How to Grow Bare Root Hedging

Bare root hedging is a quick, easy, and environmentally friendly way of planting a new hedge. There are loads of benefits to growing a hedge in your garden. Not only are they natural barriers to section your outdoor space, but they’re also incredible for wildlife. Hedges provide food and shelter to all kinds of wildlife, like birds, insects, and small animals. We’ve put together a guide to choosing and planting bare-root hedging to create the perfect, wildlife-friendly hedge.

How to Plant Bare Root Hedging

1. Choosing your plants

To get started, you’ll need to pick out your plants. While you can read our full article on choosing garden plants, here’s a quick list of what you should take into consideration:

• The soil type and pH
• How much sun does your garden get
• How much space you have available
• How you want the plants to look

Once you know the conditions in your garden, use the quick care guides below to determine which bare root hedging plants will thrive there.

2. Preparing the ground

Make sure the ground is workable, not frozen or waterlogged. Map out where you’d like your hedge to be and start clearing the area. Remove grass, weeds, and other perennials, removing as many of the roots as possible. Use a garden fork to dig over the area. At this stage, you can remove any other debris, like rocks or rubbish, that’s made its way into the ground. Dig over the soil up to about 30cm deep.

3. Spacing out planting holes

While you could dig out a whole trench to plant your hedge, digging individual holes can make it easier to keep your plants upright as you work with them. Some plants – such as hornbeam and beech – should be planted in single rows, while some – such as hawthorn and hazel – can be planted in a double, staggered row. To keep the rows straight, you could set up a string along the area to use as a guide.

Space out your planting holes enough to give each individual plant plenty of room to grow. Allow enough room for the current root system and consider how much the plant will grow in the future.

4. Planting and heeling in

Place the root system into the planting hole and fill in the hole with soil. Firm the soil down to remove any large air pockets and ensure that the plant is stable. However, make sure not to compact the soil too much as this can impact the health of the root system.

5. Watering and mulching

Once all of your plants are in the ground, thoroughly water the area and apply a mulch. Watering will help the plants establish in their new home, and the mulch will help to hold in that moisture and prevent weeds from growing around the base of the plants.

6. Ongoing care

Make sure the soil stays moist for the first few months of growth. As time goes on, you won’t need to water as frequently as the plants will be better established. Prune your hedge to its desired shape, removing any dead or damaged material that may appear over time. Remember to check the pruning needs of the species that you’ve planted.

Quick Care Guides for Different Bare Root Hedging Plants

Buckthorn

Sunlight exposure	Full sun, partial sun.
Soil type and pH	Fertile, well-drained, acidic or neutral soils.
Watering	Moist soil is preferred but it will tolerate dry spells.
Pruning	Prune in the spring.
Fertilising	Not always necessary. Apply a slow-release fertiliser in the spring if needed.
Flowering time	Spring

Dogwood

Sunlight exposure	Full sun, partial shade.
Soil type and pH	Fertile, well-drained, neutral or slightly acidic soils.
Watering	Soil should be kept moist.
Pruning	Prune between late winter and midspring.
Fertilising	Apply a balanced feed in the spring.
Flowering time	Winter to late spring.

Field Maple

Sunlight exposure	Full sun, partial shade.
Soil type and pH	Fertile, well-drained, neutral or slightly alkaline soils.
Watering	Soil should be kept moist. Established plants may not need extra water.
Pruning	Prune in early winter to maintain shape.
Fertilising	Apply a balanced feed in early spring.
Flowering time	Late spring

Snowball Bush

Sunlight exposure	Full sun, partial shade.
Soil type and pH	Well-drained, slightly acidic to slightly alkaline.
Watering	Soil should be kept moist.
Pruning	Prune in spring after flowering.
Fertilising	Apply a slow-release fertiliser in the spring.
Flowering time	Spring.

Rose Bush

Sunlight exposure	Species dependent – some will thrive in sunny spots or shade.
Soil type and pH	Fertile, well-drained, neutral or slightly acidic soils.
Watering	Soil should be kept moist.
Pruning	Prune in the spring to maintain shape.
Fertilising	Feed in early spring as new leaves appear.
Flowering time	Early summer.

Blackthorn

Sunlight exposure	Full sun, partial shade.
Soil type and pH	Fertile, well-drained, neutral soils.
Watering	Only regularly water young plants, or during hot and dry spells.
Pruning	Prune in winter, but not in freezing temperatures.
Fertilising	Apply an all-purpose fertiliser only to nutrient-poor soils.
Flowering time	Spring.

Crab Apple

Sunlight exposure	Full sun.
Soil type and pH	Heavy, well-drained, neutral soils.
Watering	Keep soil moist for young plants. Only water established plants during dry spells.
Pruning	Early spring and early winter, but not during freezing temperatures.
Fertilising	Apply a slow-release fertiliser in autumn or late winter.
Flowering time	Mid-late spring.

Beech

Sunlight exposure	Full sun, partial shade.
Soil type and pH	Well-drained, neutral soils.
Watering	Water young plants regularly. Only water established plants during dry spells.
Pruning	Prune between autumn and early spring.
Fertilising	Apply a balanced feed in the spring, but not in the first growing season.
Flowering time	Mid-late spring.

Hawthorn

Sunlight exposure	Full sun, partial shade.
Soil type and pH	Fertile, well-drained, neutral or slightly acidic soils.
Watering	The soil should be watered regularly in the growing season, and kept slightly moist in the winter.
Pruning	Prune between March and August.
Fertilising	Apply a general purpose fertiliser in the early spring.
Flowering time	Midspring to early summer.

Hazel

Sunlight exposure	Full sun, partial shade.
Soil type and pH	Well-drained, low nutrient, acidic or neutral soils.
Watering	Water young plants regularly. Only water established plants during dry spells.
Pruning	Prune from late winter to midspring.
Fertilising	Only apply fertiliser to very nutrient-poor soils.
Flowering time	Mid-late winter.

Hornbeam

Sunlight exposure	Full sun, partial shade.
Soil type and pH	Well-drained, acidic or neutral soils.
Watering	The soil should be kept moist in the growing season, and slightly moist in the winter.
Pruning	Prune to shape in the beginning of June and the beginning of September.
Fertilising	Apply a slow-release fertiliser in the early spring.
Flowering time	Spring.