Dream Gardens with Alan Titchmarsh: It’s time to hedge your bets
IF YOU want a long-lasting boundary for the garden – one that looks natural, benefits wildlife and soaks up traffic noise, pollution and dust – a hedge scores head and shoulders over fences and walls.
A hedge acts as natural looking barrier from traffic noise, pollution and dust
It costs a lot less in the first place and there is no need to saddle yourself with endless clippings if you choose a smaller, slow growing species.
Thuja is good for a traditional conifer look, as is evergreen berberis if you need defensive prickles. For a sheltered south-facing spot Osmanthus delavayi makes a neat and tidy hedge with jasmine-scented flowers in summer.
Or how about a mini myrtle Myrtus communis tarentina, which only grows to about 3ft and is smothered with white flowers in early autumn?
For a different effect a row of unclipped photinia, shrub roses or the taller rosemary “Miss Jessup’s Upright” make a good informal screen, while for outlining paths or flowerbeds lavender, santolina or dwarf box are back in fashion.
The best time to plant a new hedge is in the autumn but a hedge is only as good as its roots so good soil preparation is essential. Mark the area out and dig a trench.
For a dwarf edging make it a foot deep and as wide, while for a taller hedge it should be at least 18-24in in each direction.
Alan Titchmarsh is currently starring in a series called Love Your Garden on ITV
Work plenty of well-rotted organic matter into the bottom. Now put in your plants. For a traditional hedge a double row is best, with plants spaced 15in to 18in apart in staggered rows. For dwarf edgings plant a single row six to eight inches apart so the gaps fill in quickly.
For a screen, plant a single row of shrubs 15in to 18in apart. Many popular hedging plants are sold cheaply between autumn and spring, with bare roots.
Soak the roots in water for a couple of hours before planting and spread them out well over the base of the trench before in-filling it with good soil and well-rotted organic matter.
Thuja is good for a traditional conifer look
Pot-grown plants are more expensive but they are often the only option when you want to grow ornamental shrubs as a hedge. Water well, then tap them out of their pots and stand them in position before shovelling in improved topsoil.
When you have finished, firm your plants in and give a thorough watering. Then winter rainfall should take care of the job.
Next spring, boost growth by sprinkling Growmore or blood, fish and bone fertiliser along each side of the hedge, six inches from the base, and water it in if it doesn’t rain in a day or two.
Hedgerows can also be used as borders in gardens to create natural divisions
Where people often go wrong is trying to let a hedge grow straight up to maximum height. It needs training properly as it grows up.
Cut off a few inches from the shoot tips of the top and sides every couple of months until it has reached the required size.
Even a shrubby screen benefits from being cut back once or twice to make it thicken from the base. But it’s worth it with solid foliage from top to toe.