Posts

Picture shows Practicality Browns office in Iver with a large Photinia tree in the front.
Marketing
Instant Hedges and Trees Available Online /in /by

Instant Hedges & Large Trees Online

 

Practicality Brown is always known as an innovative company! The first company to develop pre-grown instant hedge in the late 1990s, and we have since gone on to develop our own award-winning Practicality Instant Hedge™.

Our team also specialise in evergreen screening trees, to bring privacy to every garden.

We are now pleased to announce two new online developments, our Hedge Shop and our full Tree Availability List.

Hedge Shop

We are delighted to announce the launch of our brand new Hedge Shop. Fully integrated with our existing website, or available direct at  https://shop.pracbrown.co.uk/ This is an easy way to select and buy Practical Instant Hedge™ from the Instant Hedge Specialist.

Practical Instant Hedge™

Our Practical Instant Hedging range currently consists of

  • Blue Holly
  • Burkwood Osmanthus
  • Common Laurel
  • Elaeagnus
  • Green Beech
  • Griselinia
  • Hawthorn
  • Holly
  • Hornbeam
  • Native Mix
  • Portuguese Laurel
  • Privet
  • Purple Beech
  • White Cedar

With other species being grown and developed on site.

How to Shop

Simply select the species, add to the cart and your delivery details and the price will be calculated. Delivery is a minimum of 3 metres of hedge, and usually takes two working days from receipt of order, but we can deliver later too.

As well as a delivery only option, we can also arrange to install the hedges. Just give us a call or email to discuss. You are very welcome to visit our nursery to view and select your instant hedge.

 

Tree Availability List

We have completed a stock take of the trees in our Iver nursery in Buckinghamshire and have produced a comprehensive list of the 800+ trees that are available to purchase right now.

If you are looking for evergreen screening trees, standard or pleached, attractive deciduous specimens or useful screens, we have a choice of trees for you!

The list contains the trees that we have in stock and is accurate at the time of publishing. Stock situations can change quickly so please get in touch to receive a quotation or to reserve any trees that you like the look of. If you are looking for something more unusual or don’t see the trees that you are looking for on this list, please ask and we should be able to source them for you through our partner growers.

Special Offer

A 20% discount will be applied to ex VAT orders of trees worth a total of £3000 or more. The discount applies to the tree stock value of the order only, not to delivery and planting etc.

Visit

We recommend coming to view and select the trees before purchase, as choosing your very own trees is a lovely thing to do!  – and you can book a nursery visit.

Contact Us

Call our sales team on 01753 652022 or email hedge@pracbrown.co.uk or trees@pracbrown.co.uk  to arrange a visit, we would be delighted to show you around the nursery to view our stock Monday to Friday 9.00am – 3.00pm.

Marketing
Osmanthus Instant Hedge /by

Our Practical Instant Hedge™ range now includes the attractive evergreen Osmanthus burkwoodii.

Burkwood osmanthus is a dense, slow-growing, evergreen. The glossy, finely toothed, dark green leaves beautifully offset by highly scented, jasmine like, white flowers in mid and late spring. If pruned after flowering, it will increase the blooms for the following year.

Osmanthus instant hedge thrives on free draining soils but may lose leaves in the severest of winters, so it is best grown in a sunny aspect with protection against biting winter winds.

Osmanthus burkwoodii has RHS Award of Garden Merit and is an attractive evergreen with seasonal interest that will prove popular as an instant hedge.

We have this available at 80cm to 100cm high as a Practical Instant Hedge™.

Click here to contact us if you would like a quote for this instant hedge.

Osmanthus Instant Hedge growing on our nursery ideal hedge for small gardens.
Osmanthus Instant Hedge
Osmanthus burkwoodii Instant Hedge, closeup of flower and foliage

Species Latin Foliage Pruning Annual growth Aspect Soil acceptance pH Leaves
Burkwood osmanthus Osmanthus burkwoodii Evergreen Regularly in Summer Average 20-40cm Sun to partial shade All well drained Any Dark green oval
Marketing
Blue Holly Instant Hedge /by

Blue Holly Instant Hedge

Our Practical Instant Hedge range now includes the evergreen Ilex meserveae, also known as Blue Holly.

Ilex meserveae Blue Maid/ Prince has dense, lustrous, blue-green, spiny leaves from purple stems and tiny, white flowers are produced in spring. These cultivars are some of the best blue hollies available. Our Practical Instant Hedge™ has a mix of Blue Maid and Blue Prince to ensure the delightful profusion of bright red berries in autumn and winter. Late summer pruning will reveal dark purplish-green stems, which add to the ornamental effect.

