Why plant a hedge? For wildlife and

Yew hedges make the perfect backdrop to borders, highlighting summer flowers well. And pleached trained hornbeams are a classic choice for a formal layout

Why plant a hedge?

Hedges make great boundaries, they’re ornamental and are good for wildlife, so what’s not to like? Camilla Phelps looks at which shrubs and trees make good hedging plants

WHEN it comes to garden boundaries, hedges are worth the time and effort. They are a long-term plan that will reward you with green garden walls that give you privacy, are wildlife friendly and, if you plant wisely, they will become a stunning feature in their own right.

Hedges are also the most practical solution if you want to create a windbreak – you can say goodbye to blown-down fences as hedges are very effective at filtering wind. They can be good for added security, particularly if you choose thorny specimens such as Prunus spinosa that have a dense network of thorny stems. And if you’re looking for a strong design feature, hedges offer plenty of options.

Dividing gardens into ‘rooms’

Plant a classic evergreen like yew as a formal backdrop for a colourful perennial border. Use traditional hornbeam hedging to divide a garden space into ‘rooms’. And don’t just think of hedges as growing from the ground up – a tall hedge of pleached or standard trees is a great way to screen unsightly buildings or views.

But it’s not all about the foliage – there are evergreen hedges that also have summer flower interest, like elaeagnus with tiny, scented blooms, or cherry laurel. Many flowering shrubs and trees can be grown as hedges, such as camellias, Prunus cerasifera ‘Nigra’ or lavender for a lower-growing option. If you want to create a wildlife haven, a mixed hedge of native trees and shrubs, such as hawthorn and dog rose, will give you flowers and fruit, too. This has the added benefit of providing food and shelter for birds and insects – and you might even be able to harvest some of the edible fruits for your kitchen.

Escallonia ‘Apple Blossom’ makes a bushy flowering hedge

Fast-growing hedges

If you’re considering planting a hedge, don’t be put off by the fact that it takes a few years to establish. There are fastgrowing shrubs, but do avoid Leyland cypress that can put on 3ft (1m) of growth a year. It doesn’t offer any benefits to wildlife, takes nutrients from the rest of the garden and there are many mismanaged leylandii hedges that have grown out of all proportion and are hard to restore or remove. Far better to look at an alternative evergreen like escallonia, which is easier to maintain and will establish quite quickly.

Where to buy

Hopes Grove Nurseries  hopesgrovenurseries.co.uk ✆ 01580 765600 Hedges Direct  Hedgesdirect.co.uk ✆ 01257 494 085 Burncoose  burncoose.co.uk ✆ 01209 860316

6 evergreen hedges

Taxus x media ‘Hicksii’

This compact, dense yew has a natural, upright, narrow habit, and it has become a popular choice for a smaller yew hedge. Slow-growing, young plants will grow 6-12in (15-30cm) a year and can be pruned to create a medium-sized hedge that is good for creative topiary. HxS: 12-20x8-12ft (3-6x2.5-3m).

Griselinia littoralis AGM

Also known as New Zealand privet, this has larger, glossier leaves than traditional privet. It has an RHS Award of Garden Merit for its reliability and attractive qualities as a good hedging plant. Mulch around the roots to retain moisture while the hedge is establishing. Good for coastal gardens. HxS: 16x20ft (5x6m).

3 flowering hedges

Forsythia x intermedia ‘Spectabilis’

Often grown as a solo shrub, but when planted as a hedge forsythia makes a stunning spring display. A good choice for an urban boundary, as it is easy to grow in tough locations and suits most soils and aspects. Once established it needs just an annual trim after flowering. HxS: 8-10x10-12ft (240-300x300-360cm).

Ligustrum ovalifolium

Privet is a mainstay of urban front gardens, a provider of privacy and definer of boundaries. These are tough plants, and although they are semi-evergreen, they retain their leaves in sheltered areas. The small, fragrant, white flowers in summer are good for pollinators. Pictured is L.o. ‘Aurem’. H&S: 10ft (3m).

Prunus lusitanica AGM

The Portugal laurel is a great choice for tall, evergreen hedging, with glossy leaves and stems tinged with red. It’s a tough, hardy hedging plant, with a mix of wildlife benefits – the white early summer flowers are followed by berries much loved by birds, but the leaves will keep the deer away. HxS: 50x33ft (15x10m).

Elaeagnus x submacrophylla ‘Gilt Edge’ AGM

Oleasters make attractive hedging plants, and this variegated version adds light and movement with the golden trim to its dark, evergreen leaves. Good for sunny or part shady areas and coastal gardens, its tiny summer flowers smell wonderful. H&S: 5-6ft (150-180cm).

