Native Hedging Plants the Easy Way!

If there is one way to stand out from your neighbours and show the world some refreshing and handsome greenery into the bargain it is to grow a hedge sporting a proper variety of native hedging plants. It might take a little while to establish but it is worth every bit of the effort. And, once established, native hedging plants look superb, the more so if you grow together a few varieties.

Set up almost 30 years ago in 1974, Welland Vale has been supplying thousands of satisfied customers right across the UK with a full range of hedging plants and will provide all the supporting information and know-how to create hedges with distinction. We stock a variety of native hedging plants including common box, beech, copper beech, hornbeam, Siberian dogwood (just think of the beautiful combination of purple and green leaves from this plant alone), dog rose, field maple and so many more.

When you visit the website you can browse through all the plants, look at the actual varieties, choose how you wish them to be packaged, buy in bulk pallets for larger hedging projects, and you will find plenty of hedging advice too. You can learn about the best native hedge plants to suit your budget, how densely you need to plant, what plants to choose in order to achieve a hedge of a particular height – and everything you need to know about ground preparation, spacing and watering. Welland Vale Plants Direct has huge experience in the provision of all types of plant – bare root, root-balled and container-grown – for anyone who seeks hedge plants for sale in volume.

You will notice that the prices are extremely keen and that there is free delivery in the UK mainland for all orders valued at £250 or more excluding VAT. Yet further discounts are provided for customers buying in bulk.

There are a number of good reasons for making your purchase of native hedge plants online with Welland Vale. Apart from the convenience of this method and the keen prices, you also have the chance to browse through many reviews offered freely by customers which will assure you not only about the quality of the plants and how they have settled in and grown, but also about the efficiency of delivery and the state of the plants on arrival.

Online purchasing need not be an impersonal process. Welland Vale prides itself on the way it works with customers and establishes a good customer relationship. Sales representatives are available to talk to and to communicate via email too, and make it their business to help in any way they can.

A How-To on Native Hedging Plants

Planting a native hedge is not only makes your garden more diverse and interesting, but it is also a fantastic way to attract wildlife. It won’t take long until you reap the benefits that your native hedging plant will bring. The berries, seeds and flowers will help attract a variety of birds, insects and more than likely a number of small mammals to your garden.

If you have the patience then the best and cheapest way to create a native hedge is from whips. Whips are young, bare-root saplings, that can be bought in bundles or as single plants around autumn to early spring. They tend to be around a year old when you buy them.

Whips can be easily sourced from your local garden centre. It’s also fairly easily to get hold of them online, where a number of companies will provide them by mail order. It may also be worth contacting your local council as some are able to provide grants under certain circumstances.

Once you’ve got your whips you must then make the preparations for planting. Autumn to spring is the most ideal period for planting, but as long as the ground isn't frozen or waterlogged, you should be fine. Bear in mind that the native hedging plant will be in place for several years, so making sure that the preparations are thorough is essential. Start by removing any weeds and large stones. After that you should dig the area over and mix in some soil

Plant the whips roughly half a metre apart. The spacing of each native hedging plant really depends on how quickly it will grow, as well as how big it is likely to grow. It's better to air on the side of caution when it comes down to spacing because you can always fill in any gaps later on. Make sure the entire area is well watered and give the hedge thick mulch which will help combat any weeds causing a nuisance to the hedge growth.  

Make sure that you feed the native hedging plant every year as well as topping up the mulch. You may also be required to help water the hedge during dryer periods. If you are going to prune the hedge then autumn is the best time to do so. This is so you don’t disturb any nesting birds and the deciduous trees and shrubs are dormant.

The Wollemi Pine; A Prehistoric Plant With a Remarkable Story

Every year, hundreds of new plant species are described as new to science. Most are of interest only to specialists and have no commercial significance. 

The discovery of the Wollemi pine in Australia in 1995 was a sensation. The genus Wollemia was formally described a year later with W. nobilis as its only species. The tree is so different from all other known conifers that it did not sit comfortably in any existing genus and so needed a new one to be created.

It belongs to an ancient family of conifers called Araucariaceae which previously comprised only two genera. There is Araucaria, famous for the species A. araucana that is commonly known as the ‘Monkey Puzzle’ and is frequently planted in British gardens. The other is Agathis, a massive tree from New Zealand. Trees of the Araucariaceae were much more widespread in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, sharing their environment with dinosaurs, but are now restricted to the southern hemisphere. There are fossil records of Wollemia dating back more than 100 million years.