Plant it in full or partial sun in moist, well-drained soil; it can be easily pruned.

We have this available at 1.4 – 1.6m high as a Practical Instant Hedge™.

We also have English Holly (Ilex aquifolium) available as an instant hedge.

Practical Instant Hedge Ilex meserveae growing in hedge bags
Blue Holly Growing in hedge bag at our Iver nursery

Species Latin Foliage Pruning Annual growth Aspect Soil acceptance pH Leaves
Blue Holly Ilex meserveae Blue Maid/ Prince Evergreen Once in August Slow 20-30cm Sun to shade All well drained Acidic to alkaline Blue green spiny
Marketing
Creating an RHS Garden /by

Behind the Scenes

Creating an Award-Winning RHS Garden

Practicality Brown have many years of experience in supplying instant hedges and large trees to garden designers at prestigious Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) gardens shows.  There is an immense about of work and effort that goes into planning, preparation and planting a garden exhibit at RHS shows

Garden Designers spend thousands of pounds and use their skill and dedication to create unique landscaping and show off their horticultural knowledge in their attempt to claim a coveted gold from the RHS judges in their chosen category.

Not Just About The Show Gardens

As well as the creative garden designers, the shows are full of exhibitors who use the opportunity to create an attractive Trade Stand. In 2023, Practicality Brown decided to invest time, money and effort with a trade stand and garden installation at the World’s biggest garden show, Hampton Court Garden Festival.

And, in a similar way to the show gardens, trade stands are judged on the quality of the exhibit, with the best gaining award-winning stars. And for our first effort, in a return to exhibiting, we gained a valuable 3 star rating.

The Award-Winning Trade Stand Design From Start To Finish

The photos shows the behind-the-scenes built of our trade stand from design to Press Day. The garden installation, entitled “Playing with Shapes” showcased a selection of Practical Instant Hedge™ and screening trees from our nursery in Iver, Bucks and was designed by Sales Director, Graeme Jenkins. Enhanced by the stunning “Diana, The Huntress” sculpture by David William-Ellis.

Marketing
RHS Hampton Court 2023 /by

RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival 2023

We exhibited at Hampton Court in 2023, with a trade stand and garden installation showcasing Practical Instant Hedge™ and evergreen screening trees, with a clever design incorporated both. “Playing with Shapes” used a selection of instant hedges and trees from the nursery in Iver, Buckinghamshire together with the stunning “Diana, The Huntress” sculpture by David William-Ellis.

Graeme Jenkins, Director at Practicality Brown, on the RHS Hampton Court exhibit

In addition to exhibiting ourselves, our Practical Instant Hedge™ featured on three different gardens at the UK’s largest garden show.

Explore Charleston – Welcome To Charleston

Show Garden designed by Sadie May Stowell – Silver Gilt medal winner

The garden provided visitors with a glimpse of the historic courtyard gardens of Charleston, South Carolina, capturing their spirit, charm and elegance.  The planting colour scheme is blue, pink, and white and showcases a number of hardy exotic plants. Practical Yew Instant Hedging gives the design a classical formal backdrop.

 

RHS Wildlife Garden

Feature Garden designed by Jo Thompson

The garden represented an urban corridor reclaimed by nature, showing how wildlife can thrive in what are often thought of as unexpected or forgotten places. Re-framing the idea of re-wilding, this garden observed nature and took inspiration from it, whilst maintaining the balance of plants for biodiversity through light intervention. Practical Instant Native Mix Hedging was perfect for this design.

 

The Inghams Working with Nature Garden

Get Started Garden designed by Butler and Parker – Silver medal winner

The garden was inspired by summer holidays, using natural stone for tracks and seating.
The planting had a natural feel that aims to handle future UK climates, such as temporary periods of flooding as well as dry periods. The planting palette was inspired by woodland and lower valley glades, with Practical Instant Hornbeam Hedging providing the backdrop.

 

Come and visit our nursery in Iver, Bucks and talk to our Horticultural team about your own garden. Call us on 01753 652022. You can also email us at hedge@pracbrown.co.uk.  Or visit our website:  www.pracbrown.co.uk

Marketing
Horse Friendly Hedging /by

HORSE FRIENDLY HEDGING

If you need to plant a horse friendly boundary hedging, whether it is to keep livestock in or out, our Practical Instant Hedge™ may provide the perfect choice.

