Planting a hedge

Trailside 69

Hi to u all
Can someone recommend the best time of the year to plant a hedge.

magicbastarder

anytime from now till about easter, usually.
though the soil is extremely wet at the moment, so maybe wait a few weeks. buy bare root, it's cheapest.

Doctors room ghost

Have your prep work done now and get them bare root then cheap.
Lash them in then.
Don’t buy them until you have the ground ready and know how many you want by stepping it.
Also no harm get 3 or 4 extra and plant them somewhere handy Incase any don’t take.
Bare root they are a lot cheaper.

Trailside 69

Thanks a million for your reply, could you recommend a hedge that would give me some greenery in Summer and a golden colour in Autumn?

magicbastarder

beech is a common choice; keeps its leaves in winter (as in, it's deciduous - the leaves go brown but stay on the plant till it starts budding again in spring).

Trailside 69

magicbastarder wrote: »

beech is a common choice; keeps its leaves in winter (as in, it's deciduous - the leaves go brown but stay on the plant till it starts budding again in spring).

Thanks again

Harry Palmr

Just a word to say beech is essentially decorative as a hedge, not much good for genuine screening purposes.

Reckless Abandonment

I planted about 50mt of privet . Dug a trench about 2feet deep ( I lie got a digger to do it ) put farmyard manure in the bottom (about 6in of it) then some soil over it. Then planted the bare root privet.. as suggested plant a few extra somewhere else. I lost two of them during the first year. I planted 3 per meter. Keep an eye on it during the summer for water. But other than that it's bulletproof. Note privet is whats called semi evergreen. It can lose leafs during very cold weather.

Trailside 69

Cheers that’s good to know. That’s what I’ll do so. I’ve about 30m to cover so probably around 100 should do me ,
Thanks again

thecommander

Jump in on this, any recommendations for a mixed hedge, so it's not just the same species the whole way down. Can you mix beech and others?

macraignil

thecommander wrote: »

Jump in on this, any recommendations for a mixed hedge, so it's not just the same species the whole way down. Can you mix beech and others?

Got a mixed hedge outside my living room window with beech, white thorn, oak, birch, cotoneaster and sweet chestnut and I think it looks much better than a single species hedge. It's not an evenly clipped formal hedge though and if this is what you are looking for a single species might be easier to keep looking tidy. Planted one with a mix of hornbeam and white thorn about a year and a half back and it is growing well.


I think if the ground is wet hornbeam might be a better option than beech which is less tolerant of damp conditions. It also holds its leaves over winter but they go more of a yellow colour than the brown I see on beech in the winter.