Hedges and Planting

Planting your garden is the final stage where your beautiful new landscaped garden is “dressed for effect”. Here we work with you to design your planting scheme in a way that compliments all the features, land topography, masonry work and the areas of light and shade.

Have you ever been in a garden when it just didn’t look right? Probably more than once. Well thought out planting is where employing landscaping services from an established landscaping contractor comes into its own.

We know how big plants will grow. What they will look like in a few years and what type of conditions they love or hate.

Hedge and Hedging plants

There are many types of hedge serving different purposes, and there are a number of factors to consider when choosing. The information further down the page may help you decide, but if you are not sure please give us a call, or e-mail and we will give you the advice you need.

Hedges, fences and walls can all serve similar purposes - marking and maintaining boundaries, keeping children or pets contained or to provide a sense of privacy.

It is fair to say we are all a little biased. Hedges have great 'kerb-side appeal' offering beauty and interest in all seasons while softening the lines of buildings, making houses look more in keeping with their gardens.

Hedges provide shelter and food for wildlife and are environmentally friendly.

Site and Soil read more >

A newly planted hedge will need to thrive in its environment to grow and develop. Most hedges will grow in any reasonable soil but some have an extreme dislike to extreme conditions, for example Beech and Yew hate boggy wet conditions, Photinias and Pittosporium may suffer damage in very cold exposed gardens.

Hedge height required read more >

We can recommend plants that would be suitable to your choice of height required.

Hedge maintenance read more >

Fast growing hedges will cover quickly giving privacy and screening in the shortest time. Often there are situations where fast growth is of prime importance but these vigorous hedges will require more frequent trimming in future years. There is often a strong case of using less vigorous hedging plants for example planting a Thuja hedge instead of a Leylandii.

Toxicity and Safety read more >

Parts of some hedging plants are poisonous or may be thorny making them unsuitable for some situations especially if you have young children.

Personal choice and budget read more >

With the issues above covered you may have a 'short list' of suitable hedges. All that remains is to choose your favourite and choose the size that best suits your budget. Below are details about the many different types of hedge and some recommendations of suitable hedging plants for these purposes which you may find useful but please call or e-mail us, it you have any questions.

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Types of Hedging

Security Hedges read more >

Security hedges will often perform similar functions as boundary hedging but with a greater priority placed in keeping out intruders. While many species will provide security, hedging plants with thorns will always be the most effective deterrent. While they are undoubtedly more hostile many of these hedge plants may also provide a beautiful living tapestry of colour for much of the year.

Faster growing evergreen security hedging plants include Pyracantha, Berberis, Stenophylia and hollies will also make an excellent prickly hedge albeit more slowly. Suitable deciduous hedging species include Quickthorn, Blackthorn and most Roses. A mixture of plants can be effective, Hornbeam and Quickthorn which combined are prickly and leaf retaining for winter.

Boundary Hedges read more >

Boundary hedges are by far the most practical way of marking the limits of your plot containing pets/children and keeping out unwanted visitors, while adding character and value to your property. There are many hedge species suitable for boundary hedging. Suitable boundary hedging are Yew, Laurel, Privet. Beech, Hornbeam, Thuja and Leylandii.

Screening Hedges read more >

There are many situations where a screening hedge would be desirable, ugly or out of keeping building may spoil the view, overlooking windows may compromise privacy or a busy road may require evergreen hedging not just to improve the view but to filter noise and pollution. Visual screening hedges should give good coverage all year and may be trimmed in a way that preserves the desirable part of a view. High level screening can be achieved with monster hedges but the maintenance is likely to be difficult and expensive. If space is available it is better to keep the hedge at a manageable height. Hedges to screen noise and pollution should be deep and dense, the best species are Leylandii or the broad leaved Cherry Laurel hedge ideally planted in a double or triple row if space allows. Other suitable species include Thuja, Portugal Laurel, Yew and Hornbeam.

Shelter Hedges read more >

There are many reasons for providing shelter, strong winds may damage frames, greenhouses and other garden structures. A garden sheltered with effective hedging will have a stable micro climate and plants are unlikely to be damaged (i.e broken stems, leaf scorch). Windy exposed gardens are cooler and drier, slowing down plant growth and development. Hedging may also be used to provide shelter from sunlight, many well conceived garden designs use shade to provide contrast and to allow shade loving plants to thrive. Suitable hedge species for windy exposed gardens include Beech, Hornbeam, Holly, Privet, Quickthorn and Yew.

Internal Hedges and Garden Rooms read more >

Well placed internal hedges can make a valuable contribution to garden design. Formally trimmed hedges make beautiful living architectural features. Hedges may be used to sub divide a garden in to separate rooms or to frame a focal point such as a sculpture or a attractive view. Internal hedging invariably makes the garden of any size appear larger. Lower internal hedging has many uses in a well designed garden, they create a defining edge to paths, flower borders and vegetable beds without obscuring other parts of the garden. These smaller hedging plants are generally between 1 and 3 feet tall. Some species such as Common Box hedging may be clipped more regularly into very formal shapes, many other hedging species have a bushy but looser sprawling habit and make excellent less formal hedging.

Wildlife Friendly Hedges read more >

In the countryside hedges act as a network of wildlife corridors.

Topiary Hedges read more >

The crafts of hedge making and Topiary have a rich and intertwined heritage, many fine examples can be seen in the garden of our stately homes. Few living garden features will give your plot a more distinctive sense of character or be more satisfying to create. Hedge Topiary can take the form of very intricate shapes, in a simpler version it consists of turrets, waves undulations cut into the top of the hedging. The potential for creating Topiary features within hedges is limited to the gardeners imagination. Ideally Topiary hedging subjects should be evergreen so the design may be appreciated at all times of the year.