How to plan, grow and maintain a hedge | Garden Design and Inspiration | Gardening Australia

You might think that it’s challenging to plan and maintain a hedge but Sophie’s here to show us how to hedge and why they’re so worthwhile. Subscribe 🔔 http://ab.co/GA-subscribe

Hedge Benefits:
There’s no wonder so many gardeners invest in growing hedges. They’re an attractive alternative to conventional walls or fences and have many benefits on offer. Hedges can create boundaries between areas of the garden, protect against strong winds, provide privacy, and are unique habitats where wildlife can nest, breed and hibernate. Studies have shown that the soil beneath hedges stores more water, helps prevent erosion and even absorbs pollution, but they can take three to seven years to become fully established, so now’s the time to get cracking.

What makes a good hedge?
The best hedging plants have certain characteristics; look for species that are long-lived, endure competition from neighbouring root systems, have short stems, smaller leaves and a compact habit. Hedges can be tall or small, evergreen or deciduous, you can clip them tightly for crisp formal lines or soft and informal for longer flowering. They can be grown for many uses like harvesting fruits or herbs, for flowers to attract pollinators or to act as a windbreak. Sophie grows laurustinus for flowers, eleagnus for foliage, wormwood as a windbreak, and Eyre’s green salt bush to attract beneficial bugs.

Plan your hedge:
Pruning and root competition will contain the plant’s growth, so a good rule of thumb when selecting a hedging plant is to estimate down from the size guide listed on the label. This size indicates the height and width of a mature plant when it hasn’t been pruned, so you can expect a plant labelled as 2-3m high to hedge down to 1.5m – 2.5m high.

Calculate how many plants you will need by measuring the planting area from end to end, including where you want the edges of foliage to reach. Divide this length by the expected width of your plants and then add one more. You want to allow some overlap so that the foliage can intertwine, and it doesn’t end up looking like a row of individual plants.

Planting Method:
– Gather potted plants and water them well in preparation for planting.

– For smaller plantings dig a trench the entire length of the area to help roots integrate or dig individual holes if the spacing is around 1 meter apart.

– Soften the soil twice the depth of the plant’s pot, keeping the backfill nearby for levelling later.
This is your opportunity to add soil improvements if needed.

– Remove heavy stones, look for pipes, roots, or obstructions you may have to plan around.

– Position all the potted plants along the row according to your calculated spacing.

– Step back and view the spacing arrangement – this is an important step. No matter how well you’ve calculated your spacing, adjusting it now will save you eye-twitching later.

– One at a time, remove each plant from its pot, loosen the roots gently and plant in place. Use the backfill to make sure the base of the trunk is level with the surrounding soil.

– Water in well, add a layer of mulch and apply liquid fertilizer monthly.

Basic rules of pruning:
When plants are actively growing, they send their energy to the tips of each branch reaching and extending in length. Removing the tips of branches forces the plants growth hormone auxin to be redirected to the buds that are next in line. With two buds from one branch now extending out, it makes a bushier plant and a happier hedge.

Newly planted hedges are usually left unpruned to establish for about one year. They can be pruned every three to four months in the second year, or twice a year in summer and autumn for slow growers. Plants with larger leaves are better pruned with secateurs to avoid the look of shabby half-cut leaves, whereas plants with small tight leaves can be hedged with shears to create a clean dense habit.

Hedging is a great way to fill a lacklustre space, border beds, or enjoy your favourite plant en masse. And it’s always a worthwhile investment for any gardener to create a corridor of colour, habitat and design.
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