Ulmus Glabra Hedging

Wych Elm, Ulmus glabra, is a hardy native Elm that can be used as a hedge plant on fertile, moist soils, although it isn't suitable for waterlogged sites. When it is clipped as a hedge, it will not attract Elm Bark Beetles.
Wych Elm will reach 30 metres if it grows freely as a tree.
Browse all of our other varieties of Elm trees for sale. Alternatively, see our selection of native hedging plants or view our full range of hedging.

Wych Elm hedge plants are only delivered bareroot, during winter (Nov-March).
All our hedge plants are measured by their height in centimetres above the ground (the roots aren't measured).

Spacing a Wych Elm hedge:
Plant Wych Elm hedging at 3 plants per metre, 33cms apart.

General description of Wych Elm plants:
Wych Elm, Ulmus glabra, is a very hardy, large native tree. Grown as a tree, it tends to have a short trunk that breaks up into large branches a couple of metres above the ground. These will be fairly upright with spreading side branches, so mature trees are often as wide as they are tall. Wych Elm can also be clipped as a hedge, which looks great in summer with its lush, big serrated leaves.

History & uses of Ulmus glabra:
Ulmus glabra is native from Scotland to Russia and is found in the Alps, especially around Switzerland. The Gaelic name for it Leam and the Romans called Loch Lomond "Leamanonius Lacus", which means Lake of the Elms. The timber is so resistant to rotting that water pipes were once made from it. The leaves are good fodder for animals.

Growing Wych Elm plants:
This tough tree is really useful for dry soil, be it sandy or rocky, and it will be happy in the coldest frost pocket. It is suitable for coastal and exposed areas and it will do pretty well on chalk. It is fairly shade tolerant, but we recommend it for sunny spots - hornbeam makes a similar hedge if your site is very shady.

Prepare your site before planting:
It is good to dig over the area where you plant a hedge several months in advance, especially if the soil is poor. Destroy the weeds first: nettles, brambles and ground elder are tough and a glyphosate based weed-killer is the best way to remove them. Then dig the soil over; remove rocks, roots and other rubbish. Mix in well rotted compost or manure down to the depth of about 2 spades. If your soil is rich, you don't have to dig it over, but killing all the weeds is still necessary.

Watch our video on how to plant a country hedge for full details. The instruction to cut the plants in half after planting only applies to thorny native hedging and plants in the conservation hedge mix: this isn't necessary for Wych Elm.
Remember to water establishing plants during dry weather for at least a year after planting.

Hedge Planting Accessories:
Prepare your site for planting by killing the weeds and grass with Roundup weed killer.
You can buy a hedge planting pack with sheets of mulch fabric and pegs to hold it down.
If you are planting in an area with rabbit and/or deer, you will need to use a plastic spiral guard for each plant, supported by a bamboo cane.
If your soil quality is poor, we recommend using mycorrhizal "friendly fungi" on the roots of new trees and shrubs.
You can also improve your soil with bonemeal organic fertiliser and Growmore.

Read our full terms and conditions here.

Delivery: The basic delivery charge for orders of bareroot plants is £6.50 + vat, which increases to £12.55 + vat if you add any pot-grown plants, standard trees or fruit trees to the order.
Because couriers sometimes experience delays, we schedule delivery by week, not by day. Therefore, please plan your planting day for the weekend at the end of the delivery week or for the week following delivery, at the earliest.
We will email you the day before your plants are due to arrive.

*Surcharges to the Highlands and Islands still apply.

Payment: We do not charge your card until we begin to prepare your order for packing.

Guarantee: If any plants die within a year, we will replace them. We only ask that you follow our planting & growing instructions and sent us clear photographs of the dead plants in situ, so we can help to make sure that the replacement plants succeed. You only pay for the delivery of the replacements.

Please note that our guarantee is void if there is a hosepipe ban in your area: your newly planted hedging must be watered in dry weather while it is establishing. The best way to water is very thoroughly every few days: at least once a week if there is no heavy rain.

Our nursery has been supplying container grown and bareroot hedging plants to gardeners, farmers and town planners since 1949. Our website started in 2003, so we do understand the concerns that you may have about buying hedging plants online. If any of your plants are damaged when they arrive or if you are otherwise not satisfied with your order after you inspect it, please repackage it and contact us. We will give you a refund or send replacements and send a courier to come and collect the unwanted plants.

Misc	Wildlife Value
Shade	Partial Shade
Area	Coastal Areas, Exposed Windy Areas, Frost Pockets, Scotland & The North
Soil	Acidic, Alkaline/Chalky, Poor/Dry
Type	Hedging, Native

	NUMBER OF PLANTS
SIZES	1-9	10-49	50-249	250-999	1000+

Wych Elm

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Ulmus Glabra Hedging