These stockproof hedges will give interest all year round and will also be beneficial to many species of wildlife. Practical Instant Hedge™ is a mature, ready to plant product, so the animals can feel the immediate benefits, including protection from the elements. However, as with any new plants, these hedges will need protecting from the horses until they are fully established.

To give extra shade to the horses, you could also add some trees into your hedging, which would replicate natural hedgerows found throughout the UK. Trees that are safe for horse pasture include ash, birch, poplar and willow. Avoid oak, as acorns, if consumed in large quantities, can be poisonous.

Horse friendly hedging has the following benefits:

  1. Keeps horses in and/or other animals out.
  2. Offers shelter against winds and rain in winter and the sun and flies in summer.
  3. It can supplement your horses’ diet.
  4. Seasonal interest from hedgerow flowers, catkins, berries and Autumn foliage.

Hedges are great for wildlife, look natural, and will last for over a hundred years with a little care and maintenance.

Best Hedges for Horses

We are frequently asked about hedges suitable for equestrian use. We have selected the following Practical Instant Hedge™, that, if grazed by horses, should cause no harm.

Hawthorn – Crataegus monogyna
One of the most popular deciduous horse-friendly hedges, as it looks perfectly natural in the landscape and is loved by birds and insects. Horses like to nibble on the new shoots too.

Griselinia littoralis
An attractive evergreen hedge, with soft lime green leaves and suited to salt laden winds of coastal locations.

Hornbeam – Carpinus betulus
A deciduous hedge whose leaves turn yellow in the autumn and then emerge bright green in early spring. Similar in look to beech but with finely ribbed leaves.

Oleaster – Elaeagnus ebbingei Compacta
A dense evergreen hedge that is particularly suitable for seaside locations. Horse friendly with a lovely grey / green leaf.

Beech – Fagus sylvatica
This deciduous hedge retains its leaves in to the winter, offering additional screening in the coldest months. Horses quite often nibble leaves, twigs, and bark of the trees. Beech nuts are poisonous but if your hedge is trimmed in summer, nuts are unlikely to be produced.

Mixed Native Hedging for Horses

We have native mixed instant hedges are suitable for horses, and include Hazel, Hawthorn and Hornbeam.  This mix of species brings interest in colour, texture and wildlife interest through their diversity of berries, flowers and fruits.

Please specify horse-friendly hedging when ordering!

Hedges To Avoid If You Have Horses

As noted by the British Horse Society, there are some species of trees and shrubs that are toxic to horses, and are therefore not suitable for hedging.  These include Privet, leylandii, Broom, Box, Yew, Laburnum and Laurel.

Other shrubs to avoid, although horses are unlikely to eat them, are; Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa),
Holly (Ilex aquifolium), Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica), Prunus, Photinia and Thuja.
NB please note this list is not exhaustive.

Planting

If you are planning to include trees in your horse friendly hedging, then autumn and winter are the perfect time to plant semi-mature large trees. Our Practical Instant Hedge™ has been produced so that it can be planted at any time of the year, meaning you can plan around your needs.

Contact our Horticultural team for more details. Email Hedge@pracbrown.co.uk or call 01753 652022

Marketing
RHS Tatton Park 2022 /by

RHS Flower Show Tatton Park

Celebrating colour, creativity, community and the positive power of plants and flowers, RHS Flower Show brings the joy of gardening to the historic grounds of Tatton Park.

RHS Young Designer of the Year

Crowned at the 2022 show, RHS Young Designer of the Year Will Scholey created the Working From Home Garden which was a perfect working environment, while reducing the homeowner’s carbon footprint.

The ‘daily commute’ was a winding gravel path through native meadow planting with multi-stemmed trees. There was plenty of native wildlife-friendly planting including our Practical Native Mix Instant Hedge, from our range of Deciduous Instant Hedges. Will received a Silver-Gilt award for this garden, as well as his title.

Talk to our Horticultural team about how Practical Instant Hedge™ could be right for your own show garden. Simply email us on hedge@pracbrown.co.uk

Marketing
RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival 2022 /by

Forest Bathing at RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival 2022

This event is the world’s largest flower show, full of colour and wonderful summer gardens of inspiration. It is set in the stunning grounds of the Historic Royal Palace in Richmond upon Thames.

RHS Forest Bathing Garden by Dave Green

Award-winning garden designer, Dave Green created a beautiful feature garden for The Royal Horticultural Society.

