Guidance for planting and establishing hedges
These guidelines have been prepared to help anyone who wants to
plant a hedge, whether to comply with a condition of planning
consent, or perhaps a farmer interested in restoring field
boundaries as part of a Countryside Stewardship Agreement.
Hedges are important for landscape, ecological, archaeological
and cultural reasons. They are very influential in determining the
character of a landscape, and a landscape can be particularly
distinctive because of its hedge pattern.
New hedges should reinforce existing landscape character (local
distinctiveness), and this can be achieved in the following
ways:
Using hedge species common to the area and in similar
proportions
Obtaining plants grown from seeds obtained from local plants (of
local provenance)
Including in the hedge individual large growing trees, using the
same species at the same frequency as found in the area, where
appropriate
Managing the hedge in the same way as local hedges, where
appropriate
Summary of steps to achieving a successful hedge
- Maintain local distinctiveness: select species appropriate for
local conditions, common to the area and use in similar
proportions
- Use young plants because they are more tolerant to the stress
of transplanting than larger plants
- Buy healthy looking plants supplied by a well established
nursery of repute
- Prepare the planting site with care and handle the plants with
care
- Carry out on-going maintenance for at least 3 years
Species Selection
Two examples of hedges are given here. One is suitable for
lowland sites; the other for exposed locations such as the
Cotswolds plateaux. All the species listed are common to Bath and
North East Somerset and are suitable for the soils of the
district. The individual plant proportions reflect typical
mixes. The species and percentages can be refined to more
closely reflect hedges in the locality. A mixed species hedge
encourages biodiversity more than a single species hedge.
Quality and origin of stock
Make sure you obtain your plants from a good nursery. The
plants must be healthy and have been carefully lifted, stored and
transplanted as relatively fragile living organisms. On purchasing
bare root stock, ensure that the roots have been kept moist since
lifting, either wrapped in moist sacking or polythene, or ‘heeled
in’ – the roots covered loosely with soil in a shallow trench.
Always order by the scientific name to ensure you get native
plants and not a cultivated variety. Ask your local nursery for
plants of local provenance. The genetic makeup of local provenance
native trees and shrubs ensures that they are better adapted to
local conditions. If local nurseries do not supply plants of local
provenance, make sure that the stock is from a British source, as
they are more likely to survive and flourish.
British Standard 3936:1992 – Nursery Stock – Part 1.
Specification for trees and shrubs specifies requirements for
plants suitable for transplanting.
Planting the hedge
1 Where appropriate link the new hedge with an
existing hedge or other habitat, such as a woodland
or dry stone wall.
2 Clear a metre wide strip of vegetation from the proposed hedge
planting site, using a Glyphosate based systemic herbicide –
strictly in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions. Allow the
ground to recover from any chemical treatment before planting.
Carry out herbicide treatment strictly in accordance with the
manufacturer’s instructions. Take great care to avoid drift and
hence damage to nearby vegetation.
3 If mulch is required to reduce weed control operations, spread
a geotextile membrane / black polythene over the planting site and
peg at sufficiently regular intervals to keep in place. Straw can
also be used as mulch.
4 Through the plastic, plant the hedging transplants and pit
plant the container grown stock in pits larger than the root ball,
having first gently teased out any roots from the root ball of any
container grown stock. Firm in.
5 Plant the stock in two staggered rows, rows 300 mm apart and
plants within rows 400 mm apart. Allow for 5 plants per linear
metre. Plant in small single species groups to reduce competition
between species. Holly and larger growing trees are to be planted
individually.
6 Immediately after planting cut Hawthorn down to 150mm.
7 If rabbits are a problem use shrub guards to protect plants –
these are larger in diameter than spiral guards and so allow low
lateral growth to develop. Use 60cm high shrub shelters with
stakes. Tel: Tubex on 01685 888000 for local suppliers.
8 Planting is to be carried out during the planting season –
ideally in November, before the ground gets too cold, otherwise up
to March except when there is a ground frost or soil is
waterlogged. Plants planted later in the planting season are more
at risk of failure, because dry weather is more likely to follow
and the plants die from drought conditions.
9 Larger stock 90 – 120cm high, (Acer campestre, Fraxinus
excelsior and Quercus robur) are to be supported with a single
stake, 90cm long, 45cm above ground level with single rubber tie
with spacer, nailed close to top of stake. Fix spiral rabbit
guards, also available from Tubex.
Establishing the hedge
1 In the first spring after planting trim all lateral branches
back by 50% (not Holly). Prune damaged, diseased or dead wood
immediately after first leaf break. Follow with a light trim every
second or third year, allowing the hedge to increase in size each
time.
2 Replace dead, dying or damaged stock with the same species as
soon as practicable in the first planting season following
failure.
3 In the spring and after severe frosts and winds firm in around
the base of each plant and ensure that tree stakes and ties and
shelters are secure.
4 Ensure the tree ties are not so tight that they damage the
stems. Check regularly and loosen to allow growth. Trees should be
able to be self supporting by the third year when the stakes and
ties should be removed to avoid damage to the tree and making it
dependent on support.
5 Check regularly that the shrub guards are sound and secure,
and replace as necessary.
6 Maintain a metre wide strip in a weed free condition for at
least three years, to reduce competition from grass and weeds for
moisture and nutrients.
Fencing
It is important to protect the newly planted hedge from grazing
animals, therefore a timber post and wire netting fence, erected at
least a metre away from the closest row of plants is recommended.
The fence materials and style should meet with British Standard
1722: part 2: 2000.
Hedge for lower lying location
Large growing trees
Ash – Fraxinus excelsior and/or Oak – Quercus robur
– numbers to match local frequency
Small trees and shrubs
2.5% Dog Rose – Rosa canina
5% Dogwood – Cornus sanguinea
10% Hazel – Corylus avellana
60% Hawthorn – Crataegus monogyna
10% Field Maple – Acer campestre
2.5% Holly – Ilex aquifolium
10% Guelder Rose – Viburnum opulus
Hedge for exposed plateau location
Large growing trees
Ash – Fraxinus excelsior and/or Beech – Fagus
sylvatica – numbers to match local frequency
Small trees and shrubs
15% Field Maple – Acer campestre
60% Hawthorn – Crataegus monogyna
10% Hazel – Corylus avellana
5% Holly – Ilex aquifolium
10% Wild Privet – Ligustrum vulgare
or Wayfaring tree – Viburnum lantana
Stock size
Large growing trees
90 – 120cm high bare root stock
Small trees and shrubs
45 – 60cm high bare root
stock,
except Holly – 3 litre pot grown
Resist the temptation to plant larger stock because you want an
instant impact. This is because smaller plants are more likely than
larger plants to tolerate stress when transplanted and so more
readily establish and take on a faster growth rate.
References:
British Standards 1722, 3936
Hedgerows Regulations (1977) Statutory Instrument No.1160
The Good Hedge Guide by Bayer / FWAG. ISBN 0 9534804 0 2
For more information on local character:
Rural Landscapes of Bath and North East Somerset – A Landscape
Character Assessment.
ISBN 1-903602-05-X.
