Planting a Bare-root Beech Hedge

In this video I plant a bare-root beech hedge in my garden. The process involves removing the grass, digging holes and planting the bushes, with advice on planting distance and aftercare.
Hedging was bought at Cappagh Nursery...
www.vanderwel.ie/
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[@townshipbs2335]

do you need to trim right after you plant the young beech?

[@GardeningatDouentza]

I didn't. Here is info about 'formative beech pruning' from the RHS website (www.rhs.org.uk/plants/beech/growing-guide?sv_campaign_id=78888&sv_tax1=affiliate&sv_tax2=323607&sv_tax3=Skimlinks&sv_tax4=forum.gardenersworld.com%2F&sv_affiliate_id=78888&awc=2273_1702064607_d1114faa8062d5147d3c11d395d11b0f)... "Newly planted: There is no need to prune your new hedging plants if they have plenty of side branches. If plants are sparse, however, help thicken them up by shortening the leading shoot and longer shoots by up to one third. Do this in winter or straight after planting. Repeat in the second year if the plants still look a bit leggy. From the third year onwards, trim the sides of the hedge in the second week of August. The top can be pruned when your beech hedge reaches the height you want to keep it at. If you aim for a width of about 1m (3¼ft) at the base and a flat-topped A-shape (in cross section), the hedge will be well-shaped with plenty of sunlight reaching the top and bottom." Hope this helps.

[@dawnreed4855]

Thankyou great advice in this video love the way you dig the grass out and the tips for the compost and bone meal mixture Thankyou

[@GardeningatDouentza]

So glad you found the video useful. It's a great time of year to plant a hedge

[@Cesc8170]

It is certainly one of my favourite trees from humid temperate zones, allong with oaks and chestnut trees.

[@moonorchid564]

Beautiful hedge, love to way you dig up the grass.

[@GardeningatDouentza]

Not my favourite job but thank you.

[@GrowWithGeorge]

Great work Rachel. You are a gardener with great experience.

[@GardeningatDouentza]

Thank you

[@FernandaNascimentoOrchids]

Thumbs up no doubt !!! wonderful how to do it video. And what lovely colours!!!

[@GardeningatDouentza]

❤️😊

[@denisecarvill4705]

Thank you rachel !

[@GardeningatDouentza]

You are very welcome.

[@sarahwilliams4675]

Beautifully explained Rachel.😉

[@GardeningatDouentza]

❤️😊

[@Bluemagilla]

This is interesting. I love parts of it, the colour combination of grass and orange flowers at the front is lovely. My garden is much smaller than yours so I may adopt just parts. Thank you for showing yours. Cheers!

[@rusticanrefined]

I loved your video. I wish we could get bare root here but with winter conditions coming they all shut down until Spring. I will search online and hopefully find a company willing to ship bare root shrubs. Thanks for sharing this, I love your hedge!

[@GardeningatDouentza]

Oh no. That's rough but do search online if you are in the market for a hedge. Thanks for watching and have a great day!

[@GrowingOrchidswithRoger]

I was lucky at my previous house as I'd found a large mature Beech clump that had self seeded a few years earlier and the land owner was ok to remove 'a few'. 50 trees later, I had my hedge. The little trees were around 2-3 ft and just pulled out of the ground which was years and years' worth of leaf litter. I did dug a trench as I had good easy to dig soil and they did go in staggered and only 1 foot apart - sort of like two rows. I often wonder if the new owners kept the hedge. Once we started trimming, we picked 3 trees to allow to grow to full size.

[@GardeningatDouentza]

How wonderful to get free hedging like that, Roger. And power to your elbow with that trench! I guess we all wonder what happens to our gardening efforts after we move on but let's hope they kept your hedge. Thanks for watching and have a great Friday!

[@GrowingOrchidswithRoger]

@@GardeningatDouentza 25+ years ago - a bit younger then!

[@emilyspaven9815]

Thanks for the video. Really useful! Could I add gravel/pebbles on top of the soil to suppress any weeds?

[@GardeningatDouentza]

Yes, you can do that. Just remember that you must feed in your hedge's first year so that will mean pulling the gravel back from the neck of the plants, applying the granular fertilizer, watering in and replacing your gravel.

[@margaretsims4344]

Great video except the music! I always enjoy your videos.

[@Nulife23]

I love your beech hedges...is this a special kind of beech made for hedges or just standard beech tree kept short?

[@GardeningatDouentza]

Thank you. This hedge is just standard beech trees (Fagus sylvetica) kept short. It is a plant that lends itself well to this treatment. Have a great evening.

