Planting Essentials

It's hard enough to make a choice about which hedging species to use without being bombarded with "add ons" so we only list those that we consider really are essential.

Rabbit guards - we have biodegradable and recylable options and we deliberately do not stock the traditional clear plastic spiral guards because those are made of PVC which is one of the most harmful and non-recyclable plastics.  You absolutely need to use guards on new bare root hedging if there are rabbits or voles in the vicinity because they can decimate a newly planted hedgerow in one night.  We only show rabbit guards as an optional extra for the plant species that need them (largely the deciduous bare roots).

Bamboo canes - these are canes that you use to keep the rabbit guards in place and you can also use them to mark out the planting positions so that you get nice even planting. They are 90cm length whereas rabbit guards are 60cm, so you have 30cm or thereabouts that can go into the ground/stick up above the top of the guard.

Rootgrow - this is the only product of its type that we recommend (and so do the Royal Horticultural Society!).  It has a very positive affect on any type of plant being replanted (bare roots particularly but also root balls, cells and pot grown), helping the root structure to find the moisture and nutrients in the soil that fuel their growth.  It is endorsed by the RHS and regularly features on TV gardening programmes.

After Plant for Evergreens - a liquid concentrate containing seaweed extract, plant derived acids and nutrients specifically formulated to benefit evergreen plants.