Hedging

Native Whips for Hedging

A native hedge is one of the simplest and most effective ways to enhance your garden while delivering long-term environmental benefits. Whether you are looking for an attractive, low-cost boundary, improved privacy, or a way to support local wildlife, native hedging offers a solution that works with nature rather than against it.

More resilient than fencing, rich in seasonal interest, and alive with birds, insects, and mammals, a well-chosen hedge transforms your space into a greener, healthier, and more connected landscape—benefiting both your garden and the wider environment.

Why plant a native hedge?

It is cheaper and less susceptible to wind damage than wood panels
It offers a natural screen, cleans the air, helps soak up surface water (flood prevention)
It provides the perfect wildlife corridor for example allows hedghogs tomove between gardens
It provides food, shelter and nesting sites for a range of insects, birds and mammals

What to choose

Hornbeam and beech hold their leaves in atumn and provide a good screen
The Rose varieties for example Dog Rose, Hawthorn, Sea Buckthorn & Blackthorn due to their thorny nature act a potential natural barrier.
Choose varieties such as Viburnum, Hawthorn and Alder Buckthorn which offer nectar rich blooms in the spring and summer. In winter these varieties then produce berries to attract & feed bees, butterflies and birds.

We have a large variety of native whips ranging from £3.50 - £4.00 each.

How to plant your hedge

Plant whips in autumn through to early March when the soil is damp but not waterlogged.
Dig a trench if you are planting a number of whips in a row.
Delay planting if the ground is frozen.
Plant whips 30cm apart.
Allow your hedge to establish for at least a year. In the following spring cut the shrubs just above a bud so that they are around 60cm tall. This encourages the plant to bush out.
Try and prune and maintain established hedges after the nesting season (March to September) and try to avoid pruning all the berries which support wildlife during harsh winters.