Here are some frequently asked questions on hedging. Just click on a question below to see the answer. Feel free to contact us if you have a question that’s not listed here.
Note that the answer to this is always going to depend on the specific conditions you have planted into. However, generally, when you have just planted a hedge you should water every other day for the first 4 months then once a week for the next 6 months after that you shouldn’t need to water at all except dry parts of the summer. You will see if the plants need more water as the foliage will start to loose the healthy green colour and will start to droop. If the plants are under 2m tall then they will need 1 litre per day maximum and if they are over that height then 2 litres per day maximum. If you are over watering you will see yellow foliage on the tips of the branches. If you are not sure you can always contact us on 01932854135 or by emailing us.
When planting a hedge ourselves we will plant our 11 litre plants (5’-8’ tall) at 2 feet spacing. Everything else (Laurels and Leylandii in 45 litre or 60 litre pots) we would plant at 3 feet apart due to the bushiness of the plants. Occasionally a client will plant these larger plants in two staggered rows (effectively planting 2ft apart) - which gives a solidly instant hedge.
If you would like to see what the plants you are interested in look like when spaced at the recommended spacing please just ask as we can send you pictures.
Plants are living (at least our ones are!) and we are not able to guarantee what happens to them after they leave our nursery. For example, if they are not watered correctly, planted correctly, transported carefully, damaged by animals/insects after planting, staked where wind and size require, then the plant might not take but not due to the quality of what we supplied. So what we commit to is supplying healthy plants that have a top notch chance of surviving. If you have any concerns with the quality of the plants you are purchasing, we request that you share those concerns before taking receipt of your order, at which point the plants become your responsibility. When you sign the delivery off you sign to say that any complaints have been made to the office. You are, of course, more than welcome to come round and check the plants out on our nursery before they are dispatched out to you.
When you buy plants there are a selection of different ways in which you can have them supplied depending on their size and the time of year. Your main options with their descriptions are these:
Bare root Summary: Getting plants bare root is a great way to save money but there are risks associated too. Bare root plants are usually smaller than 1m if evergreen and so we don't supply with plants with a bare root. Available: only Autumn/Winter time. Sizes available in: up to around 1m if evergreen or around 3m if deciduous Advantages: With bare root plants you can keep the weight down significantly (because there isn't all that soil) and thus shipping can be much cheaper. They are also lighter to move around and plant. Disadvantages: When you take the soil of a plant's root ball there will always be a certain amount of root damage. This needn't be a problem if the job is done well, the plants are kept well watered and then planted promtly but otherwise the chances of loosing plants are raised significantly. Make sure that the plants you buy come from a reputable source and are freshly dug to avoid disappointment. Root ball Summary: Root balling is much more common with larger plants where the roots need to be kept as safe as possible. Survival rates are often excellent and the plants are cheaper than their potgrown rivals. Watch out for the weight though! Available: Autumn/Winter to early Spring time. Sizes available in: any (plants over 2.5-3m will often come dug with a machine called a 'tree spade'). Advantages: Root balled plants are less costly than their potgrown rivals and because the roots have plenty of room to spread out in the ground the plants will typically be much bushier too. When dug and transplanted carefully there is not need to worry about survival. This is great way to get bushy instant hedging around 1.2-3m high (above this height the weight of the plants can be prohibitive). Disadvantages: The largest disadvantage of root balled plants is the weight as that quickly ads up, whatever the soil they are grown in. On the larger plants it can mean that they don't grown for a season and instead spend that energy getting established but once established they will grow well. Pot grown Summary: Pot grown plants have huge advantages like being lighter than rootballs and usually having a 100% survival rate. Risk is much lower but the price is a bit higher. Available: all year round Sizes available in: any (from us, up to 4.5m) Advantages: Plants that come in pots are always lighter than root balled plants because the soil in the pots is typically a well draining compost. That means you can get much larger plants and still be able to plant by hand. Because the roots are contained the pot size can also be smaller and thus easier to transport and plant. Roots are not disturbed when planting and so survival rates are excellent. And to top it all off, they are available all year round. Disadvantages: Some pot grown plants can be less bushy than their root balled rivals which makes getting that instant evergreen hedge a bit further away than ideal sometimes. However, there isn't aways that difference. If a plant has been in a pot for too long it can become 'pot bound' where it will take a season or so to get the roots out into the ground this will delay the establishment and growth of the plant.We can take payment by bank transfer, cash or cheque. We don't currently accept card payments as we don't have these facilities. Payment will need to be cleared before delivery or can be on delivery/completion of planting job if it is cash.
Different councils have various different attitudes to hedges and how high they should be so it is probably best to make enquiries of your local council. Usually there is not problem with hedges up to 6’6” (2m) tall. However, the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 relates to tall hedges and allows councils to take action where "reasonable enjoyment of a property is being adversely affected by the height of a high hedge situated on land owned or occupied by another person". A calculation sheet has been produced so that you can find out how tall your hedge is allowed to be. You can find the calculation sheet here.
We appreciate that VAT is high and does stick an additional 20% on the total sale price however as we are a VAT registered company we need to charge VAT. We try at all times to be honest in how we do business and so we will be as honest with the tax man as will be with you, our customer.
