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Hedges this time of year

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  • 07-05-2013 4:06pm
    #1
    tred
    Registered Users Posts: 1,472 ✭✭✭


    Looking at buying some hedges in pots as bare root time is over!. Laurel or red robin. My question is , if a crew had a couple of hundred bare roots left over, whats stopping them dumping them into pots and selling them on as potted plants....is there anyway to be sure that i am not buying plants that wont take!.....appreciate any advice.


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    #2
    paddy147
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 15,858 ✭✭✭✭paddy147


    tred wrote: »
    Looking at buying some hedges in pots as bare root time is over!. Laurel or red robin. My question is , if a crew had a couple of hundred bare roots left over, whats stopping them dumping them into pots and selling them on as potted plants....is there anyway to be sure that i am not buying plants that wont take!.....appreciate any advice.


    We had lots of bareroot hornbeams left over from bareroot planting season a few years ago.

    To save them,we planted/threw them into long rectangular plastic garden pots (around 8 per pot).

    The next bareroot season we opened up a new part of our garden and planted these left over potted hornbeams.


    No harm done to them,didnt lose a single one and the hedge is growing away happily in its new location in the garden.:)


    Soil preperation is the key to a good hedge...you get out of it what you put into it.:)


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    #3
    Sonnenblumen
    Registered Users Posts: 5,834 ✭✭✭Sonnenblumen


    tred wrote: »
    Looking at buying some hedges in pots as bare root time is over!. Laurel or red robin. My question is , if a crew had a couple of hundred bare roots left over, whats stopping them dumping them into pots and selling them on as potted plants....is there anyway to be sure that i am not buying plants that wont take!.....appreciate any advice.

    Unsold bareoots are potted on and not sold again until a good rootball has fully developed (at least 1 season/year). It would be very stupid of any Nursery to sell freshly potted unsold bare root stock, as (a ) plant failure would be very high and (b) easily spotted.


    There are very good options available on rootballed stock much more economical than container gown options, but it depends on what you're looking for? For example, various sizes and well formed plants incl Laurel, Thuja, Fagus, Taxus are all available.


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    #4
    My Potatoes
    Registered Users Posts: 225 ✭✭My Potatoes


    tred wrote: »
    Looking at buying some hedges in pots as bare root time is over!. Laurel or red robin. My question is , if a crew had a couple of hundred bare roots left over, whats stopping them dumping them into pots and selling them on as potted plants....is there anyway to be sure that i am not buying plants that wont take!.....appreciate any advice.

    I wouldn't worry about it.
    IMHO, you're better of waiting 'til October to plant bare root.


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    #5
    Sonnenblumen
    Registered Users Posts: 5,834 ✭✭✭Sonnenblumen


    My Potatoes wrote: »
    I wouldn't worry about it.
    IMHO, you're better of waiting 'til October to plant bare root.

    Not so if you want to plant a well developed/instant hedge. Bare root hedgings tend to be very wispy/underdeveloped which is why they are so economical.

    Some people may have less time and are more willing to buy mature plants and vica versa.


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    #6
    paddy147
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 15,858 ✭✭✭✭paddy147


    Depending on what type of hedge you want to plant,you could wait till this comming winter/bareroot season and you will get more hedging for your money.Or you can buy them in rootball form.


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    #7
    Sonnenblumen
    Registered Users Posts: 5,834 ✭✭✭Sonnenblumen


    Before doing any comparisons, it would be useful to distinguish a rootball from a bare-root?


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    #8
    ymurtagh
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 156 ✭✭ymurtagh


    If buy laurel or red robin, the best quality are alway in root balls, a good nursery with do the year round


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    #9
    My Potatoes
    Registered Users Posts: 225 ✭✭My Potatoes


    Sonnenblumen wrote: »
    Not so if you want to plant a well developed/instant hedge.

    I'm not a fan of instant gardens. It's nice to see them develop over time.
    Sonnenblumen wrote: »
    Bare root hedgings tend to be very wispy/underdeveloped which is why they are so economical.

    The reason they are economical is due to the weight. A bare root plant weighs just a fraction of a potted plant/rootballed plant. This reduces the handling and transport costs.


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    #10
    monkeynuz
    Registered Users Posts: 2,115 ✭✭✭monkeynuz


    My Potatoes wrote: »
    I'm not a fan of instant gardens. It's nice to see them develop over time.



    The reason they are economical is due to the weight. A bare root plant weighs just a fraction of a potted plant/rootballed plant. This reduces the handling and transport costs.