The RHS Forest Bathing Garden drew on a purposeful practice of spending time under the canopy of trees surrounded by nature to relax and de-stress, which can decrease both anxiety and depression.

Forest bathing often takes place with a guide and focuses on exploring the natural environment using the senses (sight, sound, touch and smell) to create mindfulness awareness. The garden was designed to for all the sense, including sight, sound and aroma.

We supplied Practical Native Mix Instant Hedge for this beautiful, restful garden.

Talk to our Horticultural team about how Practical Instant Hedge™ could be right for your own show garden. Simply email us on hedge@pracbrown.co.uk

Marketing
RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022 /by

Chelsea Flower Show 2022

The theme for RHS Chelsea Flower Show Container Garden category was green spaces for health, wellbeing and the environment. The aim  being to show that any space, no matter how small, can be turned into a gardening haven. These small gardens offered plenty of inspiration for making the most of limited space and resources.

We worked with Paul Hervey-Brookes, who as well as creating his own show garden, mentored five newly qualified designers for the Container Garden category. Each of the five gardens was enclosed by our Practical Instant Hedge™.

Container Gardens

The Still Garden
Designed by Jane Porter Gold Medal and Best in Category Winner

This is inspired by the plants that thrive across the Highlands and Islands. The plants reference native species and the climate to evoke an atmosphere that is immersive, secluded and still.

Wild Kitchen Garden
Designed by Ann Treneman Silver Gilt Medal and People’s Choice Winner

Wild edible plants and trees are brought into a small urban setting. The planting is informal colourful, airy, natural, and tasty too. It would work perfectly in the back garden of a city terrace.

The Enchanted Rain Garden
Designed by Bea Tann Silver Gilt Medal

Inspired by a rainy garden in Manchester, this container garden is designed to thrive in wet conditions, influenced by UK forests

Mandala, Meditation and Mindfulness Garden
Designed by Nikki Hollier Silver Medal

This garden offers a safe haven to spend time sitting and meditating, listening to the tranquil water, bees humming and birds singing – a calm and restful but rejuvenating space.

Mediterranean Reflection
Designed by Tanya K Wilson and Johanna Norlin – Mallorca Garden Design Silver Medal

Inspired by the Mallorcan landscape, this container garden utilises the colours and stone textures of the Mediterranean through artisan elements.

 

Talk to our Horticultural team about how Practical Instant Hedge™ could be right for your own garden.

Simply email us on hedge@pracbrown.co.uk

Marketing
RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021 /by

Chelsea Flower Show 2021

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show was back, with an unfamiliar September date, and we were delighted be work with a number of designers at the world’s most prestigious flower show.

Artisan Garden

Guide Dogs’ 90th Anniversary Garden


In celebration of 90 years of British guide dog partnerships, the Grey Gardeners (Adam Woolcott and Jonathan Smith) created an emotive wildflower garden. Ferns and dark foliage plants contrasted with colourful meadow planting, of predominantly British native species, including our Practical Native Mix Instant Hedge. With its dog-friendly planting, this was a striking and memorable garden that won a Silver Medal Winner

Container Gardens

This new category, for newly qualified Garden Designers, was mentored by multi award-winning garden designer Paul Hervey Brookes.  Each garden is just 4m x 3m, enclosed by Practical Beech Instant Hedge, a gravel or slate floor and include repurposed IBC containers.

The Hot Tin Roof Garden designed by Ellie Edkins was inspired by a life lived by the beach, but designed for an urban area.

Pop Street Garden by John McPherson created a vibrant, playful garden, inspired by pop art and jump-starting the transition from ‘lockdown to on-the-town’.

The IBC Pocket Forest designed by Sara Edwards was reminiscent of Milan’s Bosco Verticale, an urban pocket forest and haven for wildlife.

A Tranquil Space in the City by Japanese designer Mika Misawa evoked a sense of tranquillity, an autumn seasonal celebration and a way of contemplating life.

The Stolen Soul Garden from Anna Dabrowska-Jaudi where human emotions were given form in this garden, which seeks to draw attention to ‘invisible’ mental health issues.

Great Pavilion

Dave Green created the Mains2Rains installation in the discovery zone inside the Great Pavilion about water management in gardens.  We have supplied Practical Native Mix Instant Hedge plus individual Thuja plants.

 

Talk to our Horticultural team about how Practical Instant Hedge™ could be right for your own garden.

