Hedging

[luckilotti]

hi
i am looking at planting some hedges. does anyone know where is the best place is to buy cheap and in bulk? i am assuming there will be some online places, anyone bought from one?
thanks

 

[Cahill]

i get my hawthorne from a local nursery.they come in bundles of 50 and work out at about 12 pence per plant.this is the wrong time of year.we put ours in around xmas time.

 

[Maesfen]

As Cahill said, whatever you do, don't plant until late autumn else you will have to water them every day and then they could still die. OH has found it pays to get plants at least 2 foot high to start with; any smaller and they stand the risk of being smothered by weeds easier and aren't strong enough to cope.
Hawthorn are quite good, make a good windbreak and grow quite quickly. If you want them to divide a field, make sure you fence either side of them so nothing can nip the tops off and it's best to plant in two staggered lines, not one line if that makes sense, this way it makes the hedge thicker.
Morgan's Nursery do an online service, it is where we get a lot of ours from. www.hedgeit.co.uk. they will give you lots of advice too, nice people.

 

[bendsmith]

if you want a hedge that will be of use to wildlife as well as a barrier for your horses, may i suggest you collect seeds in autumn and germinate in pots in your garden then plant one year later in your field. The best british species to use are hawthorn (spikey) holly (evergreen and spikey), field maple (resistant to dry spells and fast growing) Oak (strong and resistant to dry spells) ash ( very fast growing) slowe (spikey) beach ( retains leaves to provide winter shelter) wild rose (spikey) bramble (very fast growing) and that should be about it.

You can take cuttings before the plants bud and add root hormone to the cut before planting in pots. The best way is to use seeds as a substitute to shop bought whips (year old plants) . Also continue to re-stock your hedge every year, weave the new shoots together to form an extra strong barrier instead of pruning and water regularly in the first year of planting and through out long drought thereafter.