Hawthorn hedge planting advice

[Deleted User]

I am a very novice garderner and after a fence blowing down in the storm I'd like to replace it with a hedge but wondered if it may be better to get a gardener in .

Are they tricky to start planting or are they pretty robust as the soil is not the greatest. The line would need to be circa 35m and I am hoping to get bare roots in by say end March latest.

Any advice would be appreciated particularly in relation to a speicies for a 5 / 6 ft hedge

Grenage

March is leaving it a bit late; normally it's Dec-Jan/Feb. I think it's best to get small bare-roots and have a double staggered row. It's one of the easiest bits of gardening you can do.


I'm a fan of beech; holly is quite nice, but it's rather slow growing. Yew is my favourite, but again - slow growing. You could always plant a mix.


If you buy bigger plants then you'll have a tall hedge a little quicker, but it will probably have bare patches lower down.

[Deleted User]

Thats helpful thankyou, i'll try and get it in earlier as you say

Davesnave

Sometimes, the on-line sellers of bare root hedging do a BOGOF offer at the end of the season, but unfortunately one cannot guarantee it. I have taken advantage of these and I don't think it matters too much if small hedging plants a year or two old go in late.


It matters with older bare-root trees though, so don't leave those till April. I agree with a double staggered row with either beech or hornbeam that will retain most of their dead leaves through winter. Hawthorn is wildlife friendly, but not so nice to handle if pruning regularly, so I have it as trees.

Apodemus

...and remember that even in quite wet parts of the country, a new hedge from bare-rooted plants might need a lot of watering through the first couple of seasons. And if the fence, has blown down, you might need to stake the plants until they are established. Both of these issues increase in significance if you are buying bigger plants.

[Deleted User]

Thankyou both, Dave your post doesnt have a like button but thankyou for your thoughts

Davesnave

Apodemus wrote: »

...and remember that even in quite wet parts of the country, a new hedge from bare-rooted plants might need a lot of watering..... Both of these issues increase in significance if you are buying bigger plants.

The good news is that the vast majority of new hedging I've inserted into an old, cut-back Devon hedge bank survived, even though the top of it is many feet above the road, the soil drains fast and there are dozens of competing plants in it.

Last year we had dry weather really early too, so I tried to water, but with the nearest tap 200m distant and a stock fence in the way, it was impossible. Virtually all the bare root I plant are under 2' high and I cut them back to about 1' anyway once planted.