Planting a 'beech hedge on legs'

[Dorset Treeman]

A client has asked me to plant a beech hedge and maintain it so that the lower branches are pruned over the first few years to for a 'hedge on legs' so that the first 90cm or so are just bare stems so that they can still see a stone wall on their boundary and then there is a maintained hedge from 90cm - 2m to block out the houses behind. The hedge is 20m then a gap for a gate, followed by another 15m stretch.

 

I have maintained hedges like this in the past so am confident this can be achieved but I wasn't sure about the planting spaces. I am thinking that it would be a straight line instead of 2 staggered rows and maybe 1m spacings.

 

 

Has anyone planted a hedge like this before and if so, any advice would be appreciated.

[Stubby]

A client has asked me to plant a beech hedge and maintain it so that the lower branches are pruned over the first few years to for a 'hedge on legs' so that the first 90cm or so are just bare stems so that they can still see a stone wall on their boundary and then there is a maintained hedge from 90cm - 2m to block out the houses behind. The hedge is 20m then a gap for a gate, followed by another 15m stretch.

 

I have maintained hedges like this in the past so am confident this can be achieved but I wasn't sure about the planting spaces. I am thinking that it would be a straight line instead of 2 staggered rows and maybe 1m spacings.

 

 

Has anyone planted a hedge like this before and if so, any advice would be appreciated.

 

Planted ten or twelve pleached laurels (with the bamboo frames on the crowns ) to give this instant effect . The growth started about head height . Trees were spaced so that the crowns were top quite touching . About 8 feet apart I would think . It was last year .

Edited October 19, 2014 by Stubby

[Adam M]

A client has asked me to plant a beech hedge and maintain it so that the lower branches are pruned over the first few years to for a 'hedge on legs' so that the first 90cm or so are just bare stems so that they can still see a stone wall on their boundary and then there is a maintained hedge from 90cm - 2m to block out the houses behind. The hedge is 20m then a gap for a gate, followed by another 15m stretch.

 

I have maintained hedges like this in the past so am confident this can be achieved but I wasn't sure about the planting spaces. I am thinking that it would be a straight line instead of 2 staggered rows and maybe 1m spacings.

 

 

Has anyone planted a hedge like this before and if so, any advice would be appreciated.

 

Griffin Nursery in Liphook may be able to provide preached trees to get you started with a more instant effect.

[Paul Jenks]

http://www.eastofedenplants.co.uk/images/plants/PDF/Instant%20Hedging%20and%20Natural%20Screens%20including%20Pleached%20Trees%20and%20%20Bamboo%20Hedge%20Screens.pdf

[Goaty]

Yes I would go single row wide spacings probably a minimum of 3 ft apart or you aren't going to see the wall much. I dare go 6ft personally but customers always want instant effect.

 

Staggered is an ancient stockproof spec and if your doing stockproof you are going to have to lay it for it to be reliable and use spikey plants.

[Dorset Treeman]

Thanks guys for the advice.

 

They have been put off buying pleached plants by the price and seem keen on beech so I am buying 6 ft bare root and plan to start pruning (lower branches removed and side laterals reduced) a year after planting and then for the first few winters after that until the 'hedge on legs' starts to take shape. I have decided on 5 ft gaps so hopefully that will work out.

[Goaty]

Trim them when you plant then. Beech stress with transplanting from root disruption. The roots struggle to keep the leaves going due to being top heavy.

You will be helping them.