Hedge Delivery, Access & Professional Planting

Hedging plants can vary considerably in size and weight. Smaller bare-root plants may be carried easily, while large root-balled, instant or pleached hedging can require several people, specialist equipment and carefully planned access.

Checking delivery and planting requirements before ordering helps avoid delays, additional costs and plants being left somewhere unsuitable.

This guide explains the main points to consider when ordering hedging from Landscaping Emporium.

Before ordering your hedge

Before placing an order, confirm:

  • The total hedge length

  • The plant species

  • The preferred height

  • Whether bare-root, root-balled or container-grown plants are required

  • The number of plants

  • The delivery postcode

  • Road and vehicle access

  • The route from the delivery point to the planting area

  • Gate and passage widths

  • Steps and changes in level

  • Ground conditions

  • Whether professional planting is required

  • Whether irrigation, mulch or protective fencing is needed

If you are unsure about the species, use our Find My Hedge selector.

How many hedging plants do I need?

The number of plants depends on:

  • Hedge length

  • Species

  • Plant size

  • Stock type

  • Root-ball or container dimensions

  • Recommended spacing

  • Whether a single or staggered row is required

  • How quickly a continuous hedge is wanted

Do not assume that every hedge requires the same number of plants per metre. Larger plants generally need wider spacing than small bare-root whips.

Use our hedge plant calculator for an initial estimate. The individual product specification should be used to confirm the final quantity.

Bare-root hedging delivery

Bare-root plants are field-grown and lifted while dormant, with little or no soil surrounding their roots.

They are generally:

  • Relatively lightweight

  • Easier to transport

  • Economical for long hedge runs

  • Supplied during the dormant season

  • Vulnerable to drying if left exposed

  • Best planted promptly after delivery

The roots must be kept cool, moist and protected from sun and wind until planting.

Do not leave bare-root hedging uncovered on a patio, driveway or in direct sunlight.

If immediate planting is not possible, contact us for appropriate temporary storage advice.

Root-balled hedging delivery

Root-balled plants are field-grown and lifted with soil retained around the root system, normally held together with hessian and wire.

The root ball can be extremely heavy, particularly on larger plants.

Before ordering, consider:

  • Individual plant weight

  • Root-ball dimensions

  • Whether plants can pass through the available access

  • How they will be unloaded

  • How far they must be moved

  • Steps, slopes and soft ground

  • Whether lifting equipment is needed

  • Where the plants can be placed before planting

A plant’s height alone does not indicate whether it can be moved easily. The root ball may be wider than a gate and too heavy for manual handling.

Container-grown hedging delivery

Container-grown hedging is supplied with its root system established within a pot or container.

The plants can normally be planted throughout more of the year than bare-root and root-balled stock, subject to weather and ground conditions.

Larger containers can still be very heavy. Check:

  • Pot dimensions

  • Plant width

  • Total height

  • Individual weight

  • Available access

  • How the plants will be moved

  • Whether the pots must remain upright

Plants should not be lifted or dragged by their stems or branches.

Instant hedging delivery

Instant hedging is supplied in established sections rather than as individual young plants.

These sections can be:

  • Long

  • Wide

  • Very heavy

  • Difficult to turn through narrow access

  • Unsuitable for manual handling

  • Dependent on machinery for unloading and positioning

Before ordering instant hedging, we may need to assess:

  • Delivery-vehicle access

  • Gate widths

  • Turning space

  • Ground-bearing capacity

  • Crane or mechanical lifting requirements

  • Overhead cables

  • Steps and retaining walls

  • Storage space

  • The distance to the planting line

Explore our instant hedging options.

Pleached hedging delivery

Pleached trees and hedging have clear stems supporting a trained panel of branches.

Their overall width and height can make access more difficult than their root-ball size suggests.

Check for:

  • Narrow gates

  • Low arches

  • Roof overhangs

  • Telephone or electrical cables

  • Tight corners

  • Access through garages

  • Door heights

  • Scaffolding

  • Temporary structures

  • Existing trees and branches

  • Wind exposure during handling

The trained frames and branches must be protected during unloading and movement.

Browse our pleached hedging options.

What access information do we need?

Please provide accurate information about the complete route to the planting area.

This should include:

Road access

Tell us about:

  • Narrow roads

  • Weight restrictions

  • Low bridges

  • Restricted delivery times

  • Difficult junctions

  • Limited parking

  • Double yellow lines

  • Permit-controlled areas

  • Private roads

  • Unmade tracks

Driveway access

Check:

  • Entrance width

  • Gate width and height

  • Turning space

  • Overhead trees and cables

  • Surface strength

  • Slopes

  • Parked vehicles

  • Restricted manoeuvring space

Garden access

Measure:

  • Side passages

  • Gates

  • Doorways

  • Alleyways

  • Steps

  • Changes in direction

  • Low archways

  • Routes through garages

  • Routes through the house

Provide the narrowest width and lowest clearance, not only the main gate dimensions.

