Hedging

By Paul Watmore, Director at Grasslands Nursery Keep a box hedge healthy by clipping once or twice a year in dry weather, feeding in spring, and taking simple steps to prevent box blight — good airflow, clean tools, and watering...

By Paul Watmore, Director at Grasslands Nursery Cut a Leylandii hedge two or three times between spring and early autumn to keep it dense and to size — and never cut back into the old brown wood, because Leylandii will...

By Paul Watmore, Director at Grasslands Nursery Yellowing or browning laurel is most often caused by waterlogged or compacted soil, drought stress, frost or wind scorch, or hedge-trimmer damage — rarely by disease. A few cut-edged brown leaves are only...

By Paul Watmore, Director at Grasslands Nursery Prune Photinia ‘Red Robin’ two or three times during the growing season — each cut triggers a fresh flush of the vivid red young leaves it is grown for. Trim lightly as growth...

By Paul Watmore, Director at Grasslands Nursery Trim a cherry laurel hedge once or twice a year — the main cut in mid to late summer (around July or August) once birds have finished nesting, with an optional light tidy...

By Paul Watmore, Director at Grasslands Nursery The fastest-growing hedges in the UK are Leylandii (up to 75–90cm a year), then cherry laurel and Thuja (30–60cm), with privet and bamboo also quick — but the quickest isn’t always best, because...

By Paul Watmore, Director at Grasslands Nursery Instant hedging gives you a finished, full-height hedge on day one — mature plants grown for years and delivered ready to screen, instead of small plants you wait years for. The best options...

By Paul Watmore, Director at Grasslands Nursery Choose pleached trees when you need privacy above fence height without losing light and space below; choose a hedge when you want screening from the ground up. Pleached trees are a "hedge on...