Hedging

By Paul Watmore, Director at Grasslands Nursery Leylandii is the fastest-growing common hedge, putting on around 75–90cm a year — it can reach 2m in just a few years. That speed is its appeal and its catch: you must keep...

By Paul Watmore, Director at Grasslands Nursery Cherry laurel grows fast — typically 30–60cm a year once established — making it one of the quickest evergreen hedges for privacy. Good soil, decent light and regular watering push it to the...

By Paul Watmore, Director at Grasslands Nursery Most hedge problems — brown patches, gaps, a thinning base, yellowing or dieback — come down to watering, drainage, light, pruning mistakes or a specific pest, and the right fix depends on the...

By Paul Watmore, Director at Grasslands Nursery A browning or bare box hedge usually means one of three things: box blight (brown patches with black streaks on the stems), box tree caterpillar (webbing and stripped leaves), or harmless winter bronzing....

By Paul Watmore, Director at Grasslands Nursery The most common Photinia ‘Red Robin’ problem is leaf spot — small dark red or purple spots that spread, yellow the leaf and cause it to drop — usually triggered by wet conditions,...

By Paul Watmore, Director at Grasslands Nursery Brown Leylandii is usually down to one of five things: cutting into old wood (which never regrows), drought, waterlogged roots, conifer aphid, or shading — and whether it recovers depends entirely on whether...

By Paul Watmore, Director at Grasslands Nursery Trim a Thuja (western red cedar) hedge once or twice a year between spring and early autumn — and unlike Leylandii, Thuja can regenerate from older wood, so it is far more forgiving...

By Paul Watmore, Director at Grasslands Nursery Trim a hornbeam hedge once a year in late summer (around August) — like beech, a clipped hornbeam holds its coppery leaves through winter, and it thrives even on the heavy, wet clay...

By Paul Watmore, Director at Grasslands Nursery Prune a Portuguese laurel hedge once or twice a year, with the main cut in summer — and because its leaves are smaller than cherry laurel's, you can use shears or a trimmer...

By Paul Watmore, Director at Grasslands Nursery Trim a privet hedge two or three times between spring and autumn to keep it dense and neat — privet is fast and vigorous, so it needs cutting more often than most hedges....

By Paul Watmore, Director at Grasslands Nursery Cut a yew hedge once a year in late summer (around late August or September) for a crisp, formal finish — and unlike other conifers, yew can be renovated hard, because it readily...

By Paul Watmore, Director at Grasslands Nursery Trim a beech hedge once a year in late summer (around August) — this single annual cut keeps it dense and, crucially, encourages it to hold its coppery-brown leaves through winter for year-round...