Mr Grinch's Garden

Not happy with the last one i planted, not many branches on it and 2 inches too far away from the step. Yep, the OCD kicking in again. Will have it out Tuesday and re plant with another.

G

 

love the flower beds!

 

Probably too late now, but might be worth potting them to use for failures / infill next autumn, or planting in some very sandy soil so they will lift easily for transplanting next year.

I have an old, and very deep, ditch that was filled with builders sand - didn't know that until I tried to plant a row of Cherry trees there! Have planted several 100 Hornbeam in there - on the second batch now - having lifted the originals for transplanting, 3 years old, for a change-of-mind hedge-extension. The things were better than waist high and had a fabulous root system from living in almost pure sand.

 

Hi Kristan,

Ive potted the four up in some garden soil but will transplant into something less heavy i think for the innevitable failures. Its soo wet here. I chose hornbeam as it does well on wet clay but this is WET.

G

 

My hornbeam have grown really well this year (second season after planting), so they certainly haven't minded the wet. They have a reputation for coping with wet / heavy soil, of course, unlike Beech which hates it ...

60-80cm when planted, now averaging 140cm (and have had no TLC - some irrigation last year, and a single application of fertilizer in the spring). I don't suppose they grew more than 20cm in their first year (whilst getting established); if they do 18"/50cm a year from now on I'll be well chuffed

 

How could i get them to be more bushy, thcken up the hedge ? Do i prune now of leave it a year ?

regards
G

 

I go round once a year (when dormant, now is good) and just take the end bud out (and from all side branches too). During the summer if any side branches get a bit wide - sometimes one or two go crazy on their own!! - I prune them back - to about a foot narrower than the final width of the hedge. Then the whole face of the hedge will grow out, to final width, together.

There is a school of thought that you should cut the hedge right down for the first few years. For agricultural hedges (because taking the tips out manually is too much labour perhaps?) just cutting the whole thing down to 12" or so [you'd have to look up the details]. I've also read to cut back the new growth by 1/3rd each year for the first 3 or so years. Seems a lot of hedge to "lose" but if it makes it grow faster / bushier it will be worth it of course. I've never been able to persuade myself to do that though! so I just take the tip buds out (and cutting back not suitable for all hedge plants - I believe that Yew is best left growing with a strong leader and not "stopped" until at final height).

Some of these more brutal pruning strategies may relate to Hawthorn perhaps? which would otherwise grow very thin at the bottom.

Only other thing is to plant a double row - bit late for that now if you didn't do it originally ... I have done that where I want the smartest, thickest, hedges, and single planted where I just want a hedge-behind-a-border. (No need to double plant Yew - probably not other conifers either)

 

I may give them a little snip then this winter. The new plants at 3/4 feet high but i wanted to encourage the side shoot more as they seem to have many of those.

Still waiting on your major blog update Kristan, its the highlight of my December

 

I've sharpened my pencil in readiness

I think I'm done with all the jobs I wanted to get done before the Winter now. All the hedges are planted, just got to do the Apples but maybe I can leave that out of this years Blog update ...

Been trying to take a photo of the new hedge, for the Blog, but its shaded from the sun at this time of year and the photos look very "flat". Might have to buy one of those reflective white umbrellas that photographers use. Or do you think that's getting a bit serious for a photo for a gardening blog?

 

Just a polaroid will do

 

<fx: Toddles off to Google "upload polaroid to blog">

 

Kristen I think you're going to need more than one white umbrella, possibly a black one as well to keep the rain of you and the camera.

 

Nice one Kristen Run both ways

 

Spent the morning tidying up the garden, cleared the borders, weeded and pruned.

G