Instant Hedges FAQ

These are a few key points which need to be considered when purchasing specimen trees, such as our pleached, espalier and semi-mature trees or instant hedging elements, such as topiary, which are as follows:

• How large is the area I am planting the instant hedging or tree in?
• Is it close to a building? Will it overshadow the garden?
• Is there sufficient access to get the trees or instant hedging in?
• Is there access around the house large enough to get them in? – Is the lorry able to park on the drive or road and can the diggers get into the planting area?
• How tall do the trees or instant hedges need to be? – If you have an ideal height, we can work around that giving you lower and higher options to best suit your budget.
• What is the ground like? – Is it clay or chalk? Does it hold water in the year?

These questions are all just pointers for when thinking about what you are looking to achieve when purchasing our instant hedging or trees. We generally ask these questions in order to give you the right options, making sure the planting goes smoothly and you get the right result for your garden. Emailing us photos with a brief overview of what you would like to do is always a great way for us to see what you are looking to do. It also allows us to know whether we need to conduct a site visit.

There are many opinions on what a ‘safe tree planting distance’ is from buildings. Though, you do need to use some common sense because pleached, espalier and semi-mature trees can do damage to foundations if planted too close.

However, It’s not uncommon if you’re not sure, so our Hedgeforce team can advise you on what we would recommend in terms of planting distances. Our advice will depend on the size of the trees you require and how close you would like them from your property.

All our trees and instant hedging elements are sold without an inclusive delivery cost for a few reasons:

• We don’t believe that one price suits all. This is because some deliveries are further away, more complicated and should be looked at on an individual basis. This way, you get the best price for what you require.
• Due to the size and height of our various instant hedging elements and trees, all our products are sent on a curtain sided lorry rather than through the post. This is a key element for us to make sure you get your trees or instant hedging safely delivered at an agreed day/time.
• In most cases, our trees and instant hedging are too large to be palletised, which is the standard requirement for most transport companies that are handling our products. So, the products have to be sent on a dedicated lorry loose loaded because they have to lay down flat.
• In some cases, we can offer a more specialised lorry, but this is more expensive. However, they are designed to not only carry, but come equipped to off-load the instant hedging and trees. The driver will also know how to handle the products which can save a lot of time and effort on site when unloading them and putting them up to the planting area.

Please see our delivery options guide for further information.

We can offer a range of products for aftercare maintenance, such as the following:

• Top-dress fertilisers
• Composts
• Both underground and over ground irrigation systems
• Advice over the phone (which is free!)

Remember, if you have any concerns or just have a couple of questions, just call our instant hedging experts or send us an email (with or without photos) and we will do our best to offer our advice.