Quercus ilex

The evergreen oak, also known as holm oak, is a huge tree unpruned, but can make a good evergreen hedge. It’s good for coastal areas. With dense glossy foliage it can be used as a formal feature and it works well for topiary pruning, too. Best for full sun and most soils except heavy clay. H&S: 40ft (12m).

Rosa ‘Blanche Double de Coubert’ AGM

Plant dog roses as an informal and ornamental flowering hedge or include in a mixed wildlife hedgerow. This will give you a tough, thorny boundary, with scented white flowers through the summer and rosehips in winter. Attractive to birds nesting and pollinators. HxS: 4-7x3-5ft (120-210x90-150cm).

Crataegus monogyna

The common hawthorn is sometimes referred to as quickthorn. It has beautiful flowers in early summer, followed by edible berries or haws that can be made into jams or wine. It supports birds, insects and mammals and its thorny habit makes it a good choice for a secure boundary. HxS: 30x25ft (9x7m).

3 for an edible hedgerow

Corylus avellana

Plant a classic hazel hedge and you can grow your own supply of hazelnuts. Good as part of a mixed native hedgerow, or as a single species, hazel is a great choice to encourage and support wildlife. The attractive foliage also makes it a good feature for a garden. HxS: 12-20x12-15ft (3-6x3-5m).

Malus sylvestris

The wild British crab apple can be used as a hedging plant in a native hedgerow-style mixed planting. It has a long flowering season with wonderfully fragrant pink blooms followed by autumn fruits that have been traditionally used for jelly and jam making. Suitable for most locations and is very low maintenance. HxS: 13x26ft (4-8m).

Prunus spinosa

Blackthorn is the source of sloe berries that look like small damsons and are good for adding to gin. It will tolerate most soil types, and is also fast growing. It needs minimal pruning, just to keep its shape and is best pruned after the fruits have been picked in winter or early spring. HxS: 8-13ft (2.5-4m).

4 shrubs for pleached hedges

Fagus sylvatica ‘Purpurea’

If you’re looking for a highly ornamental pleached hedge, the rich-purple foliage of purple beech is a winner, both in spring as the new leaves unfurl and through summer and autumn as they mature. Although deciduous, the spent foliage stays on the trees so you can maintain your privacy through the winter. HxS: 60x40ft (18x12m).

Tilia x europaea ‘Pallida’

With leaves unfurling earlier in the season, this variety of lime offers longer interest as a hedging plant. It’s popular for pleaching as it does not produce suckers, and is quick to establish in most settings. Pleached hedging is a great solution for screening and creates a strong visual focal point. H&S: 50ft (15m).

Photinia x fraseri ‘Red Robin’ AGM

A popular hedging plant, sometimes overused in public spaces, this is a great choice as a pleached specimen. The glossy evergreen foliage with bright-red spring growth gives yearround interest and by using it in pleached form this provides a striking high hedge. It suits most soils and is fast to establish. H&S: 13ft (4m).

Carpinus betulus AGM

The European hornbeam is a slowgrowing tree that makes a classic hedge. When pleached, it offers elevated screening with foliage providing seasonal interest right through the year as the young, textured leaves mature from bright green in spring through shades of autumn to winter brown. H&S: 40ft (12m).

Frequently asked questions

When should I prune my hedge?

HEDGES need pruning just after planting and then annually to develop and maintain the structure and shape you want. The timing depends on whether you are maintaining evergreen, deciduous or wildlife hedging. With any new hedge formative pruning should be done in the winter months that follow planting, or for evergreens, in early spring.

Once established, you can introduce a summer maintenance prune, to refine the shape and structure. For mature wildlife hedges, it’s better to prune over winter, leaving any fruits for birds, and to avoid disturbing potential nesting sites. Formal evergreen hedges should be pruned so they are narrower at the top, in an ‘A’ shape, to allow light and moisture to reach the bottom of the hedge. To get a dense, vigorous hedge, prune just above the previous year’s growth.

Prune wildlife hedges over winter, once hips or berries have disappeared

How do I plant a hedge?

YOU can order whips (young hedge saplings) ready to plant. Dig a trench 3ft (1m) wide for a double row or 2-2½ft (60-75cm) for a single row. Add well-rotted compost and mycorrhizal fungi. Position the whips 1ft (30cm) apart along the trench, fill and firm in.

Trim whips by half to encourage new growth at the base. For the first few years water and weed young hedges. For a more ‘instant’ option, buy mature hedging plants, usually in pots, that will take less time to establish. Tall or pleached specimens are usually supplied with a framework to train them. Pleaching is a method of training trees to produce a narrow screen or hedge by tying in young shoots along a framework. Whips are supplied as bare-root plants in the dormant season