Our Best Guide To Planting a Hedge

Planting your garden hedge is very simple and you don't have to be a gardening expert to be able to do it if you want a healthy hedge in your garden. 

All you will need to plant your bushy hedge is your best-potted shrubs, wooden stakes, plant food and some mulch, however, the steps to planting your hedge will change according to the lengths of hedge plants and shrubs for hedges that you use. 

So to make things clearer for you, we have listed out our step by step guide to planting hedging below, from ground preparation to planting holes, we have got it all covered in our planting guide. 

Why Should I Plant a Hedge? 

If your wondering whether or not planting a hedge in your garden is right for you, we have discussed some benefits to planting one in your space below. For example, hedges not only look great in your garden and are eye-pleasing, but they also help with privacy between you and your neighbour, allowing you to have a hedge for fun and a purpose. 

We have listed out a few more benefits below as to why you should plant a hedge in your garden. 

• A great alternative to fences - First of all, having a hedge in your garden is a great option in comparison to a fence, not only do they add greenery, but some hedges are actually much more durable than a fence would be. 
• Attracts wildlife - Country garden hedges attract all kinds of wildlife that are looking for shelter such as birds, you can all kinds of wonderful animals in your hedge, just make sure to check if they are there before trimming your hedge in the feature. 
• Privacy & security reasons - Hedges make a great divide between you and your neighbour and help you have more privacy in your garden, prickly hedges on a mature hedge are also great for security especially if you have a taller hedge.
• Helps with wind - Having a hedge in your garden can block strong winds and filter down the wind that enters your garden, they are also more durable than a fence against stronger winds.
• Attractive garden feature - Formal hedges, tall hedges and short hedges can add life to your garden and be an attractive feature to have in your backyard, especially if you have an informal hedge with flowering.

What Type Of Hedge Shrub Should I Plant? 

Before you plant your hedge you need to ensure you are getting the right type and style of hedge for your garden. 

• Maintenance - When deciding on the type of hedge you want you should consider how often you want to be maintaining your ideal hedge, for example, Yew hedges need a lot of care, while Junipers hedge leaves need only annual trimming and are easier to care for.
• Growth rate - Think about why you are getting a hedge and for how long you are willing to wait. Types of hedge such as the English Laurel grow very fast and are great privacy hedges, while some species such as Gardenias will take much longer to grow.
• Pest resistant - Naturally, you can buy some types of plants with hedge plant protection against pests as they are naturally repellent.
• Formal/informal - Formal hedge designs are much nicer looking in your garden but need a lot more work, while informal hedges are also great but not as neat, they also need much less work in terms of trimming.
• Length - Ensure you buy enough individual hedge plants of your desired type to make the metre of hedge you desire.

How To Plant a Thick Hedge (Our Step By Step Guide) 

Now we have covered the basics as to why you should get a hedge and the type you should go for, let's get on to the fun part of how to do it!

We have put together a simply follow step by step guide below on how to plant your hedge for the first time. 

• Step one - First of all, before you begin planting the root hedge plants you need to ensure that you have plotted the lines for them, do this by driving down wooden stakes into the ground whether straight or curved, take into account whether you are having a shorter hedge or longer and make sure the line is well distanced for the pots.
• Step two - Remove any weeds or plants in the line of where your hedge is going to be planted and start to space the hedges out evenly in a row, the closer the hedge plant spacing then the thicker the hedge will be.
• Step three - Dig each hole of where your plant pot will be, make sure the hole is big enough for the diameter of the plant pot and as deep as the root ball, try not to dig too deep.
• Step four - Remove the hedge plant roots from their pots and plant in the hole you have made, make sure they are spaced well and backfill around the shrub. 
• Step five - Water around each shrub to seal them in, make sure to give the bare-rooted hedge plants a lot of water, to begin with so as they can be well on their way to growing fast. 
• Step six - Lastly, add in a 2-3 inch layer of mulch around your hedge plants to stop weeds from growing and encourage the growth of your new firm hedge plants in the ground.

How To Plant An Instant Hedge 

When looking into planting a hedge you might have come across something called instant hedges, these hedge packs come already mature and ready to plant into your ground as a show-garden quality hedge without the growing need. 

The instant hedge units will simply just be placed into your prepared and watered the soil with drainage. 

Final Words 

To conclude, as you can see from our planting guide, making your hedge at home is very easy and doesn't take too much time or expertise, just ensure you are getting the right kind of hedge for your space and your space and measure the plants out well in order for the best growth. 

Consider a fast-growing hedge type or even an instant hedge if you don't want to wait a long time for your hedge to grow.