It is truly amazing that a tree that can grow to 40 metres tall should have escaped detection until 1995. The reason is that only a small relict population, comprising less than 100 trees, survived in a few canyons in the Blue Mountains near Sydney, Australia. The difficulty of access to the habitat accounts for its late discovery.

Since Wollemia was discovered, there has been an effective programme of propagation to make the plant available to cultivators around the world and it is now planted in many botanical gardens. It is also available to gardeners, its unique appearance and remarkable story make it a real ‘talking point’. The limited experience of its cultivation suggests that it is tolerant of most well-drained soils and hardy down to -15°C.

Even young specimens in containers are capable of producing cones, both male and female on the same tree. These add to the appeal and help to make Wollemia a suitable candidate for a large pot which can be given some protection in winter by being placed in a glasshouse or conservatory. Container grown plants are available for sale and these can be purchased and placed in a large pot or outside at any time of year. Soil preparation is important so incorporating organic matter and, on heavy soils, some grit will help the tree to establish.

Laurel Care & Information

The laurel bush is a common, low-maintenance garden border and hedge which is used extensively in gardens around the world. There are lots of variations to the laurel bush, such as the mountain laurel and the English laurel, which is often referred to as the cherry laurel or common laurel.

Welland Vale have an extensive range of laurel bushes, so we have put together some information that should help you maintain your new plant. Just click on the link here.

Industry News Bulletin

Here are some articles Welland Vale Nurseries have found from around the web.

Shade-loving plants can brighten the garden

It's a summer gardening dilemma: People love shade, but most plants prefer sun. Under towering trees or man-made structures, shade creates cool oases. On a triple-digit afternoon, that sunless shadow can lower the temperature 10 to 20 degrees. But that same shade can kill sun-loving plants. They'll stretch their stems into a gangly, unattractive mess as they search for slivers of light. Flowers? Forget it. There can be a happy gardening medium, a space with cooling shade for humans and enough light for flowering plants to thrive. The key is finding the right spots for the right plants -- and people, too.

Via http://www.heraldextra.com/

Gardens: plants for cracks

The back garden path is a different beast, being exposed to the sun and occasionally hot and baked. It calls for something Mediterranean in nature rather than just in name, and creeping thymes are the thing. You can create a kind of tapestry effect by mixing those with different coloured flowers (white 'Snowdrift', pink 'Bressingham Pink') and variously variegated types (green and gold leaved 'Doone Valley', glaucous Thymus pseudolanuginosus), or stick to one kind for a cleaner effect. I've also considered mixing in a small section of the non-flowering, mat-forming chamomile 'Treneague', which is the plant to go for to create Miniature Rivers of chamomile lawn. 

Via http://www.theguardian.com

Keeping plants happy in summer

Heat and sunlight not only affect gardeners, they also impact plants. Leaves can become sunburned and begin to get large yellow patches that turn grey or brown in the centre. If plants showing signs of sunburn are in pots or containers move them to areas where there is more afternoon shade. If the plants are in the ground, it may be necessary to erect some form of shade cloth protection on the south and west sides of the plant. If certain plants become too stressed in the summer, it might be a good idea to consider moving the plant to a more suitable location in the fall or early spring, or add protective, shade-giving plants to the existing landscape.

Via http://www.vvdailypress.com

The dirt on soil: What you need to know about what your plants need to thrive

Despite the glamour issue, or lack of it, if you want to garden well, you will eventually get serious about soil. You learn that soil is a mix of sand, clay and silt particles. You read about the importance of soil porosity and that some of these pores need to be filled with air and others need to be filled with water. You are also constantly counselled to add copious quantities of compost or other organics to your soil. I go on about this constantly, like a broken record.

Via http://www.calgaryherald.com

August in the Garden

For many gardeners the month of August begins the downhill slide into off season. Warm climate gardeners have a second chance, but some don't have a second wind after summer's heat. Your garden is hardier than you think and there are plenty of gardening tasks for August that will keep your flower and vegetable gardens going longer, as well as opportunities to get a head start on next year's garden plans.

Via http://gardening.about.com

This industry bulletin was brought to you by Welland Vale Nurseries 

Welland Vale Nurseries - About Us

Here at Welland Vale Plants Direct we supply the best quality hedging plants in a number sizes - from 15cm to 210cm - bare root, root balled and container grown. 

With more than thirty years of growing experience, you can trust Welland Vale to deliver the goods, and surpass your expectations. If you have any questions or would like to speak to one of our experienced staff for advice, please do not hesitate to contact us.