Simply email us on hedge@pracbrown.co.uk

Pages

Picture shows Practicality Browns office in Iver with a large Photinia tree in the front.
Marketing
Instant Hedges and Trees Available Online /in /by

Instant Hedges & Large Trees Online

 

Practicality Brown is always known as an innovative company! The first company to develop pre-grown instant hedge in the late 1990s, and we have since gone on to develop our own award-winning Practicality Instant Hedge™.

Our team also specialise in evergreen screening trees, to bring privacy to every garden.

We are now pleased to announce two new online developments, our Hedge Shop and our full Tree Availability List.

Hedge Shop

We are delighted to announce the launch of our brand new Hedge Shop. Fully integrated with our existing website, or available direct at  https://shop.pracbrown.co.uk/ This is an easy way to select and buy Practical Instant Hedge™ from the Instant Hedge Specialist.

Practical Instant Hedge™

Our Practical Instant Hedging range currently consists of

  • Blue Holly
  • Burkwood Osmanthus
  • Common Laurel
  • Elaeagnus
  • Green Beech
  • Griselinia
  • Hawthorn
  • Holly
  • Hornbeam
  • Native Mix
  • Portuguese Laurel
  • Privet
  • Purple Beech
  • White Cedar

With other species being grown and developed on site.

How to Shop

Simply select the species, add to the cart and your delivery details and the price will be calculated. Delivery is a minimum of 3 metres of hedge, and usually takes two working days from receipt of order, but we can deliver later too.

As well as a delivery only option, we can also arrange to install the hedges. Just give us a call or email to discuss. You are very welcome to visit our nursery to view and select your instant hedge.

 

Tree Availability List

We have completed a stock take of the trees in our Iver nursery in Buckinghamshire and have produced a comprehensive list of the 800+ trees that are available to purchase right now.

If you are looking for evergreen screening trees, standard or pleached, attractive deciduous specimens or useful screens, we have a choice of trees for you!

The list contains the trees that we have in stock and is accurate at the time of publishing. Stock situations can change quickly so please get in touch to receive a quotation or to reserve any trees that you like the look of. If you are looking for something more unusual or don’t see the trees that you are looking for on this list, please ask and we should be able to source them for you through our partner growers.

Special Offer

A 20% discount will be applied to ex VAT orders of trees worth a total of £3000 or more. The discount applies to the tree stock value of the order only, not to delivery and planting etc.

Visit

We recommend coming to view and select the trees before purchase, as choosing your very own trees is a lovely thing to do!  – and you can book a nursery visit.

Contact Us

Call our sales team on 01753 652022 or email hedge@pracbrown.co.uk or trees@pracbrown.co.uk  to arrange a visit, we would be delighted to show you around the nursery to view our stock Monday to Friday 9.00am – 3.00pm.

Marketing
Osmanthus Instant Hedge /by

Our Practical Instant Hedge™ range now includes the attractive evergreen Osmanthus burkwoodii.

Burkwood osmanthus is a dense, slow-growing, evergreen. The glossy, finely toothed, dark green leaves beautifully offset by highly scented, jasmine like, white flowers in mid and late spring. If pruned after flowering, it will increase the blooms for the following year.

Osmanthus instant hedge thrives on free draining soils but may lose leaves in the severest of winters, so it is best grown in a sunny aspect with protection against biting winter winds.

Osmanthus burkwoodii has RHS Award of Garden Merit and is an attractive evergreen with seasonal interest that will prove popular as an instant hedge.

We have this available at 80cm to 100cm high as a Practical Instant Hedge™.

Click here to contact us if you would like a quote for this instant hedge.

Osmanthus Instant Hedge growing on our nursery ideal hedge for small gardens.
Osmanthus Instant Hedge
Osmanthus burkwoodii Instant Hedge, closeup of flower and foliage

Species Latin Foliage Pruning Annual growth Aspect Soil acceptance pH Leaves
Burkwood osmanthus Osmanthus burkwoodii Evergreen Regularly in Summer Average 20-40cm Sun to partial shade All well drained Any Dark green oval
Marketing
Blue Holly Instant Hedge /by

Blue Holly Instant Hedge

Our Practical Instant Hedge range now includes the evergreen Ilex meserveae, also known as Blue Holly.

Ilex meserveae Blue Maid/ Prince has dense, lustrous, blue-green, spiny leaves from purple stems and tiny, white flowers are produced in spring. These cultivars are some of the best blue hollies available. Our Practical Instant Hedge™ has a mix of Blue Maid and Blue Prince to ensure the delightful profusion of bright red berries in autumn and winter. Late summer pruning will reveal dark purplish-green stems, which add to the ornamental effect.

