Where best to buy trees/hedges

[StarlitTrees]

Having recently moved into a house with a blank canvas garden, I’d like to add some hedges and trees in to add some privacy and some security.
Having a quick look online it’s really quite overwhelming!

I love spending time doing a bit of gardening, but I would most certainly class myself as a novice!

Any suggestions of where best to buy trees and hedges. Garden centre? Online? And what kinds? Pots? Root balls (whatever that means!)?

It’s become quite clear that to buy plants to create a hedge and a couple of trees will be a bit pricey and I don’t want to risk killing them off!

I’m very excited to create a little haven, but as I’ve said, a little overwhelmed!

All advice greatfully received.

Barcham Trees have an amazing website. Even if you don’t use them they will guide you as to the right tree for your situation. Crocus are my favourite supplier, and then Telegraph Garden Shop.

As for the descriptions you mention, I hope this helps. Some trees have spent all their time in a pot, so you just have to tease out the roots when planting. Others have been grown in the ground and will be e dug up and shipped in various ways. Some are called ‘bare root’ and are the most economical and best way to buy. Then there is the root ball. These plants are dug from the ground a few seasons before shipping, roots are trimmed and encased in a canvas sack. Some nurseries will sell you loose earth trees and shrubs. These are dug up from the soil and potted on just before shipping. You can either leave them in a pot for one season of plant straight into the ground.

Oh an avoid Primrose they are not very careful with their shipping.

I’d look for a local nursery, where you can see the quality of plants. Also get some advice on the type of hedge you want and what you want to achieve as an end result.
Personally I love mixed hedging with plants that give interest at different times of year, such as escallonia, holly, variegated laurel and forsythia.

Bare root plants are much cheaper because they come without soil, however you can only plant these in the winter so if you want to get them in soon I'd suggest going asap.

Personally I like to choose plants which will give me edible fruit or nuts - for hedging popular choices include blackthorn (for sloe gin), hazel, cornelian cherry, crab apple, cherry plum. Many of these have pretty flowers and foliage and are good for pollinators too. If you google edible hedging mix there are loads out there.

A lot depends on the size of your garden. An oak or horse chestnut not good for a modern small garden!
Think what you want - all round colour, flowers, length of interest, indigenous species, food / nesting places for birds? Do you want to grow fruit? Do you want space to sit , a bbq, somewhere for kids to play?
I like early flowers and a long interest so started with an almond, cherry, Hawthorne and also Rowan for Autumn colour and berries. I chose a columnar conifer (juniper skyrocket) for the corner.
once you know what you want investigate on google eg rhs www.rhs.org.uk/plants/articles/graham-rice/plants-for-places/top-10-flowering-trees-for-small-gardens to get ideas.
Soil type is also important - you can't grow certain plants unless you have acid soil
If growing fruit look at rootstocks - there are various types that grow different sizes.
Also look at where the sun is and maybe try a garden planer to get some ideas to shape the garden to fit in all you want.
Remember spring colour - bulbs under deciduous trees are fab.
Specimen plants can also be great
Also bear in mind that now is almost the last time to plant many things - bare root tree and hedge plants in November are the most cost effective

My best bit of advice would be to do nothing.

First you need to know how the ground works, how the sun works, what soil you have, how the winds blow, the aspect etc.

then how will you use your garden - who will use it, how will you walk around it, what are you going to do it in etc.

Then work out your paths and boundaries, and only then start to look at what you want where. What will grow in your soil, with that sunlight, how big - [what type, what variety, what rootstock], How will you access it, manage it, prune it etc. What light will that then eventually block out, so what can grow under and around it?

Wow thank you so much for all your advice.
There really is a lot to think about.
I was going to leave it a few months before tackling the garden. But from what you’ve all said, I should leave it a bit longer than that for planting.
I may soon cut in some flower beds and add some raised beds as I want to grow some tomatoes and cucumbers. Was also going to try carrots, but from what I’ve read on another thread they’re almost impossible so I’ll sadly leave them.
As for the tree I want to plant, I will have a think this year and just watch the garden and see what I’m going to do.

Should I also leave it until next winter to plant the hedges? Can I not plant them at any time?
I’m prioritising the house over the garden at the minute so haven’t got time to sort it this winter if so.

It’s a smallish garden and we have two children (4 and 1) so it’s mainly going to be used as a play garden. But I’m going to add some flower beds and bits at the edges, leaving the main area as lawn.
So nothing too complicated, but some areas for me to potter in.

Here’s some pictures.
Basically want to put a hedge down that right side to add height for privacy and security. The fence is less than 6ft tall.

Bottom right I was going to put in some raised beds to plant vegetables.

Where the play House is, I’m going to make it a nice seating area so adding some nice plants with various heights around.

Then the back left corner was where I was thinking to plant a tree. It’s currently got a water feature which we will take out.

I really love cherry blossom trees but I imagine the blossom can get annoying. I was thinking possibly a silver birch but I really have no idea. I just want a smallish tree, as in it won’t go much higher than the garage roof behind it.
Can you buy kits to test what type of soil you have?

Then possibly add some trellis in front of that garage so that it’s not quite so obvious. In my old house I grew sweet peas and absolutely loved them. So probably will again.

I know it’s not a big garden but the desire to get it perfect whilst it’s pretty much a blank canvas at the minute is exciting but lots to think about.

The best hedge for security is Pyracantha. It is very spiky, relatively inexpensive, easy to maintain, evergreen and good for wildlife. I would plant a deep bed in front of it to stop the little ones scratching themselves.

Beds near hedges and walls are very dry, I would plant lots of Rosemary, Laveneder, creeping thymes, creeping Minh and low growing herbs. I would put a steppingstone or bark trail weaving in an out, so that the children can brush against them, rub their hands in them, tread on them and harvest them.

i never put spiky things in gardens with kids. if it is to block out people's views, put trellis up and grow fast growing climbers like clematis. You dont need a hedge there at all. if you want to grow veg, just put borders in front of the fences/walls and grow the veg in there. Kids need grass to play on, you can do all the growing round the outside.

My thought was that it’s just very easy to hop over the fence from the street into the garden.
I wasn’t thinking of a thorny hedge, just a soft hedge so that it’s not just a quick hop into the garden