Planting a hedge in spring: what changes, what stays the same

Autumn planting gets most of the attention, and there are good reasons for that: bare-root stock is cheaper, the soil is warm and moist, and hedges have a full winter to settle their roots before the dry season arrives. But plenty of people want to plant a hedge in March, April or May, whether they missed the autumn window or simply decided over winter. Spring planting is entirely viable; it just requires more attention to watering.

The RHS YouTube channel (over 104,000 subscribers) covers hedge planting in detail, including the differences between bare-root and container-grown stock and how to give new plants the best start. The guide below reflects the same principles, adapted for the conditions we see in East Kent.

The key difference: pot-grown not bare-root

Bare-root hedging plants are lifted from nursery fields while dormant, with their roots exposed to air. They must go in during dormancy, roughly November to early March. After March, the root system is actively growing and bare-root plants transplant poorly.

From March onwards you use pot-grown or root-ball plants instead. These come with their root system intact in compost and can be planted while actively growing. They cost more per plant than bare-root, but the range available from UK garden centres and online hedging nurseries in spring is good, and the survival rate from a properly watered spring planting is comparable to autumn bare-root.

Checklist item by item

1. Soil temperature

In a cold spring, planting in waterlogged or frozen-feeling soil sets the plants back further than waiting. A soil thermometer is inexpensive and worth using. In most of East Kent, the ground reaches a usable temperature by late March, earlier in sheltered south-facing gardens around Sandwich Bay or the Deal coast.

2. Pot-grown stock

Order from a UK specialist hedging nursery or a well-stocked garden centre. Avoid anything that has been sitting in a tiny pot for months; roots circling the pot base indicate the plant has been there too long. Gently loosen compacted roots before planting.

3. Clear the planting strip

Remove all grass and weeds from a minimum 90cm-wide strip along the planting line. In spring, actively growing grass and weeds compete hard with new hedging plants. A sharp spade or a hoe, rather than chemicals, keeps it clean. Take care of any existing vegetation and check the area carefully before disturbing it (see nesting note below).

4. Soil preparation

East Kent has a wide range of soils. Chalk and light loam around Sandwich, Woodnesborough and Eastry drain quickly and benefit from generous additions of compost and a mulch to hold moisture. Clay soils toward Deal and Worth hold water better but may need grit worked in to prevent compaction around new roots.

5. Spacing

For a dense formal hedge, plant at 2 to 3 plants per metre for privet, laurel and beech. Leylandii at 60 to 90cm centres for a screen. Escallonia and griselinia at 50 to 60cm. See our full hedge planting spacing guide for species-specific distances.

6. Water in thoroughly

At planting, saturate the root zone. Do not just wet the surface. The most common reason spring-planted hedges fail is root dry-out in the weeks after planting while the hedge looks fine above ground. Water every two to three days for the first six to eight weeks unless there has been significant rain.

7. Mulch

A 75mm layer of bark mulch along the full planting strip makes a material difference. It retains soil moisture, reduces weed competition and moderates soil temperature. Keep mulch slightly away from the base of the stems to prevent rot. This single step reduces watering frequency significantly.

8. Summer watering plan

East Kent summers can be dry. A hedge planted in April needs watering through its first July and August. Set a reminder, plan how you will water (hose, watering can, seep hose), and tell anyone who might be looking after the garden during holidays. The investment in watering the first summer pays dividends for decades.

Which species establish best in spring?

Privet is the most forgiving of the common Kent hedge species, establishing quickly from pot-grown stock planted in spring. It tolerates poor soil and handles dry spells better than most once established.

Laurel (cherry laurel and Portuguese laurel) establishes well from pot-grown stock in spring. Its large leaves lose a lot of water, so watering is more critical in the first few weeks than with smaller-leaved species.

Griselinia establishes readily in spring, is salt-tolerant (useful for gardens near Sandwich Bay or the Deal seafront) and is a popular choice on the coast for that reason.

Escallonia and hebe are also well suited to pot-grown spring planting and are happy on the chalk and light soils found around Sandwich and Woodnesborough.

Beech and hornbeam are traditionally autumn-planted as bare-root stock, but container-grown beech and hornbeam planted in April establish well with consistent watering. Avoid planting in May once warm weather has arrived; they dry out more easily than evergreens.

Leylandii planted in spring from pots establishes quickly, sometimes more rapidly than autumn-planted stock because it immediately hits active growing conditions. Plant at the right spacing (60 to 90cm) and do not be tempted to plant closer to get faster coverage; overcrowded leylandii hedges cause more problems than they solve.

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