Plant it in full or partial sun in moist, well-drained soil; it can be easily pruned.

We have this available at 1.4 – 1.6m high as a Practical Instant Hedge™.

We also have English Holly (Ilex aquifolium) available as an instant hedge.

Practical Instant Hedge Ilex meserveae growing in hedge bags
Blue Holly Growing in hedge bag at our Iver nursery

Species Latin Foliage Pruning Annual growth Aspect Soil acceptance pH Leaves
Blue Holly Ilex meserveae Blue Maid/ Prince Evergreen Once in August Slow 20-30cm Sun to shade All well drained Acidic to alkaline Blue green spiny
Marketing
Creating an RHS Garden /by

Behind the Scenes

Creating an Award-Winning RHS Garden

Practicality Brown have many years of experience in supplying instant hedges and large trees to garden designers at prestigious Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) gardens shows.  There is an immense about of work and effort that goes into planning, preparation and planting a garden exhibit at RHS shows

Garden Designers spend thousands of pounds and use their skill and dedication to create unique landscaping and show off their horticultural knowledge in their attempt to claim a coveted gold from the RHS judges in their chosen category.

Not Just About The Show Gardens

As well as the creative garden designers, the shows are full of exhibitors who use the opportunity to create an attractive Trade Stand. In 2023, Practicality Brown decided to invest time, money and effort with a trade stand and garden installation at the World’s biggest garden show, Hampton Court Garden Festival.

And, in a similar way to the show gardens, trade stands are judged on the quality of the exhibit, with the best gaining award-winning stars. And for our first effort, in a return to exhibiting, we gained a valuable 3 star rating.

The Award-Winning Trade Stand Design From Start To Finish

The photos shows the behind-the-scenes built of our trade stand from design to Press Day. The garden installation, entitled “Playing with Shapes” showcased a selection of Practical Instant Hedge™ and screening trees from our nursery in Iver, Bucks and was designed by Sales Director, Graeme Jenkins. Enhanced by the stunning “Diana, The Huntress” sculpture by David William-Ellis.

Marketing
RHS Hampton Court 2023 /by

RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival 2023

We exhibited at Hampton Court in 2023, with a trade stand and garden installation showcasing Practical Instant Hedge™ and evergreen screening trees, with a clever design incorporated both. “Playing with Shapes” used a selection of instant hedges and trees from the nursery in Iver, Buckinghamshire together with the stunning “Diana, The Huntress” sculpture by David William-Ellis.

Graeme Jenkins, Director at Practicality Brown, on the RHS Hampton Court exhibit

In addition to exhibiting ourselves, our Practical Instant Hedge™ featured on three different gardens at the UK’s largest garden show.

Explore Charleston – Welcome To Charleston

Show Garden designed by Sadie May Stowell – Silver Gilt medal winner

The garden provided visitors with a glimpse of the historic courtyard gardens of Charleston, South Carolina, capturing their spirit, charm and elegance.  The planting colour scheme is blue, pink, and white and showcases a number of hardy exotic plants. Practical Yew Instant Hedging gives the design a classical formal backdrop.

 

RHS Wildlife Garden

Feature Garden designed by Jo Thompson

The garden represented an urban corridor reclaimed by nature, showing how wildlife can thrive in what are often thought of as unexpected or forgotten places. Re-framing the idea of re-wilding, this garden observed nature and took inspiration from it, whilst maintaining the balance of plants for biodiversity through light intervention. Practical Instant Native Mix Hedging was perfect for this design.

 

The Inghams Working with Nature Garden

Get Started Garden designed by Butler and Parker – Silver medal winner

The garden was inspired by summer holidays, using natural stone for tracks and seating.
The planting had a natural feel that aims to handle future UK climates, such as temporary periods of flooding as well as dry periods. The planting palette was inspired by woodland and lower valley glades, with Practical Instant Hornbeam Hedging providing the backdrop.

 

Come and visit our nursery in Iver, Bucks and talk to our Horticultural team about your own garden. Call us on 01753 652022. You can also email us at hedge@pracbrown.co.uk.  Or visit our website:  www.pracbrown.co.uk

Marketing
Horse Friendly Hedging /by

HORSE FRIENDLY HEDGING

If you need to plant a horse friendly boundary hedging, whether it is to keep livestock in or out, our Practical Instant Hedge™ may provide the perfect choice.

