Hedging plants
The hedging plant may very well have been the first living structure to be created by man in his endeavours to control his environment. Hedging plants can take many forms and be created from a large number of plant species.
Hedging plants in retrospect
As we at Johnsons of Whixley have so often found, time spent on soil preparation for hedging plants pays year after year in solid and rapid growth. When preparing the soil for your new hedging plants you are preparing for English woodland if hedging plants that will last for at least 100 years, because in effect that's exactly what you are doing. Many of the most popular hedging plants such as beech and yew can be found in woodlands today with an age in excess of 100 years.
Hedging plants preparation
Soil preparation for hedging plants should start by double digging a trench, about 0.5 metre wide and two lengths of a spade blade deep. Irrigation for your hedging plants is another factor worth considering at this stage and is best achieved with a leaky hose or drip irrigation system. Nothing stops a hedging plant growing quicker than weed around the base; especially couch grass. Once the soil has been prepared for the hedging plants, there should be laid a stripe of ground sheeting to help stop the weeds. To plant hedging plants through the sheeting you will need to cut crosses with a knife and then peel back the edges to expose the soil. Once this is done you will be able to plant the hedging plants and then apply a mulch to cover and hide the sheeting. One good tip is to use bark if your hedge is in a lawned area, as this will not damage the lawnmower when it strays into the hedging plant bottom.