Preparation for planting is important to get a good hedge. You will need to
dig out a good sized hole for each plant, don't be tempted to cram a plant into too small a hole. When you remove the plant from a pot tease the roots out of the shape of the pot this will help them to grow out into the soil. Putting some fertilizer around each plant will also help the plants to grow away quickly.
Make sure that all plants are well watered the day before and that you water plants in well after planting. To get a hedge that is thick and even it is good practice to remove the growing tips from the plants before planting, this will encourage the secondary shoots to grow. This will mean that instead of one leading shoot you will have two.
When you are thinking about planting a hedge, consider where you want it and if it is easy to get to and maintain. It is far better to put a
hedge away from the boundary of a piece of land so you can gain access to both sides. If you are going to do the work on your own hedge you will need to think about trimmers, electric motor or manual.
When trimming a new hedge it is best to do the work little and often, getting a straight hedge is also important so it is best to use a line to help at the beginning. The best shape for a conifer hedge is one that tapers from the floor to the top like a pyramid. This prevents a lot of snow falling on the top and breaking the middle of the trees out.
Most people have heard of the hedging conifer Cupressus x Leylandii, this is the 'Hedge from Hell'. The one that causes so
much trouble but it need not be,
with care and attention you can
grow 'Leylandii' into a good hedge. You will need to make sure that
first you have enough room for the hedge to be the size you want. There are now rules saying how
high a hedge should be, contact your local authority for help.
