Steven Meyen is the Forestry Development Officer at Teagasc and is passionate about natural hedging. Hedges, Steven says, have determined the Irish landscape for the last two hundred years. They provide shelter for livestock and a windbreak for crops while preventing soil erosion and assisting in disease control between farms. They have an immense ecological value and help Ireland's image abroad as the Emerald Isle. Once hedges are planted, the only cost involved is for regular maintenance. Fences have to be replaced. Hedges, Steven feels, are eternal fences. It doesn’t matter if you are planting a native hedgerow on your farm or a line of Escallonia around the house; the basics for successful growing are the same.
Planting a container grown hedge
You can plant container-grown hedging plants at any time of the year, provided the soil is not frozen or waterlogged. However, if your garden is very exposed and windy it is recommended that certain varieties of hedging are planted in April. You might notice large leaved evergreens such as Escallonia look a bit battered if they are planted at the beginning of winter. Bare rooted plants can be planted from November, this will give you plenty of time to get the perennial weeds out of the area.
Careful where you plant
When planting a hedge, consider the location, access points and traffic safety.
Avoid planting the hedge too close to a wall or fence because it will make hedge management more difficult and animals will be able to graze the juicy new tips.
Avoid waterlogged, exposed or very shallow sites.
Preparation
Careful ground preparation will ensure healthy, fast growth giving competing vegetation less chance to smother the new vulnerable hedge. The ideal planting area needs to have about 2 ft (60cm) depth of topsoil to plant your hedge into.
Work in well-rotted manure to improve the soil, especially where an old hedge was removed.
If you have no objections to chemicals, spray off a one-metre strip with glyphosate from April-June before planting. This is followed in early summer by adding manure (if necessary)
Another option for people who practice organic methods (and who are not in a rush) is to carry out the ground preparation without spraying and then to cover a one-metre wide strip with black polythene for one year.
Planting the hedge
Digging a hole twice as wide and deep as the hedging plant's container will give the hedge a good chance of success. Backfill the holes with a 50 / 50 mix of topsoil and compost. Mix the soil you've removed from the planting hole with well-rotted organic matter. The organic matter you incorporate can be leaf mould, well rotted kitchen compost or well rotted farmyard manure.
The hedging plants need to be planted at the same depth as they were in the pot. Failure to do this will hold back their development.
Water your hedging even before planting. Immerse the pots in water-filled containers for about 10 minutes before planting, after this time remove them and allow the surplus water to drain away.
Cover the surface of the soil at the base of the hedge with a generous layer of mulch, such as bark mulch. This will help discourage weeds and reduce the amount of water loss from the soil.
Bare rooted hedging
The rules regarding planting bare-rooted hedging are similar to containerised hedging with the following exceptions. Bare-rooted hedging plants should be kept moist at all times before planting. If the fine roots on the hedging should dry out you may have many failures within your hedge.
Try to get the planting pits created beforehand, and buy your plants and pop them in the ground that very day. Any plants you cannot plant that day should be heeled into some moist topsoil until the next day.
With bare-rooted plants, the planting pit created should allow you to carefully spread the roots out across the bottom of the hole. Shake the stem of bare-rooted hedging plants lightly whilst back-filling your soil mix, this will ensure soil trickles down in between the roots.
Bare-root hedging may be more susceptible to wind rock and wind throw in the first few years after planting than container-grown plants. Because of this, you must keep a watchful eye on them especially during the windy winter period. Resettle “shook” hedging lightly with your heel when needed.
Planting a container grown hedge
You can plant container-grown hedging plants at any time of the year, provided the soil is not frozen or waterlogged. However, if your garden is very exposed and windy it is recommended that certain varieties of hedging are planted in April. You might notice large leaved evergreens such as Escallonia look a bit battered if they are planted at the beginning of winter. Bare rooted plants can be planted from November, this will give you plenty of time to get the perennial weeds out of the area.
Careful where you plant
When planting a hedge, consider the location, access points and traffic safety.
Avoid planting the hedge too close to a wall or fence because it will make hedge management more difficult and animals will be able to graze the juicy new tips.
Avoid waterlogged, exposed or very shallow sites.
Preparation
Careful ground preparation will ensure healthy, fast growth giving competing vegetation less chance to smother the new vulnerable hedge. The ideal planting area needs to have about 2 ft (60cm) depth of topsoil to plant your hedge into.
Work in well-rotted manure to improve the soil, especially where an old hedge was removed.
If you have no objections to chemicals, spray off a one-metre strip with glyphosate from April-June before planting. This is followed in early summer by adding manure (if necessary)
Another option for people who practice organic methods (and who are not in a rush) is to carry out the ground preparation without spraying and then to cover a one-metre wide strip with black polythene for one year.
Planting the hedge
Digging a hole twice as wide and deep as the hedging plant's container will give the hedge a good chance of success. Backfill the holes with a 50 / 50 mix of topsoil and compost. Mix the soil you've removed from the planting hole with well-rotted organic matter. The organic matter you incorporate can be leaf mould, well rotted kitchen compost or well rotted farmyard manure.
The hedging plants need to be planted at the same depth as they were in the pot. Failure to do this will hold back their development.
Water your hedging even before planting. Immerse the pots in water-filled containers for about 10 minutes before planting, after this time remove them and allow the surplus water to drain away.
Cover the surface of the soil at the base of the hedge with a generous layer of mulch, such as bark mulch. This will help discourage weeds and reduce the amount of water loss from the soil.
Bare rooted hedging
The rules regarding planting bare-rooted hedging are similar to containerised hedging with the following exceptions. Bare-rooted hedging plants should be kept moist at all times before planting. If the fine roots on the hedging should dry out you may have many failures within your hedge.
Try to get the planting pits created beforehand, and buy your plants and pop them in the ground that very day. Any plants you cannot plant that day should be heeled into some moist topsoil until the next day.
With bare-rooted plants, the planting pit created should allow you to carefully spread the roots out across the bottom of the hole. Shake the stem of bare-rooted hedging plants lightly whilst back-filling your soil mix, this will ensure soil trickles down in between the roots.
Bare-root hedging may be more susceptible to wind rock and wind throw in the first few years after planting than container-grown plants. Because of this, you must keep a watchful eye on them especially during the windy winter period. Resettle “shook” hedging lightly with your heel when needed.
