Best Time To Plant Hedges & Trees In the UK

“Which month is best for planting?” is an age-old debate!

You can plant trees or hedges at any time of year.
There are pros & cons to each season.

Watering new plants well in dry weather until they are established is the most important thing.

Bareroot Season Starts In Autumn – November

With woody plants like trees, hedge plants, or rose bushes, it’s always better to buy them bareroot.
Bareroot plants are delivered during the winter planting season, from November to March.

November is the last month of Autumn, but the first month of the winter planting season, so it’s Early Planting in this context.

Bareroot plants that are planted in November, when the soil retains some warmth, should see better root establishment with earlier and stronger top-growth the following Spring. 

Advantages of Early Bareroot Planting

Planting Early, in November, is best practice where possible: there is no bad month.

• Root Growth:
  • Roots have time to establish before supporting new leaves, leading to better nutrient and water uptake in Spring.
• Moisture:
  • Autumn typically has more dew and rainfall, so additional watering may be unnecessary.
• Reduced Water Loss:
  • Lower temperatures decrease water loss from foliage & new bark.

Advantages of Late Bareroot Planting

Planting Late, in March, has advantages in some situations:

• Plants Not Exposed all Winter:
  • New evergreen trees can be stressed by cold wind, so in exposed locations Late Planting may be better. In most sheltered gardens, it’s not an issue.
     
• Planting on Clay:
  • Heavy clay that waterlogs all Winter is rare in gardens. 
  • Plants that grow well in damp clay may still fail if they are transplanted into wet clay soil.
  • Yew is particularly sensitive to waterlogging in the first year.
  • Late Planting allows plants to establish in drier soil before the next waterlogged season.

Advantages of Planting Pot Grown Trees in Summer

• Only available option outside of Winter
• Plants will be happy in their pots for months if there is a delay
• Potted or rootballed plants often don’t need any staking

Summary

• November: Getting the roots into the ground early allows them to develop through the winter whenever temperatures rise.
  The tree has better access to water and nutrients when it comes into growth in Spring. This is the best start to the year!
• December-February: Trees are fully dormant, so suffer less stress/disturbance when they are lifted & transplanted.
• March: The ground is warming, so plants can start to establish roots promptly, but leaf production is often delayed. Good watering in dry weather is even more essential.
• Rest of year: Drying out is the enemy, so be sure you can water potted plants that you plant out in late Spring to early Autumn