Instant Hedging
I spent yesterday installing a hedge for a client who had 5 metres of her old hedge taken out by a joy rider. The car ended up inside her garden and flattened everything in its wake.
I managed to source some instant hedging from a wonderful hedging nursery near Pershore. I visited the company called Readyhedge to view the plants I was going to purchase on behalf of my client. Readyhedge has about 17 acres of hedging at various stages of growth. It was like being in a sweetie shop! I had to stop myself from buying hedging for our own garden! I really like the idea of an 'instant' garden!
Instant hedging is best installed during the dormant season, but can be planted at other times of the year too so long as it is kept well watered. The hedging shown in the picture came in bags measuring 1.2m high x 1m wide x 50cms. It was delivered by courier. All I had to do was prepare the ground - easy you might think! It was until I hit the roots of the tree that was standing nearby. After a lot of sweat and grind removing the roots, I dug out a 40 cms deep trench and mixed in farmyard manure (FYM) and fish, blood & bone with the bottom soil.
As the hedging bags were 75 litres in weight, I called in the help of a colleague to lift the bags into place. We cut the bags to release the hedge and then gently teased out the roots before dropping into the hole. We also added 'Rootgrow' micorrhizal fungi to the roots. This improves the plants mineral absorption capabilities as the fungi adheres to the roots and creates a symbiotic relationship with the plant and soil.
The plants were then well watered in to their new resting place. The trench was infilled with soil and more FYM and fish blood and bone. The FYM helps to retain the moisture and stop the plants from drying out as well as adding valuable nutrients and improving soil structure.
A quick trim to the plants helped match it to the rest of the original hedge and you would have thought the hedge had been there forever. All in all, a very successful day that provided my client with an instant hedge. Not a cheap option, but does offer you the peace of mind at having your privacy back and giving you a stunning result in one day!