These stockproof hedges will give interest all year round and will also be beneficial to many species of wildlife. Practical Instant Hedge™ is a mature, ready to plant product, so the animals can feel the immediate benefits, including protection from the elements. However, as with any new plants, these hedges will need protecting from the horses until they are fully established.

To give extra shade to the horses, you could also add some trees into your hedging, which would replicate natural hedgerows found throughout the UK. Trees that are safe for horse pasture include ash, birch, poplar and willow. Avoid oak, as acorns, if consumed in large quantities, can be poisonous.

Horse friendly hedging has the following benefits:

  1. Keeps horses in and/or other animals out.
  2. Offers shelter against winds and rain in winter and the sun and flies in summer.
  3. It can supplement your horses’ diet.
  4. Seasonal interest from hedgerow flowers, catkins, berries and Autumn foliage.

Hedges are great for wildlife, look natural, and will last for over a hundred years with a little care and maintenance.

Best Hedges for Horses

We are frequently asked about hedges suitable for equestrian use. We have selected the following Practical Instant Hedge™, that, if grazed by horses, should cause no harm.

Hawthorn – Crataegus monogyna
One of the most popular deciduous horse-friendly hedges, as it looks perfectly natural in the landscape and is loved by birds and insects. Horses like to nibble on the new shoots too.

Griselinia littoralis
An attractive evergreen hedge, with soft lime green leaves and suited to salt laden winds of coastal locations.

Hornbeam – Carpinus betulus
A deciduous hedge whose leaves turn yellow in the autumn and then emerge bright green in early spring. Similar in look to beech but with finely ribbed leaves.

Oleaster – Elaeagnus ebbingei Compacta
A dense evergreen hedge that is particularly suitable for seaside locations. Horse friendly with a lovely grey / green leaf.

Beech – Fagus sylvatica
This deciduous hedge retains its leaves in to the winter, offering additional screening in the coldest months. Horses quite often nibble leaves, twigs, and bark of the trees. Beech nuts are poisonous but if your hedge is trimmed in summer, nuts are unlikely to be produced.

Mixed Native Hedging for Horses

We have native mixed instant hedges are suitable for horses, and include Hazel, Hawthorn and Hornbeam.  This mix of species brings interest in colour, texture and wildlife interest through their diversity of berries, flowers and fruits.

Please specify horse-friendly hedging when ordering!

Hedges To Avoid If You Have Horses

As noted by the British Horse Society, there are some species of trees and shrubs that are toxic to horses, and are therefore not suitable for hedging.  These include Privet, leylandii, Broom, Box, Yew, Laburnum and Laurel.

Other shrubs to avoid, although horses are unlikely to eat them, are; Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa),
Holly (Ilex aquifolium), Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica), Prunus, Photinia and Thuja.
NB please note this list is not exhaustive.

Planting

If you are planning to include trees in your horse friendly hedging, then autumn and winter are the perfect time to plant semi-mature large trees. Our Practical Instant Hedge™ has been produced so that it can be planted at any time of the year, meaning you can plan around your needs.

Contact our Horticultural team for more details. Email Hedge@pracbrown.co.uk or call 01753 652022

Marketing
RHS Tatton Park 2022 /by

RHS Flower Show Tatton Park

Celebrating colour, creativity, community and the positive power of plants and flowers, RHS Flower Show brings the joy of gardening to the historic grounds of Tatton Park.

RHS Young Designer of the Year

Crowned at the 2022 show, RHS Young Designer of the Year Will Scholey created the Working From Home Garden which was a perfect working environment, while reducing the homeowner’s carbon footprint.

The ‘daily commute’ was a winding gravel path through native meadow planting with multi-stemmed trees. There was plenty of native wildlife-friendly planting including our Practical Native Mix Instant Hedge, from our range of Deciduous Instant Hedges. Will received a Silver-Gilt award for this garden, as well as his title.

Talk to our Horticultural team about how Practical Instant Hedge™ could be right for your own show garden. Simply email us on hedge@pracbrown.co.uk

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RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival 2022 /by

Forest Bathing at RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival 2022

This event is the world’s largest flower show, full of colour and wonderful summer gardens of inspiration. It is set in the stunning grounds of the Historic Royal Palace in Richmond upon Thames.

RHS Forest Bathing Garden by Dave Green

Award-winning garden designer, Dave Green created a beautiful feature garden for The Royal Horticultural Society.

