How to plant a hedge and why it’s better than a fence | The RHS

Comments · 74

• BE

  @benmarsh5672 · 1 year ago

  The campaign for hedges needs to aimed at housing construction companies, if they started by planting them rather than boundary fencing or walls, then the risk of flooding would reduce, natural highways would become part of the construction and a greener better future.<br>By the time you’ve bought the property, most people will not take down something that is a quick and easy security feature to replace with hedges, which will take years to provide anything similar.<br>We need to start at the beginning, rather than try to deal with it part of the way through and open our homes up to potentially being vandalised or burgled.

  121

• GE

  @geneticshock4822 · 1 year ago (edited)

  If I look over our hedge, I see nothing but fence panels for the next 5 gardens, all which have had panels blown out at least 3 times in the last couple of months. Unfortunately, most people have become too lazy to maintain a hedge, but then often say &quot;I don&apos;t have the time to do gardening&quot; and then proceed to binge watch Nexflix for an entire weekend. I trim our hedge just 3 time per year, it takes around 90 minutes to complete each time. Wind can&apos;t blow my hedge down, it doesn&apos;t need replacing after a few years, and it never needs wood preserver which saves me a lot of money. All our hedge cutting get composted at the bottom of the garden too. Having a hedge brings wildlife into our garden, it is wonderful to see.

  30

• MA

  @mawkernewek · 1 year ago

  In my parents garden, we had so many self-seeded saplings of bay, we just moved them to make a hedge.

  28

• RA

  @radharcanna · 1 year ago

  A fabulous video. Nick is a natural presenter. More like this please.

  30

• JA

  @janetbex7526 · 1 year ago

  Hedges ARE better than fences. I have a 10 foot high privet hedge on my property. It has just been allowed to grow; no trimming for a flat top. It flowers in the spring, which smells fantastic, and berries in the autumn for the wildlife. It screens us from the neighbors and looks great. Thanks for this. I love a good hedge!

  45

• AN

  @andreabelle6213 · 5 months ago

  I have just seen this &nbsp;video, and this has helped me make a decision to from a sterile looking garden with fence panels to going back to a more natural open garden space. Better for wildlife, ourselves and the garden in general. Thank you.

  2

• JA

  @jackstone4291 · 1 year ago

  Great video! RHS, the whole nation even the whole world needs to see videos like this one. Great stuff

  15

• TH

  @threeriversforge1997 · 1 year ago

  It should also be mentioned that a &quot;hedge&quot; should be more than just a row of plants. &nbsp;Native plants are always better than non-native, and laying the hedge so that things are interwoven will keep the bottom from hollowing out as well as rejuvenating the plants so they live forever.

  6

• OL

  @oldauntzibby4395 · 1 year ago

  I assume there would be huge benefits to having a multi-species hedgerow instead of a single-species one. Species diversity is so important to help as many pollinators, birds, and small mammals as possible. A diverse hedgerow would be able to withstand weather and moisture variables: even if one plant species was stressed, another may be able to thrive. And regenerative ag research has shown that monocrops don&apos;t do as well as multi-species plantings. The more diversity, the better the plants grow as a whole.<br><br>Plus, a diverse hedgerow would probably make a better screen, since it could include low, bushy &nbsp;plants and those that are more tree-like and taller, with sturdier trunks, as well as evergreens and deciduous for year-round cover.

  18

• MA

  @MattSmith-ks2lc · 1 year ago

  I already love hedges. The dead hedge is also a great idea. Thank you for the excellent video!

  16

• M0

  @m00n119 · 1 year ago

  im in Australia and live in a rural acreage block that came with a wattle and bottlenush hedge and it is amazing at blocking road noise, dust and hairy panic grass and attracts lots of fairy wrens 👍 hedges are great

  6

• MM

  @mmetcalfe22 · 1 year ago

  Great video Nick. Very informative from the RHS as usual. I’ve got a few dead hedges in my garden. They really are a great way to use old branches and give the little creatures in the garden a new home.

  6