How to plant a hedge

Inspired by a helpful YouTube guide. This walk-through draws on the popular video "How to plant a hedge and why it's better than a fence" from the RHS — the Royal Horticultural Society, the UK's leading gardening charity. Their guide covers species choice, planting technique, and aftercare in a way that is both practical and genuinely enthusiastic about hedges as habitat and structure. Recommended viewing for anyone choosing their first hedge species.

1. Choose the right species for your site and goal

The species you choose determines almost everything: how fast the hedge grows, how much privacy it gives in winter, how much wildlife it supports, and how often you need to cut it. For a neat, formal boundary that stays dense year-round, yew (Taxus baccata) is hard to beat — it is slow-growing but almost indestructible and clips beautifully. Beech and hornbeam are faster and retain their russet dead leaves through winter, which is useful for privacy even without being evergreen.

For quick informal screening or a wildlife hedge, a mix of native species — blackthorn, hawthorn, field maple, dog rose, hazel — is excellent and relatively inexpensive as bare-root stock. Leylandii grows fast but needs clipping twice a year to stay in check, and can become a serious nuisance if neglected. Think carefully before planting it on a boundary shared with neighbours.

2. Plan the spacing and mark the line

Most hedging plants go in at three per metre for a single row, or two staggered rows at five per linear metre for a denser result more quickly. Mark the hedge line with a garden line or a length of string pegged at each end. Check the line is straight, or follows the curve you want, before you start digging.

Consider how close to fences, walls, or boundaries you are planting. A hedge takes up horizontal space as well as vertical — allow at least 600 mm from any fence panel so the roots can develop without lifting the posts. And check whether there are any underground services before you start digging a planting trench.

3. Prepare the planting trench

Dig a trench about 60 cm wide and 40 cm deep along the marked line. Break up the soil at the bottom of the trench with a fork — do not just drop plants into undisturbed subsoil. Add a good layer of garden compost or well-rotted manure to the trench and fork it in. This improves drainage in heavy clay soils and helps retain moisture in lighter sandy soils.

If the soil is very compacted or waterlogged, improve drainage before you plant. Hedges planted in waterlogged soil rarely thrive. That said — for most UK gardens with reasonable soil, basic preparation is enough. Do not overthink it.

4. Plant at the right depth

Bare-root plants should be planted so the root collar — the point where the stem meets the roots, usually visible as a slight change in colour — sits level with the soil surface. Planting too deep is a common mistake that can rot the stem base over time. If you are planting pot-grown hedging, plant at the same depth the plant was in the pot.

Hold the plant upright in the trench, spread the roots out horizontally without cramping them, then backfill with the improved soil. Firm the soil down gently around the roots with your boot, removing any air pockets. A gentle tug on the plant stem should meet solid resistance — if it comes loose easily, firm it down again.

5. Water in thoroughly

Even in autumn or early winter planting, water in every plant generously immediately after planting. Aim for a slow, soaking watering rather than a brief sprinkle — you want the water to reach down to root level, not just wet the surface. A watering can with the rose removed, trickled slowly at the base of each plant, works well.

In dry spells during the first growing season, water again. Newly planted hedges are far more vulnerable to drought than established ones, and a dry spring or summer in the first year is the single most common reason why new hedges fail. Do not assume rain alone will be sufficient.

6. Mulch along the hedge line

Once planted and watered, apply a layer of bark chip, woodchip, or well-rotted compost at least 75 mm deep along the full hedge line, keeping it a few centimetres clear of the stems themselves. Mulch reduces water loss from the soil, suppresses competing weeds, and moderates soil temperature around the roots.

Refresh the mulch each spring for the first two or three years. After that, the hedge canopy itself starts to shade out weeds and the plants are established enough to compete on their own terms. Keep the area under the hedge clear of grass in the first couple of years — grass competes hard for moisture and can really set back young plants.

7. First-year aftercare and formative pruning

For native and informal hedges, cut back by about a third in the first winter after planting. This sounds drastic but encourages bushy growth from low down and prevents the plants becoming leggy. For yew, box, or beech, leave the leading shoot unpruned in the first year and only lightly trim the sides to encourage upward growth.

In year two, trim the sides to encourage bushiness, but keep the top growing until the hedge reaches the height you want. Only once it reaches the right height do you start cutting the top back to maintain it. Patience in the early years means a much denser, more uniform hedge for the long term.

When to call a handyman

Call Richard if you need a long hedge planted over a weekend, if the ground is particularly difficult, or if you want help sourcing and delivering bare-root stock for a large boundary planting. Large hedge planting is a heavy job and goes much faster with two pairs of hands.