwrap the bundle of bare-root plants as soon as they arrive and stand them in a bucket of water to dampen the roots. If you can’t plant them straight away, heel them in temporarily – dig a hole in a spare area of ground, stand the bundle of plants in it and cover the roots with soil. This keeps the roots cool, damp and in good health. Drying out or overheating is fatal, even to dormant plants.

Step 2

How to plant a hedge - setting out a string line

Set out a string line along the planting site to ensure the hedge will be straight. Check the correct spacing for your chosen hedge plants, then lay them out along the row. Deciduous native hedging plants (such as hazel, hawthorn and blackthorn) can be planted in a double staggered row, while most others (such as yew, beech and hornbeam) should be planted singly.

Step 3

How to plant a hedge - planting the bare-root yew

Dig a planting trench that is wide enough for the roots to spread out. If adding mycorrhizal fungi, which are particularly beneficial to bare-root plants, sprinkle over the wet roots and mix into the excavated soil. Place the plants at the same depth they were growing previously, then backfill the hole and firm down well. But take care not to over-compact the soil around the plants’ small root systems.

Step 4

How to plant a hedge - watering the hedge

Prune deciduous plants to encourage bushy growth to develop from low down. Cut back hawthorn, blackthorn and privet to 30cm high, and just lightly prune other deciduous hedging – evergreens won't need pruning yet – then water thoroughly. Where necessary, protect the plants from rabbits or deer using spiral guards around the stem. For the first year, water during long dry spells and keep weed free.

Bare-root hedging plants With bare-root plants, it's essential to ensure the roots are covered and moist at all times.

Boots. Photo: Getty Images.

Pruning after planting

Cut out any dead, damaged or diseased stems, back to healthy growth
Remove weak, straggly or crossing stems to stimulate vigorous growth
Certain plants, including fruit bushes, raspberries and roses benefit from hard pruning straight away, to encourage bushy growth
Always cut back to an outward-facing bud, to avoid growth becoming congested

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