The best time to plant a hedge is during the Winter. Before you begin, position your saplings using stakes and string as markers. (see above diagram)
Follow the above diagram to plant your saplings. For guidance on how to look after your hedge in its first year, please check out the diagram below.
Once your hedge has grown, you can maintain it by trimming it every three years into an ‘A’ shape, once any berries are gone and it’s in a dormant state. This shape will ensure that birds and small mammals are well hidden from predators, and that your hedge grows nice and bushy at the base. Resisting the temptation to trim it every year will give species such as hawthorn the chance to flower and bear fruit.
