If you’re planning a new hedge, choosing the variety is only part of the decision. You’ll also need to decide whether potted, bareroot or rootball hedging is right for your project. But what’s actually the difference? Each option has its own advantages, and the best choice will depend on the time of year, the size of hedge you’re looking for, your budget and how quickly you’d like to create an established screen. Here’s our simple guide to help you decide.
Potted Hedging
Potted hedging is grown in containers with an established root system and can be planted throughout the year, providing ground conditions are suitable. This makes it a particularly convenient option if you want to plant outside the traditional dormant hedging season. Potted plants are available in a range of sizes and varieties, including popular choices such as Laurel, Photinia ‘Red Robin’, Yew, Holly and Privet.
Why choose potted hedging?
- Available throughout the year
- Wide choice of species and sizes
- Established root system
- Ideal for smaller or larger planting projects
- Greater flexibility over when you plant
As with any newly planted hedge, regular watering is particularly important while the plants establish, especially when planting during warmer or drier weather.
Bareroot Hedging
Bareroot hedging is grown in the ground and lifted from our fields once the plants are dormant. As the name suggests, the plants are supplied without a pot or soil around their roots. Because the plants need to be dormant before they can be lifted, bareroot hedging is seasonal, typically available from around November to March, depending entirely on the weather. It’s one of the most cost-effective ways to establish a new hedge, particularly if you have a long boundary or need a larger number of plants.
Why choose bareroot hedging?
- Cost-effective, particularly for larger quantities
- Great for long boundaries and larger planting projects
- Wide choice of traditional and native hedging
- Lightweight and easy to handle
- An excellent option for mixed native hedges
Popular bareroot choices include Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Hazel, Field Maple, Beech and Hornbeam. We also grow BN11 grant-compliant mixed native hedging bundles for eligible countryside planting projects. Because the roots are exposed, bareroot plants should be kept cool and moist and planted as soon as reasonably possible after receiving them.
Rootball Hedging
Rootball hedging is also grown out in our fields, but unlike bareroot plants, it is lifted with a ball of soil retained around the roots and secured for transport. Like bareroot hedging, rootballs can only be lifted during the dormant season and availability is completely weather dependent. Rootballs are generally available in larger, more established sizes, making them a great option when you want to create greater impact from the start.
Why choose rootball hedging?
- Larger, more established plants
- Ideal when you want quicker impact
- Great for screening and privacy
- Field-grown at our nursery
- Suitable for larger gardens and landscaping projects
Rootball hedging can be particularly useful when you don’t want to wait for smaller plants to grow before achieving the height and structure you’re looking for.
So, Which Type of Hedging Should You Choose?
There isn’t one option that’s better than all the others – it depends on your project. Choose potted hedging if you want the flexibility to plant throughout the year or are looking for a wide choice of varieties and sizes. Choose bareroot hedging if you’re planting during the dormant season and want a cost-effective way to establish a longer hedge or larger planting scheme. Choose rootball hedging if you’re planting during the dormant season and want larger, more established plants for quicker impact, screening or privacy. And remember, you don’t necessarily have to choose purely on price. Think about how quickly you want the hedge to establish, the length of the area you’re planting and when you want to get the plants in the ground.
Grown Here at Farlow Farm Nursery
Whichever option you choose, our hedging is grown right here at Farlow Farm Nursery on the slopes of the Clee Hill. We grow a huge range of potted, bareroot and rootball hedging for everything from small garden boundaries to large-scale countryside and landscaping projects.
Not sure which option is best for your project? Get in touch with us or visit the nursery and we’ll be happy to help.