Ground conditions

Tell us if the access route includes:

  • Soft lawns

  • Wet ground

  • Gravel

  • Steep slopes

  • Newly laid paving

  • Narrow paths

  • Drain covers

  • Steps

  • Retaining walls

  • Restricted working space

Photographs and short videos can be helpful, but measurements are still required.

Kerbside and site delivery

The exact delivery arrangement depends on the product, supplier, vehicle and whether planting is included.

Delivery may be:

  • Kerbside

  • To the driveway

  • To an accessible unloading area

  • To the planting position as part of an installation service

  • Completed using a tail lift

  • Completed using a vehicle-mounted lifting system

  • Dependent on specialist equipment

Unless specifically agreed, do not assume that a delivery driver will carry large plants through the garden or position them along the planting line.

The agreed delivery point and unloading arrangement should be confirmed before the order is finalised.

Who is responsible for unloading?

Unloading arrangements vary according to the order.

For a supply-only delivery, the customer may need to provide:

  • Suitable people

  • A pallet truck or lifting equipment

  • Clear unloading space

  • Immediate access to the delivery point

  • Protection for driveways and paving

  • A suitable temporary storage area

Where professional planting has been ordered, unloading and movement to the planting area will normally be planned as part of the work, subject to the agreed access and scope.

Any specialist lifting requirements must be identified before delivery.

Delivery dates and timing

Plants are living and sometimes seasonally lifted products. Delivery timing can be affected by:

  • Nursery lifting schedules

  • Weather

  • Frozen ground

  • Waterlogged fields

  • Stock availability

  • Transport

  • Plant condition

  • Seasonal demand

  • Access limitations

We will provide the available delivery information, but customers should avoid arranging unrelated contractors or machinery around an unconfirmed plant-delivery time.

Someone may need to be present to accept and inspect the order.

Check plants when they arrive

Inspect the delivery as soon as reasonably possible.

Check:

  • Species

  • Quantity

  • Plant size

  • Obvious transport damage

  • Root-ball condition

  • Container condition

  • Moisture around bare roots

  • Whether the order matches the delivery documentation

Seasonal appearance varies. Deciduous plants delivered during dormancy may have no leaves, and root-balled or bare-root stock may not look like container-grown plants photographed during summer.

Photograph any significant delivery damage immediately and contact us in accordance with the applicable terms and instructions.

Where should plants be stored?

Plants should ideally be installed promptly.

If short-term storage is unavoidable:

  • Keep roots protected.

  • Prevent root balls from drying.

  • Keep bare roots covered and moist.

  • Protect plants from strong wind.

  • Avoid direct heat and prolonged sunlight.

  • Keep containers upright.

  • Do not leave plants standing in stagnant water.

  • Protect them from pets and wildlife.

  • Follow any nursery-specific instructions.

Large plants can become unstable when stored above ground and may need temporary support.

Contact us if planting is delayed unexpectedly.

Preparing for professional planting

Before our team arrives, the planting route and work area should be accessible.

Please arrange for:

  • Vehicles to be moved

  • Gates to be unlocked

  • Pets to be secured

  • Garden furniture to be moved

  • Fragile items to be protected

  • Access to water

  • Access to electricity where agreed

  • The hedge line to be confirmed

  • Existing services to be identified

  • Other contractors to avoid the work area

  • Neighbours to be informed where access affects them

Tell us about any known underground services, including:

  • Electricity

  • Gas

  • Water

  • Drainage

  • Communications cables

  • Irrigation

  • Garden-lighting cables

  • Private services to outbuildings

The absence of visible inspection covers does not mean that the area is free from services.

Removing an existing hedge

If an old hedge must be removed, confirm whether the quotation includes:

  • Cutting down

  • Root removal

  • Stump grinding

  • Green-waste removal

  • Fence removal

  • Treatment of invasive plants

  • Additional soil

  • Regrading

  • Disposal charges

Removing mature hedging can reveal damaged fencing, uneven ground, drainage problems and previously hidden services.

The condition of the ground cannot always be fully assessed until the existing hedge has been removed.

Preparing the hedge line

Good ground preparation is essential for establishment.

