A garden surrounded by beautiful hedges adds to the beauty of your premises. Hedge plants are inexpensive yet they add a royal style to the scenery. Ideally, the best time of year to plant hedges is between November and April. However, it highly depends on the type of hedge plant you choose for your garden. You can plant different types of hedges during different periods of the year.
Before planting the bare root hedge plants, they need some preparations and treatments. They are as below:
- Before plant hedges, the roots or the plants should be soaked in water for at least an hour.
- The bare roots should not be exposed, hence, it should be kept soaked in water until you decide of planting.
- Once you have planted the hedges in their permanent place, make sure that you water them adequately for at least the first 2 years.
Plant Hedges – Popular Types of Hedges
Let’s check on few of the types of hedges and the best time of their plantation;
- Evergreen and Semi-Green hedges
The beginning of autumn is the best time to plant hedges like this. These hedges are perfect to give you greenery throughout the year. Ideally, you can plant evergreen hedges between late autumn and late winter.
- Deciduous hedges
These hedges can be planted from mid of autumn till the end of winter. The dried ground is preferable to plant a deciduous hedge; hence, if you find the soil to be heavy with frozen solid, then it’s better to wait until the ground dries. Once dried, soil should be thawed properly and then planting can be done easily.
If in the case by any reason you are delayed in planting the hedges, then you need to make sure that the roots of the hedges remain moist and are not dried out until the time of plantation. In order to keep it moist, the best option is to keep it covered with potting compost and plastic sheet.
- Bare-rooted and root-balled specimen tree hedges
Specimen trees should be planted between November and March. These trees need immediate plantation and are available during autumn until early winter. The temperature usually rises during spring, hence, these plants get time to grow their roots in the ground and form a strong base if planted immediately.
Pleached and Pot-Hold Hedges
If in case you are unable to plant the hedges immediately, then, in such cases you will have to make some temporary arrangements for the plants to help them survive. Proper care should be taken to keep the roots moist. Bracken or straw can be used to prevent the roots from drying out.
- Pleached hedges
Pleached hedges are examples of trees whose branches are woven together to give them a perfect look of an ideal hedge. These types of hedges are usually planted between November and April.
- Container or pot-hold hedges
You can plant these hedges any time of the year. The only condition is that you should water them sufficiently. These hedges give the most beautiful look to your small garden. They are also suitable for partitioning and fencing within the garden area.
Hedge Trimming
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Types of Plants Suitable To Make Hedge
A hedge can be basically designed with a single species of plant or with the random mixture. The shrubs used as hedges are mostly hawthorn, hazel, and blackthorn. Other shrubs and trees that are widely popular are;
- Boxwood shrubs.
- Holly shrubs.
- English and Japanese Yews.
- Mountain Laurels.
- Other Hedge shrubs – mountain laurels, privets, azaleas, etc.
- Deciduous Hedge shrubs.
- Arborvitae trees.
- Canadian Hemlocks.
- European beech trees.
Our experts at best hedge trimmer reviews warn that its not all. There is many more in addition to the above list. You have a huge list to choose from as per your taste and desire.
Few Benefits of Plant Hedges
As from the above explanation it’s clear to you that you have options available throughout the year to plant hedges at your premises. There are many advantages that hedging offers. Let’s check out on few of the benefits as mentioned below;
- Beautiful look to the property: Hedges provide a great impact on the overall beauty of the property. A well designed and maintained hedge accompanied with lots of plants and trees is the best that any well-nurtured garden can have.
- Privacy: Peeking on your property would be difficult if you have tall hedges surrounding your property. Hence, proper hedges would act as a screen for your premises, thus enabling you to have your own space.
- Better than fencing: Hedging is better than traditional fencing options as they provide durability and sustainability against harsh weather conditions. Hence, you don’t have to worry about the costs that usually occur in the repairs of wear and tears of the fences.
- Security: Prickly hedges provide the best protection against unwanted animals and outsiders. It’s very difficult to cross a thick, dense hedge, as a result, you remain safe and secure within your property.
- Shelter for birds and animals: If you love nature, then this feature of hedges would definitely amaze you. Dense hedges provide nesting shelter to small birds and insects. If you have a well-maintained hedge in your premises, then you would be able to enjoy melodious chirping of birds and insects. However, you need to keep an eye as you cannot afford to entertain creatures that can cause harm to your hedges.
- Protection to small plants: Hedges act as security pillars for the small plants in your garden. Hedges protect the small plants from coming in direct contact with the sunlight, wind, storm etc.
Conclusion
The process of plant hedges needs a lot of consideration and preparation. Though hedges are considered to be low in maintenance, still the initial 2 years can be critical. Once the base becomes strong, hedges can remain green for the whole year with very less attention. Living hedges need care and nurture, however not to the extent as other individual plants.