    Also because the level of care given to them is less hence the difference in price.

    I agree with Sonnenblumen, not worth doing bareroot unless you want to wait ages and have a hedge that looks like it was grown from bareroot.


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    #11
    Sonnenblumen
    Registered Users Posts: 5,834 ✭✭✭Sonnenblumen


    My Potatoes wrote: »


    The reason they are economical is due to the weight. A bare root plant weighs just a fraction of a potted plant/rootballed plant. This reduces the handling and transport costs.

    I don't want to get into a ding dong here, but the reason why they are cheap is the plants are immature and miserable. Of course a bundle of whips would be easier and cheaper to transport, but transport does not apply if collecting from a grower not to be confused with a plant nursery.

    Like I said be sure you know the difference beteen a bare-root and a rootball, it would seem obvious but clearly not. Lots of places to buy but the best value is clearly to buy from the actual grower but most are trade only!


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    #12
    paddy147
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 15,858 ✭✭✭✭paddy147


    monkeynuz wrote: »
    Also because the level of care given to them is less hence the difference in price.

    I agree with Sonnenblumen, not worth doing bareroot unless you want to wait ages and have a hedge that looks like it was grown from bareroot.

    Thats where staggered planting and some target pruning comes in.


    A few years later on down the road,and you have a nice even hedgerow that has good growth and has filled out nicely,thats what is so nice about planting bareroot,apart from getting more for your money.

    A little bit of time and some tlc is all that is needed.
    If you dont do this,then you aint gonna have a nice even full hedge.


    You get out of it what you put into it.:)


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    #13
    paddy147
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 15,858 ✭✭✭✭paddy147


    Or you could just splash the cash and go and buy a "ready hedge".

    Pic taken by me at Bloom 2012.:)


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    #14
    Northumbria
    Registered Users Posts: 159 ✭✭Northumbria


    Just some advice - Red robin is crap, it's red leaf tips get damaged by cold and frost easily and it's never happy. Cherry laurel on the other hand is a beautiful, very undemanding plant and more suited to a hedge. Red robin is extremely expensive whilst Cherry Laurel is cheap.


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    #15
    peadar76
    Registered Users Posts: 246 ✭✭peadar76


    paddy147 wrote: »
    Or you could just splash the cash and go and buy a "ready hedge".

    Pic taken by me at Bloom 2012.:)


    can you remember how much they cost?


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    #16
    wait4me
    Registered Users Posts: 2,048 ✭✭✭wait4me


    tred wrote: »
    Looking at buying some hedges in pots as bare root time is over!.

    Given the weather we have had and the late arrival of Spring, is it really too late to plant bareroot hedging?


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    #17
    paddy147
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 15,858 ✭✭✭✭paddy147


    wait4me wrote: »
    Given the weather we have had and the late arrival of Spring, is it really too late to plant bareroot hedging?


    Yeah,according to a few nurseries and gardening centres,alot of flowers,plants and shrubs are about 4 weeks behind this year.



    We planted "leafed up" bareroot hornbeam and our birch trees on the 1st few days of May around 3 years ago...(pic of a bundle of it on previous page).

    Builder had left some materials behind and lots of rubble and building materials were buried in the garden.Builder had just scattered a layer of topsoil over all the compacted crap in the ground,and claimed that it was a new garden.:(


    So my girlfriend got stuck into the gardens,took up the crappy topsoil,dug out all stone,rubble and crap and then mixed in propper topsoil,compost,manure and grit and some fertilizer pellets.

    Bareroots hornbeam was then planted,gave them an instant pruning back and its absolutely flying now.It has developed into a lovely hedgerow now,after some pruning and a close eye kept on the soil with regards watering.:)


    We had about 20 whips left over,so we planted them into long pots in the back garden and left them to their own.

    Next bareroot season,we opened up a new part of the garden and planted these to create a new hedge row.Not a single one lost and the hedge is flying (all be it a year behind the original hedgerow).


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    #18
    paddy147
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 15,858 ✭✭✭✭paddy147


    peadar76 wrote: »
    can you remember how much they cost?


    There was no price on them.

    They were on display at Bloom last year.:)

    Maybe give the company a call and ask them.;)


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    #19
    pwurple
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,449 ✭✭✭✭pwurple


    wait4me wrote: »
    Given the weather we have had and the late arrival of Spring, is it really too late to plant bareroot hedging?

    Middle of may? I wouldn't, the plants won't be dormant anymore. But if you are willing to accept some losses you could try it.


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