Category Archives: Hedging and Hedges

Winter Frost & Snow Damage on Leaves & Branches

by
Reply

Frost & snow damage are facts of life & no cause for alarm – some years will just be harder than others and this winter has been pretty nippy.

Frost Damage in Winter:
Winter frost damage hits young, soft leaves and shoots that didn’t have time to harden up last autumn – this is most obvious on evergreen plants.

East facing sites that get early morning sun usually have the most frost damage (the sun makes the plants thaw faster, which is more destructive).

Frost damage should be left alone until the spring, when a quick trim should sort it out.

Frost Lift: This affects things that were transplanted recently.
The frost expands in the soil, pushing everything upwards, then it thaws, leaving the plants unstable.

Frost lift should be gently firmed back down by walking on the soil around the plants when it has thawed.

Snow damage:
This happens when snow collects on branches and breaks them. Hedges can be affected too by the weight of snow piling up on top of them, bending them down or sideways.

Branches that are broken or damaged by snow should be pruned back neatly.
Pruning a larger branch is done in at least two pieces, this diagram shows the idea.

What to do next time: Go round in the morning after heavy snow and use a broomstick to gently remove as much snow as possible from plants that are having a rough time (we missed out several of the lavender plants in our garden and they were totally crushed by the snow. When it thawed, there was just a soggy mess left clinging to some dead stems that smelt faintly of lavender!).

Growing Yew – A Message from the Suppliers

by
Reply

Busting Myths about Growing Yew

Yew is quite a pricey plant, especially sizes over 80 cms tall that are delivered in a pot.
If you were going to get a free hedge and based your choice on saving the most money, Yew would be a top contender.
As you know, we are are yew hedging suppliers (amongst a few other plants!).

You might well guess that our friends and family often try to blag a few plants from us.
If they cook us a nice enough dinner, we might even give them a deal on some.

So we’ve seen a few yew hedges come up in their gardens since 1947 and we want to say a triple of things about them:

1. Yew is not slow growing

Yew is a fast growing plant when it is young.
It will easily grow 30cms per year, more if it is in full sun all day and well cared for.
Yew will begin to grow slowly when the growing tips of the central, leading stems are cut.

With a young yew hedge, simply leave the tops alone and give the sides just the lightest trim once each winter.
When the hedge reaches full size, trim the tips for the first time.

2. Yew Loves Heavy Clay

Yew trees need a reasonably well drained soil to grow. They do not like bogs or riversides.
However, they will grow in any soil that isn’t really wet for most of the year – some winter flooding is fine.

Yew loves heavy clay – it grows beautifully on it in most places.  You will only be unable to grow Yew if the site traps water for long periods.

When planting in clay, do not dig out a trench and fill it with topsoil.
Simply make a slit in the soil and use the spade to sweep the roots gently down into it. Firm it closed again.

3. Yew is Futureproof

Your hedge’s lifespan is ~4000 years.
Unlike the other lush evergreen conifers, an old Yew hedge can be hard pruned if necessary and it will regrow beautifully.

When do I clip, trim & prune my hedge? Winter and Summer.

by
Reply

Winter is generally the best time to prune something and it sure is the best time to trim a young hedge.

Hedges must be clipped and sometimes pruned. Fruit trees need some pruning to maintain the best crops. Older ornamental trees can need pruning if they are damaged or get in the way.

Why is winter usually the “best” time to prune and clip your hedge or tree?

During winter, pruning above ground will cut off the least energy from the plants.
The plant’s sugary sap is stored underground, in the roots.

Mature hedges are good to trim in summer.
Mature hedges that flower are best trimmed after the flower or seeds have fallen.

Beech and Hornbeam are clipped in summer to encourage them to keep their autumn leaves all winter.

Cherry fruit and flowering cherry trees are an exception, they should be pruned in summer to avoid the risk of disease.

But all hedges or other trees and fruit are best trimmed in winter. Dead, diseased or damaged branches should be removed as and when they appear.

Get the ground ready now for when you buy lavender plants in May

by
Reply

If you are planning on buying lavender plants this year here are a few tips which might help you grow them just that little bit better.

1.  Don’t buy your lavender until towards the end of May.  Lavender is a funny old thing – the angustifolia varieties such as Hidcote and Munstead are as tough as old boots once they are established. They ought to be by now as they have been grown in the UK since the Romans were here.  However they take a minute or two to establish and they are decidedly fussy while settling in. Risk number one, especially this year given the weather we have been having, is frost.  The first half of May often seen freezing weather and, while it should not kill the plants it will nip their flower buds.  So plant in the second half of May at the earliest.

2. The soil is warmer and drier by the end of May as well.  Lavender can grow in soil that more resembles dust than anything else and despite its small size its roots can go down several feet to find moisture. So miss out on April showers as you won’t get any May flowers anyway and your plants can drown in the process.

3. If you have not done so already, prepare the ground where they will be planted.  This is all about drainage – lavender does not need feeding now.  Incorporate sand,  grit or anything else that will open up the soil and make it drain more easily. If you are on heavy soil, recognise that conditions are not ideal for lavender and that they never will be.  Open the soil as much as possible, and make a ridge about 15cms (6″) high and twice as wide. When planting time comes plant your lavender into the top of the ridge which will remain well drained in all weathers.  Once they have established, the lavender will cover the ridge and you will never see it.

4.  Buy good sized plants in a sensible pot. It is a false economy to buy seemingly cheap plants, usually in P9 or P11 pots (there are 9 or 11 cm square pots.  Go for buy 2 year old lavender plants in 1.5 litre pots.  They will have much bigger root systems and will carry far more flower in their first year.  In our experience they also establish better.

5. Blue is the colour.  The hardy lavender is Lavandula angustifolia.  It is the ONLY truly hardy lavender. And the hardiest angustifolias are Hidcote and Munstead.  Both are blue and I strongly advise you to stick with one of these. Nothing is quite as depressing as a lavender hedge with great gaps in it caused by plant loss due to frost or wet. French lavenders and (almost) all of the integrifolia and stoechas varieties would have hated the conditions of this winter and will have been decimated. Buy British….

6.  Oh yes, and order early as most reputable growers tend to sell out fairly quickly.

If you think we are reputable, these are our lavender plants for sale