[@alexjohnston9464]

Thank you - lovely video and information - though I didn't enjoy the background music it was distracting

[@GardeningatDouentza]

Ah,no one liked the background music it seems 😉

[@radharcanna]

A great job and lots of good practical advice. I’m trying to decide between hornbeam and beech. Having seen a lovely six foot tall beech hedge today, I think I’ve been convinced. Some people recommend that you cut down the plants after planting, in order to encourage growth at the bottom. What would you recommend?

[@GardeningatDouentza]

I think cutting back depends on the size you buy. If you buy taller, it makes no sense to cut them back. On the other hand, if you buy shorter, shorter bushes tend to be bushy below. Personally i've never cut back.

[@radharcanna]

@@GardeningatDouentza That makes perfect sense. Thanks for the reply.

[@botanicaltreasures2408]

Like your autumn 🍂 fitness program. Enjoyed watching the process. Unfortunately, I don’t have an inexpensive source for beech saplings. Don’t think I should take cuttings from the tree in the park downtown or at the campground ⛺️ in NC.

[@botanicaltreasures2408]

I should add an inexpensive local source. I wonder if such a hedge could be made with oaks or tulip poplars since I’m always removing tiny saplings from the lawn.

[@GardeningatDouentza]

Thanks for watching but, do leave the trees in the park alone! 😅 There are lots of different trees/bushes that can be used as hedging. I'm not sure oak lends itself to that though! Happy growing.

[@botanicaltreasures2408]

Gardening at Douentza The gorgeous 🍂tree at the park is safe from me. Although I do admit to coveting it. That’s the gold I want. I think you’re right that oaks wouldn’t be ideal their root system can be massive. I wonder why we don’t have hedgerows here much in South Carolina. Pennsylvania has more-out of hawthorns, etc.

[@kevinoconnor0]

Rachel - any advice on what bareroots to plant to create a mixed native hedgerow?

[@GardeningatDouentza]

Hi there. Here's a link with advice from the RHS on native hedging. The flora in Ireland and England is pretty similar. Blackthorn, hawthorn and hazel would be my best suggestions... www.rhs.org.uk/plants/articles/misc/best-native-shrubs-for-hedging

[@Dirtyd-dd7xy]

Always loved beach trees, live in Ohio, USA. We can grow sylvatica here fairly well in the right areas, I would love to find some plants the size of yours to plant a long large hedge at our farm. Obviously you are overseas, but I wonder if I could get some like yours?

[@GardeningatDouentza]

I love beech hedging too but I really can't advise where you might source it in USA

[@jamesdcurran6407]

Thank you that was very interesting and very informative. May I ask what size in height were those Copper Beech Saplings they looked awesome.

[@GardeningatDouentza]

I believe they were 90-120 cm tall.

[@jamesdcurran6407]

@@GardeningatDouentza Many thanks for your fast reply to my Q. They look absolutely fab once again many thanks. J C

[@patrickday4263]

How do the roots of the Beech do next to concrete driveways or sidewalks? I'm considering planing a Beech hedge right next our concrete drive, but do not want the roots to use problems with the concrete in the years to come. We plan to plant them within 1 foot of the concrete due to property lines and other factors that cannot be altered. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks

[@GardeningatDouentza]

Well, you can see that my beech is planted next to the drive and the mature section has been there for 11 years already with no problems. Obviously the plants need enough soil to spread their roots and establish. Hope this helps.

[@kevinoconnor0]

Is there any need to prune it down to a few inches when planted?

[@GardeningatDouentza]

No, no need to do that with beech.

[@michaelmccarthy4077]

I think I heard your hedge trimmers moaning in protest off in the background. 😉

[@GardeningatDouentza]

Haha. I know. I think I mentioned in a recent video that there would be no more hedges but Norman was on board with this one!

[@hithere5768]

Does beech hedging make alot of mess in the winter?

[@GardeningatDouentza]

Beech holds on to its leaves in winter but it does drop them in spring so that's when the mess happens.

[@Stannard825]

How many years will it take to catch up to the others?

[@GardeningatDouentza]

We will have to wait and see

[@_wormlet]

The already established hedge is Green Beech with Autumn colour?

[@GardeningatDouentza]

Green and purple beech with autumn colour.

[@at1the1beginning]

No no no Rachel, never backfill using organic material, especially on woody plants >

[@lily12370]

I didn't realize Ireland was so rocky. How do the poor farmers ever get their fields cultivated for crops? It is no wonder why we see so many stone cottages when we see farm pictures of Ireland.

[@GardeningatDouentza]

Not all of Ireland is rocky but my garden is because it was carved out of the side of a hill. Thanks for watching and have a great day.

[@fran7312]

Would love if you got rid of the flute music .. was driving me crazy .. while trying to listen to you .... 😢 apart from the crazy background music .. fab video thanks

[@GardeningatDouentza]

Sorry you feel that way

[@GardeningatDouentza]

​@@fran7312well, I don't remember why I added music on this video three years ago but I don't add any anymore.