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King and Co are now accepting pre-orders for bare root hedging plants for the next bare root season which runs from November 2019 to March 2020.
What are Bare-root plants?
These are plants which are grown in open ground and when dormant, are dug up and graded ready for transport and planting.
Bare root plants are the most cost-effective hedging method
Bare root plants are often easier to plant and once established, grow more vigorously than their container grown counterparts. So, instead of paying several pounds for a container grown tree or hedging plant, King & Co can provide bare root plants for a few pence each!
Below we have listed our most popular selling bare root hedging plants.
Cornus Sanguinea is found in most British hedgerows and is used to provide all year round interest; flowers in spring, red autumn leaf colour and bright stems in winter. Common Dogwood is a medium-sized, fast-growing deciduous shrub with medium/ large green leaves turning yellow and orange in autumn. Also produces white flowers in spring, followed by dark blue fruits. It has green-tinged red stems that provide good colour in autumn. Grows in most soils and ideal in wetter sites.
Field Maple – Acer Campestre
Acer campestre, or Field Maple, is deciduous and one of our toughest native hedging species. Generally found within hedgerows,the stunning gold and red autumn foliage make this plant a must-have in any mixed planting schemes. Leaves are small and dark green with the distinctive palmate lobes. As the foliage emerges small posies of yellow /green flowers appear in spring.
Hawthorn – Crataegus Monogyna
Common Hawthorn, also known as Quickthorn or May Blossom, is a fast-growing deciduous, native tree that has always been used for hedging and field boundaries. Hawthorn has fragrant white flowers in late spring just as the small, green, Maple like leaves appear. Dark red berries follow in autumn much loved by wildlife. Hawthorn plants are fast-growing and respond very well to clipping so are often used to create a boundary hedge, the sharp thorns make this plant a very good defensive hedge.
Also known as Blackthorn or Sloe bush, this plant has small white flowers which appear early in spring before the oval shape, green leaves appear. In autumn masses of small, blue/black edible berries or sloes appear at the same time the leaves turn to yellow before falling quite late in the year. The sloe bush lives up to its name with very hard and sharp thorns which when the plant is clipped as a hedge make a great intruder deterrent.
Hazel – Corlyus Avellana
Corylus Avellana or Hazel is another very common site in British hedgerows and is commonly coppiced and cultivated for its ‘Hazelnuts’. A small, native tree that produces large amounts of edible nuts in autumn. Hazel has large round, bright green leaves held on upright stems with pendulous ends, easily coppiced, meaning that it is frequently found in British hedgerows. Long yellow catkins appear very early in spring giving hazel trees a burst of colour before many others have come into leaf. Grows as a multi-stemmed tree if cut back and fills gaps in hedges very well.
Dog Rose – Rosa canina
Rosa canina or Dogrose is a fast-growing, native rose plant that is a common sight in British hedgerows. Large, fragrant pink / white flowers in spring and bright red fruits in autumn make it a very pretty plant. Sharp thorns on its long, arching branches make it excellent for keeping out unwelcome visitors. Dog Rose is a great choice for attracting wildlife.
How to plant a bare root hedge
Establishing a bare root hedge in your garden may seem daunting to the uninitiated, but by following a few simple rules, success is nearly always guaranteed.
1 – If you don’t intend to set the hedge immediately upon arrival, store the plants in a cool, frost-free shed or garage.
2 – When planting out, do not remove the hedging plants from the box or bag. Exposure to sun or drying winds may lead to root desiccation and eventual failure.
3 – Do not dig huge planting pits that require laborious backfilling. If the soil is reasonably good, use the notch planting technique. Push your spade 4-6” into the ground, open up a wide slit and place the root in at the nursery soil mark.
4 – Be sure to ‘heel in’ very tight. This is most important to ensure good root/soil contact. After heeling in, you should have to tug the plant quite hard to remove it.
5 – After completion of planting, mulch the hedge with either; plastic, woodchips or similar to trap moisture in, and prevent growth of weed competition.
Read More:
The arrival of Autumn and the bare root season
Creating a hedge on a budget – bare root plants
Planting bare root hedges and trees
How to plant a bare root tree
Boris Johnson visits King and Co
Shopping Online
You can buy trees, hedging, screening trees, shrubs and topiary online by browsing our website. If you do not see a plant or size that is suitable for you then please call as we stock a wide variety of plants in our tree nursery. It’s worth noting that many other websites sell other people’s stock (i.e. they act as an agent) so you cannot view the products at their own site. At King & Co, all of our advertised plants are available for viewing at our tree nursery in Rayne, near Braintree, situated just over an hours drive out of London. Our knowledgeable and experienced tree nursery staff is always contactable via phone on 01376 340469 or if you have any questions regarding any of our trees or accessories. If you cannot see what you require on our website, please complete the enquiry form. We will give it our urgent attention and will get back to you shortly with a solution that meets your needs.
