How to Plant a Bare Root Hedge

Bare root hedging is the cheapest and most reliable way to plant a new hedge, whether it is 10 metres along a garden boundary or a kilometre of farm hedgerow. Plant it well in its first winter and it will establish quickly and thicken up for years. This guide takes you through each step, from the day your plants arrive to their second summer.

When to plant a bare root hedge

Plant bare root hedging between November and March, while the plants are dormant. We lift our bare root plants from early November, and the season runs until spring.

Plant on any day when the ground is not frozen or waterlogged. If the soil sticks to your boots in clods, or there is frost in the top few centimetres, wait a few days.

When your plants arrive

Bare root plants travel without soil, so the one thing that can harm them is their roots drying out. Open the bags as soon as they arrive and check the roots are damp.

• Planting within a few days: keep the bags closed, in a cool, sheltered place out of frost, wind and sun.
• Planting later: heel them in. Dig a shallow trench, lay the plants in it at an angle and cover the roots with at least 20cm of soil. They will keep like this for several weeks.
• On planting day: stand the roots in a bucket of water for an hour or so before you start, and keep them covered while you work. Plant one at a time rather than laying them all out along the line.

Prepare the ground

Good preparation matters more than anything you do afterwards.

1. Mark out the line of the hedge with string. For a boundary hedge, set the line about 90cm back from the boundary so the hedge has room to grow without crossing it.
2. Clear a strip 60 to 90cm wide along the line. Remove all grass and weeds, including the roots of perennial weeds such as docks, nettles and couch grass.
3. Dig over the strip to one spade’s depth to loosen the soil.
4. On heavy clay or sandy soil, mix some well-rotted compost into the soil you dig out. Don’t put it in the bottom of the planting hole.
5. On ground that stays wet in winter, plant along a low ridge 15 to 20cm high, or choose a plant that copes with wet ground, such as hornbeam or alder.

How far apart to plant

For a dense, stockproof hedge, plant in a double staggered row: two rows about 40cm apart, with the plants in one row lined up with the gaps in the other. At five plants per metre this means each row has a plant roughly every 40cm.

A single row is fine for a garden hedge where space is tight, but it will take longer to thicken at the base.

The right number of plants depends on the species and the size you buy. Our guide to how many hedge plants per metre has the figures for each hedge we grow. If you are planting under a Countryside Stewardship grant, BN11 has its own rules, including at least six plants per metre in two staggered rows 40cm apart.

Planting, step by step

1. Trim the roots. Cut off any damaged or very long roots with sharp secateurs.
2. Make the hole. Dig a hole or a trench wide enough to spread the roots out flat, without bending them round. For whips and small transplants on well-prepared ground, a slit made by pushing in a spade and levering it forward (notch planting) is enough.
3. Set the depth. Put the plant in so that the point where the roots flare out from the stem sits level with the soil surface. There is usually a dark soil mark on the stem showing where it grew in the nursery: match it.
4. Backfill and firm. Fill in around the roots with the loose soil, gently lifting the plant to settle soil between the roots. Firm it in with your heel so the plant does not move when you tug it.
5. Water. Water each plant well after planting, even in winter, to settle the soil around the roots.

Protect your new hedge

Rabbits, deer and livestock are the biggest threat to a new hedge.

• Rabbits: fit a spiral guard and cane to each plant. Our biodegradable Bio Spirals do the same job without leaving plastic behind.
• Deer: use taller tree shelters, or fence the whole length.
• Livestock: fence both sides of the hedge, set well back so animals cannot reach it. BN11 hedges need fencing at least 1.2m from the centre of the hedge.

Weeds, mulch and water

Weeds and grass are the main reason new hedges fail. They take the water your hedge needs in its first summer.

• Keep the hedge and a strip about 45cm either side of it free of weeds and grass for at least the first two years.
• Lay a mulch 5 to 7.5cm deep along the hedge after planting, on damp soil. Bark, wood chip or a mulch mat all work.
• Water during dry spells for the first two summers. A soaker hose laid along the hedge makes this easy on longer runs.

Cutting back after planting

It feels wrong, but cutting a new hedge back makes it thicker at the base.

• Deciduous hedges such as hawthorn, blackthorn, beech and hornbeam: in the winter you plant, and again the following winter, cut the main upright shoots back by about a third, just above a bud. Cut back long side shoots by about a third too.
• Evergreens such as laurel, yew and holly: leave the main upright shoot alone until the hedge reaches the height you want. Just tidy any straggly side shoots for the first two years.

Which hedge should I plant?

For farms, estates and wildlife, a mix of native species gives the most benefit. Our BN11 mixed native farm hedging is a ready-made mix, priced per metre and suitable for Countryside Stewardship planting.

For a neat formal hedge, beech and hornbeam hold their brown leaves through winter. For year-round green, see our evergreen hedging, including cherry laurel, yew and holly.

BN11 native farm hedging ›Hawthorn ›Green beech ›Cherry laurel ›

Frequently asked questions