Can I plant my hedges into untilled soil?

I have a mix of hedging plants. Escallonia, Dog Rose and Hawthorn. They are going to cover a very long area of fence and I can’t possibly till that much soil by hand and can’t afford to buy a tool for the job. Can I just plant them straight into the ground? Or at least just till the small area that the plants will go into? I am in Shetland and I think my soil type is clay but it’s well drained being at the top of a slope.
Thanks.

 

The dog rose and hawthorn will pretty much live anywhere so if you don't get standing water in that area I would say it's fine to just plant them, it's what nature does after all. The escallonia may benefit from some grit in the planting hole so it doesn't sit in water but I wouldn't add any compost or fertiliser because you want the roots to search for nutrition to establish faster. I would then just mulch them in the autumn/spring to provide a little goodness to the soil.

 

Perfect that’s what I needed to know thanks!