The work may include:

  • Removing turf

  • Clearing weeds

  • Removing rubble

  • Relieving compaction

  • Excavating a connected planting trench

  • Improving poor soil where appropriate

  • Checking drainage

  • Setting the hedge line

  • Establishing finished levels

  • Installing irrigation

  • Preparing supports

  • Adding suitable backfill

Avoid treating each plant as an isolated hole within compacted ground. A continuous prepared rooting area generally gives the hedge a better opportunity to establish evenly.

Planting depth

Hedging should normally be planted at approximately the same depth at which it was previously growing.

Planting too deeply can reduce oxygen around the roots and bury the lower stems. Planting too shallowly can expose roots and cause instability.

Root flares and existing soil marks can help indicate the previous growing depth.

Hessian, wire and container materials should be dealt with according to the plant and nursery specification rather than following one rule for every product.

Supporting large hedging plants

Larger plants may need temporary support while their root systems establish.

The support method may include:

  • Stakes

  • Canes

  • Timber frames

  • Underground anchoring

  • Wire systems

  • Pleached-tree frames

  • Ties and spacers

Supports should hold the plant securely without damaging stems or preventing appropriate movement.

Ties need periodic inspection and adjustment as the plants grow.

Irrigation for new hedging

Consistent watering is essential during establishment.

Water needs to reach the full depth of the root system. Light surface watering is often insufficient, particularly for large root balls.

A hedging-irrigation system can:

  • Deliver water along the hedge line

  • Reduce uneven watering

  • Make longer hedges easier to manage

  • Direct water towards the root zone

  • Support regular watering during dry periods

The system still needs monitoring. Timings should be adjusted according to rainfall, soil and season.

Explore our hedging-irrigation option.

Bark mulch

Applying bark mulch after planting can:

  • Reduce weed competition

  • Help conserve soil moisture

  • Moderate soil temperature

  • Protect the prepared soil surface

  • Create a neat finish

Mulch should be spread over the root area but kept clear of the main stems.

View our bark mulch for hedging.

Stock fencing and plant protection

New native or rural hedging may need protection from livestock, rabbits, deer or other animals.

Protection might include:

  • Stock fencing

  • Rabbit guards

  • Spiral guards

  • Individual tree guards

  • Temporary barriers

  • Stakes and supports

The type of protection depends on the animals present and the purpose of the hedge.

Fencing should be positioned so that animals cannot reach through and repeatedly damage the new plants.

After planting

The customer remains responsible for routine aftercare unless an ongoing maintenance service has been agreed.

Important tasks include:

  • Watering

  • Weed control

  • Checking soil moisture

  • Inspecting stakes and ties

  • Replenishing mulch

  • Protecting plants

  • Monitoring for pests and disease

  • Appropriate formative pruning

  • Reporting concerns promptly

Larger plants are not maintenance-free. Their greater leaf area can make careful watering especially important.

Read our guide to looking after newly planted trees and hedging.

Supply-only hedging

Supply-only orders may be suitable where the customer or their contractor can:

  • Confirm quantities and spacing

  • Prepare the ground correctly

  • Accept and unload the delivery

  • Move the plants safely

  • Install them promptly

  • Provide appropriate support

  • Water thoroughly

  • Maintain the hedge during establishment

The person undertaking the planting should understand the requirements of the particular plant size and stock type.

If access, weight or preparation is uncertain, professional planting may provide a more reliable solution.

Professional hedge planting

Our professional planting service can include:

  • Site assessment

  • Species and size advice

  • Measuring

  • Quantity calculations

  • Access planning

  • Delivery coordination

  • Ground preparation

  • Hedge planting

  • Stakes and supports

  • Irrigation

  • Mulching

  • Plant protection

  • Initial aftercare advice

  • Waste removal where agreed

The exact scope will be stated in the quotation.

Learn more about our hedging supply and planting service.

Hedge delivery and planting across North West England

Landscaping Emporium supplies and professionally plants hedging throughout Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Merseyside and surrounding areas.

Our main service areas include:

  • Blackburn

  • Bolton

  • Chorley

  • Clitheroe

  • Formby

  • Knutsford

  • Lytham

  • Manchester

  • Ormskirk

  • Preston

  • Ribble Valley

  • Southport

  • Warrington

  • Whalley

  • Wigan

Projects outside these locations may be considered depending on the order, access and distance.

Plan your hedge delivery

Before ordering, gather:

  • The hedge length

  • Photographs of the planting area

  • Photographs of the delivery route

  • Gate and passage measurements

  • Details of steps and slopes

  • The delivery postcode

  • Your preferred plant species

  • The required height

  • Any known underground services

  • Information about the soil and drainage

  • Whether planting is required

Browse our hedging plants, use our Find My Hedge selector, or contact Landscaping Emporium to discuss delivery, access and professional planting.