Autumn is the perfect time to plant a new hedge.

Hedges play an important role in the garden; they are the bones of good garden design. They can be used as living barriers, screens, wind breaks, noise barriers, garden edging, and garden divides.

All hedges need some care and attention.

Hedges can be formal, densely packed with small evergreen leaves and easily trimmable into boxes, rectangles, balls and many other shapes. Or informal, with a more open growth habit, covered in flowers and providing food for you, the birds and the bees.

Before you make any decisions on a hedge, walk around your neighbourhood and take note of hedges that catch your eye and those that really don’t. This will help you form an idea of what’s out there. Also, this exercise will help you gain knowledge into what grows well in your area.

Hedges make great noise barriers.

If you find hedges difficult to identify take a photograph and show the image to an expert at your local garden centre or nursery. They should be able to identify it for you.

Your choice of hedge will depend on what you want the hedge to do. A screening hedge may need to grow tall, while a formal hedge will need to have a dense growth habit and will sharpen up once trimmed.

Hedging plants can used with a layering effect.

Too often people plant the wrong hedge in the wrong spot. Hedges that are too big in a small garden will be overly dominant and dwarf all the other plantings. The reverse is also true. If a hedge is too small for the space it will make no impact what so ever, other than create a disproportionate garden.

As with any other plant you need to ensure the hedge species you decide on is suitable for your soil type, sunlight, rainfall and exposure.

Hedges can be used as garden dividers.

It is important to remember hedges do need care and maintenance. Most hedges need pruning at least twice a year. Hedges need to be pruned from an early age; regular pruning creates a denser hedge. Bear in mind you will have trimmings to deal with. How will you dispose of these?

Sometimes one of your plants may die leaving an unsightly gap. It is recommended you buy an extra plant or two and grow them on in pots - just in case.

This neat low growing hedge acts as an enclosure for other hedge plants.

My partner and I have just gone through the hedge process.

After many weeks of deliberation, we went for Abelia x grandiflora ‘Sunshine Daydream’.

Abelia x grandiflora ‘Sunshine Daydream’.

We wanted a hedge to act as a barrier from the road that would not grow too big. Rather than go for a formal hedge like many owners of modern houses do, we favoured a softer look to help break the harsh lines.

Abelia species have very pretty foliage that changes with the seasons, and small fragrant white trumpet flowers that attract the bees, from spring till autumn.

Hedges make great feature plants.

Planting a hedge

Using a string line mark out where your hedge is going to go. It’s a good idea to do this a few days before you plant your hedge to ensure you are happy with the direction the hedge is taking.

If you are planting into lawn, mow the strip to enable easier planting.

It is very important to space the plants accurately. Resist the temptation to plant them too close together or too far apart. Research how much space you need between each plant. Line up your first plant and mark the spot. Using a tape measure continue this along the entire row.

Plant the plants like you would any other shrub. To help ours establish we put a thick layer of well-rotted compost at the bottom of each hole.

Water well.

Tags

• Lifestyle