The RHS Forest Bathing Garden drew on a purposeful practice of spending time under the canopy of trees surrounded by nature to relax and de-stress, which can decrease both anxiety and depression.

Forest bathing often takes place with a guide and focuses on exploring the natural environment using the senses (sight, sound, touch and smell) to create mindfulness awareness. The garden was designed to for all the sense, including sight, sound and aroma.

We supplied Practical Native Mix Instant Hedge for this beautiful, restful garden.

Talk to our Horticultural team about how Practical Instant Hedge™ could be right for your own show garden. Simply email us on hedge@pracbrown.co.uk

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RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022 /by

Chelsea Flower Show 2022

The theme for RHS Chelsea Flower Show Container Garden category was green spaces for health, wellbeing and the environment. The aim  being to show that any space, no matter how small, can be turned into a gardening haven. These small gardens offered plenty of inspiration for making the most of limited space and resources.

We worked with Paul Hervey-Brookes, who as well as creating his own show garden, mentored five newly qualified designers for the Container Garden category. Each of the five gardens was enclosed by our Practical Instant Hedge™.

Container Gardens

The Still Garden
Designed by Jane Porter Gold Medal and Best in Category Winner

This is inspired by the plants that thrive across the Highlands and Islands. The plants reference native species and the climate to evoke an atmosphere that is immersive, secluded and still.

Wild Kitchen Garden
Designed by Ann Treneman Silver Gilt Medal and People’s Choice Winner

Wild edible plants and trees are brought into a small urban setting. The planting is informal colourful, airy, natural, and tasty too. It would work perfectly in the back garden of a city terrace.

The Enchanted Rain Garden
Designed by Bea Tann Silver Gilt Medal

Inspired by a rainy garden in Manchester, this container garden is designed to thrive in wet conditions, influenced by UK forests

Mandala, Meditation and Mindfulness Garden
Designed by Nikki Hollier Silver Medal

This garden offers a safe haven to spend time sitting and meditating, listening to the tranquil water, bees humming and birds singing – a calm and restful but rejuvenating space.

Mediterranean Reflection
Designed by Tanya K Wilson and Johanna Norlin – Mallorca Garden Design Silver Medal

Inspired by the Mallorcan landscape, this container garden utilises the colours and stone textures of the Mediterranean through artisan elements.

 

Talk to our Horticultural team about how Practical Instant Hedge™ could be right for your own garden.

Simply email us on hedge@pracbrown.co.uk

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RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021 /by

Chelsea Flower Show 2021

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show was back, with an unfamiliar September date, and we were delighted be work with a number of designers at the world’s most prestigious flower show.

Artisan Garden

Guide Dogs’ 90th Anniversary Garden


In celebration of 90 years of British guide dog partnerships, the Grey Gardeners (Adam Woolcott and Jonathan Smith) created an emotive wildflower garden. Ferns and dark foliage plants contrasted with colourful meadow planting, of predominantly British native species, including our Practical Native Mix Instant Hedge. With its dog-friendly planting, this was a striking and memorable garden that won a Silver Medal Winner

Container Gardens

This new category, for newly qualified Garden Designers, was mentored by multi award-winning garden designer Paul Hervey Brookes.  Each garden is just 4m x 3m, enclosed by Practical Beech Instant Hedge, a gravel or slate floor and include repurposed IBC containers.

The Hot Tin Roof Garden designed by Ellie Edkins was inspired by a life lived by the beach, but designed for an urban area.

Pop Street Garden by John McPherson created a vibrant, playful garden, inspired by pop art and jump-starting the transition from ‘lockdown to on-the-town’.

The IBC Pocket Forest designed by Sara Edwards was reminiscent of Milan’s Bosco Verticale, an urban pocket forest and haven for wildlife.

A Tranquil Space in the City by Japanese designer Mika Misawa evoked a sense of tranquillity, an autumn seasonal celebration and a way of contemplating life.

The Stolen Soul Garden from Anna Dabrowska-Jaudi where human emotions were given form in this garden, which seeks to draw attention to ‘invisible’ mental health issues.

Great Pavilion

Dave Green created the Mains2Rains installation in the discovery zone inside the Great Pavilion about water management in gardens.  We have supplied Practical Native Mix Instant Hedge plus individual Thuja plants.

 

Talk to our Horticultural team about how Practical Instant Hedge™ could be right for your own garden.

Simply email us on hedge@pracbrown.co.uk