Spring is the perfect time for hedge planting. The warming soil and typical spring weather (lots of rain and a bit of sunshine) helps the plants settle into their new homes with minimal stress, and better able to cope with the extremes of summer and winter.
We’ve been busy planting a new hedge for one of our clients and took some photos of the job.
If you’re inspired, have a go yourself or give us a call to book in your new hedge. Warning: large amounts of tea and chocolate hob-nobs were consumed during this project.
Replacing a hedge
Our clients had a Leylandii hedge that had grown out of hand. Tall, leggy and out of condition, these trees blocked out light and looked unsightly. What a relief to know they were soon coming down.
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- The overgrown Leylandii
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- Removing the branches
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- Piecing down the existing trees
We started by removing the existing Leylandii hedge and the ivy that had started to colonise the hedge. First job was to remove the branches; we could then cut down the trees piece by piece.
Once the trees were down we removed the roots with a stump-grinder – a dirty and time consuming job – but no-one wants Leylandii re-growing, so it’s important to do it right first time.
There were lots of chippings! We managed to fill three truckloads.
Finally the ground is cleared, ready to take on the new hedge. Small bare-rooted plants called “whips” are the easiest and cheapest option when replanting a hedge like this. They’ll be protected by the wall so don’t need additional support. We replanted this hedge with privet. This dense and sturdy plant is a classic choice for hedging and will fit in nicely with the rest of the road.
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- Readying the ground for the new hedge
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- Planting in the whips
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- Watering in the new hedge
Planting the new hedge
Preparation is everything when planting, so we took our time to ready the ground for the new plants. We dug individual holes about 5 inches deep and then mixed in plenty of rich compost to give the new hedge a head start. After hosting a Leylandii hedge for so long, the soil was depleted of nutrients and moisture, so it was very important to give the soil a boost. If you’re planting a hedge in relatively healthy soil, it’s possible to simply dig holes and not have to worry about adding extra nutrients to the soil.
When the holes were ready, we laid out the whips and then planted them into the enriched soil one by one. We needed 100 plants to create this hedge – so we were glad the rain held off for the day.
Once the whips were firmly planted in, we gave them a well-deserved watering to help them settle in. Privet grows quickly, so they’ll start bushing out nicely in no time at all. Regular and generous watering will give this hedge the best possible start; we’d recommend the owners water this hedge with a dribble hose for three hours at a time, every three days for the first month or so.
We’re pleased to say our client is very happy with their new hedge – they have light flooding into their home and will be able to admire their neat, tidy and healthy hedge for years to come.
Would you like James and his team to plant a new hedge for you? Call or email now for free advice.
