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Bare root Yew hedge help.

CraighBCraighB Posts: 758
edited November 2021 in Plants
Hi guys,

I have just purchased some small 30/40cm bare root Yew hedging from hopesgrove nurseries and it recommends planting 5 plants per meter in a single row. It also says this on the hedges direct website too. Does that seem a lot or is that about right? Or should I do it in a double staggered row instead to allow more room for them to grow?

Also I spoke to one of the agents on the phone and she said when I get them I should trim them so that they are all roughly the same height because they will all be slightly different sizes and it will also promote bushier growth. However I read on their own website and various others not to trim the top because this will slow down their growth rate massively? I ideally want the hedge to grow to about 2.5 meters tall.

Im a bit confused so I hope someone can clear this up for me.
Thanks
Craigh :)

Posts

  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,355
    With the majority of hedging plants it's good practice to cut back the plants to encourage bushy lateral growth. I have read (but I don't know) that yew should be treated differently.

    My understanding is that yew will grow away fairly quickly each year until you cut back the main leader. After that the rate of growth is checked quite significantly. Is that what you understand as well?

    My own instinct would be to plant the yew spaced closer to 4 per metre (about 10" apart) and to leave them untrimmed. See how fast they grow and perhaps only think about tidying them to look more like a hedge when they're about a metre high.

    But... that's only my thoughts on what I would do based on reading the same info as you. I've not grown yew myself but I have done a bit of research with a view to replacing box hedging with yew. I got a tad confused as well....
    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • CraighBCraighB Posts: 758
    @Topbird Yes I also read that with yew cutting the leaders will slow down the upwards growth rate and that you would be lucky to get 10cm a year of upward growth. If the leaders are left alone then it will produce up to 40cm a year and then my understanding is once it has reached the final height you want it, then to start to trim the top. But other sources contradict this.
  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,355
    Hopefully somebody who has grown yew from small plants will come along to help us🙂 Meanwhile I might contact my local hedging company to see what they recommend - they're a small family business and pretty good at what they do. I'll let you know.
    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • CraighBCraighB Posts: 758
    edited November 2021
    @Topbird that's great thank you.

    I have a feeling I may have ordered too many plants as I have allowed for 5 plants per meter, which does sound a lot even though that's what they recommend. Just seen a video on gardeners world and Monty recommends spacing them 18 inches apart if doing a single row.

    Hmmm it's important to get this right because yew isn't cheap. So if anyone has grown a yew hedge I would really love to know how far apart you planted yours and whether you did and single or a zigzag double row? :) I want my hedge to be around 75cm wide.
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