How to plant a formal hedge - Film
How to plant a formal hedge Video
Our video on planting formal hedging applies to all the famous garden hedge plants, like beech, yew, laurel, privet, hornbeam or box.
These plants are sold bareroot in winter and pot grown during the rest of the year. You can plant pot grown stock at any time of year; autumn is the most convenient time because the wet weather should do a good job of watering your new plants.
If you are planting a hedge - or any trees - in summer, be sure to water them correctly or they will die!
You can read more about and buy most of the items you need here:
- Hedging Plants - Bareroot plants are cheapest (Nov-March delivery only). Pot grown plants are delivered year round: some plants are only sold pot-grown.
- Bamboo Canes.
- Bonemeal fertiliser to mix in to the soil before returning it around your plants.
- Mycorrhizae friendly fungi that work with your hedge's roots - recommended if you are planting in poor, dry soil.
- Round-up Weedkiller is glyphosate based and effective against tough weeds.
The list below is not exhaustive, but these formal hedging plants & shrubs are by far the most popular.
Between them they grow almost anywhere, they look neat and tidy and they are easy to maintain.
All the Plants you buy from Ashridge Trees are Guaranteed
Classic Formal Hedge Plants
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Beech, Green | Not evergreen, but it holds its autumn leaves through winter. Any well drained soil. |
| Beech, Copper | As above, with deep purple leaves in summer. |
| Box | Evergreen. Very shade tolerant, slow growing. |
| Cedar, Western Red | Evergreen. Fragrant foliage. Slower growing than Cypress, so you can get away with clipping only once a year - never miss a year, though. Like most conifers, it can't be hard pruned. |
| Cypress, Lawsons | Evergreen. Quite fast growing (but not like Leylandii!). When mature, clip twice a year to keep in shape. It can't be hard pruned. |
| Holly | Evergreen. Very hardy. Shade tolerant. |
| Holm Oak | Evergreen. Ideal for the coast with salty wind. |
| Hornbeam | Not evergreen, but like the beeches, it holds its autumn foliage through the winter. Performs much better than beech in shady places & will grow in quite damp clay soil that beech won't tolerate. |
| Laurel, Cherry | Evergreen. The most common "English" Laurel. Very shade tolerant, will do well in any well drained soil except shallow chalk. |
| Laurel, Portugal | Evergreen. The hardiest Laurel. Very shade tolerant, will do well in any well drained soil including chalk. |
| Laurel, Spotted | Evergreen. Very shade tolerant, will do well in any well drained soil including chalk. |
| Privet, Gold or Green | Evergreen. Great value. The most popular city hedge plant - excellent for polluted areas. Grows well in poor soil & |
| Yew | Evergreen. Yew is the all time classic formal hedge. Grows well in any well drained soil & shade tolerant. Do not cut the leading stems of your yew plants until they reach the desired height of your hedge. |
