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Large trees newly planted in a garden
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After The Storm Trees /in , , , /by

After the Storm!

If your garden is looking a little worse for wear after the recent storms, we may be able to help!

We have a range of mature specimen trees that may be a perfect replacement for any of yours that have been damaged or blown over. Also, if your fence panels have taken a battering, you could consider replacing them with our Practical Instant Hedge™.

 

Semi-Mature Trees

We have a range of trees available at our nursery in Iver, both evergreen and deciduous. We also source top quality trees from across Europe, so our customers have the best trees available.

Our trees are supplied in a range of sizes:

  • Girth measurement of 18cm to 100cm i.e. measurement around the tree stem at 1m high, for clear stemmed trees
  • Heights of 2-12m for feathered evergreen trees

Instant Hedges

We have over 20 years’ experience in developing, maintaining, and planting instant hedging, including own Practical Instant Hedge™ which is grown in 1m long pieces here at our nursery in Iver, Buckinghamshire. This hedging provides immediate impact and maturity to many private gardens and landscaping projects.

Our Instant Hedges are:

  • pre grown and sold by the linear metre, rather than as individual plants
  • available to plant all year round
  • supplied between 0.8m to 2m high

The Complete Service

We offer a truly comprehensive service, from planning, preparation, and planting to aftercare.

Contact our horticultural team for more details hedge@pracbrown.co.uk

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RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021 /in , /by

Chelsea Flower Show

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 Gardens

Guide Dogs’ 90th Anniversary Garden

Adam Woolcott and Jonathan Smith (The Grey Gardeners) have created a garden to celebrate 90 years of British guide dog partnerships with an emotive, wildflower garden. Ferns and dark foliage plants feature and are contrasted with colourful meadow planting, predominantly of British native species, including our Practical Native Mix Instant Hedge. With its dog-friendly planting, this is a simple but striking and memorable garden.

Container Gardens

Multi award-winning garden designer Paul Hervey Brookes mentored five newly qualified designers for this new category. Targeting the increasing number of people choosing to use containers to maximise their outdoor space at home, and those who rent and want to take their gardens with them when they move home. 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.

You can see these gardens, and much more of the Chelsea Flower Show, in the BBC’s comprehensive TV coverage on the BBC iPlayer.

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

Sculpture with Practical Instant Hedge behind
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RHS Shows July 2021 /in , /by

RHS Shows made a welcome return in July. Visitors were treated to wonderful show gardens and trade displays at both the Hampton Court Garden Festival and the Tatton Park Flower Show.

RHS Shows July 2021

RHS Shows made a welcome return in July. Visitors were treated to wonderful show gardens and trade displays at both the Hampton Court Garden Festival and the Tatton Park Flower Show.

Every year, we work with leading garden designers who choose our instant hedge and plants as an integral part of their show garden concepts, either forming an important green backdrop or as part of the structure within the design itself.

Hampton Court Garden Festival Review

The first major show in quite some time, this year’s Hampton Court Garden Festival enjoyed BBC coverage and many visitors to the stunning grounds of the Historic Royal Palace in Richmond upon Thames.

We worked with two designers at this year’s show:

Global Impact Garden: Message in a Bottle

Award winning design from Tracy Foster at Hampton Court Garden Festival featuring a giant metal framed bottle containing a beautiful garden

Designed by Tracy Foster Built by Firstlight Landscaping Ltd Sponsored by Canal & River Trust

Tracy Foster won a Silver Medal for her Global Impact Garden designed for Canal & River Trust’s Plastics Challenge.

The message from this garden is that we can all take action to help prevent plastic pollution, in our own gardens, urban green spaces and around our canals and rivers. We supplied several specimen shrubs as part of the innovative bottle garden.

Lifestyle Garden: The Communication Garden

Communications Garden by Amelia Bouquet featuring our Practical Instant Hedge

Designed by Amelia Bouquet Built by Urban Meadows Sponsored by London Stone Practicality Brown and Urbis Design

Amelia Bouquet’s Lifestyle Garden, in support of Mental Health UK, is a place to meet, talk, listen and to highlight the importance of face-to-face communication for our mental wellbeing. Practical Instant Native Mix Hedge was used as a backdrop to the design, which won a Silver medal and Best Construction (Global Impact and Lifestyle Garden).

In addition the two show gardens, we also supplied Practical Portuguese Laurel Instant Hedge for sculptor Matt Maddocks and John O’Connor’s trade stand.

RHS Tatton Park Flower Show Review

The Tatton Park Garden Show is in Knutsford, Cheshire is lovely event full of “colourful gardening inspiration”.

Once again, PBL supported Young Designer Gardens at the show. This is a category for those hoping to launch their careers in design, and showcases some of the promising college graduates.

Young Designers Gardens: It’s Okay Not To Be Okay

Designed by James Smith Built by Topoforma Landscape

James Smith has created a garden that draws attention to the stigma associated with mental ill health and the difficulties that men face in coping with such issues. This garden represents that ’it’s ok not to be ok’ and was awarded a Silver Medal. The Hornbeam Practical Instant Hedge forms an integral part of James’s design.

Young Designers Gardens: Rehearse Garden


Emilie Bausager designed the Rehearse Garden for the Shooting Star Children’s Hospices. It’s for a family and provides a green oasis that supports wildlife and provide space for the family to enjoy. Emilie chose Beech Practical Instant Hedge to enhance the courtyard effect of the design. The garden won a Silver Medal and the public vote ie People’s Choice Award for Best Large Garden (Tatton Garden/Young Designer Garden).

We also work with established garden designers and at Tatton Park this year we worked with Leon Davis on his design for the Back to Back Garden category.

Back to Back Garden Garden of Resilience

Leon Davis created the Garden of Resilience for United Utilities, with climate resilience in mind. The garden provides practical and creative ideas on how water can be managed, conserved and reused.  Carpinus betulus (Hornbeam) Practical Instant Hedge was used as a boundary. Leon’s design was awarded a Gold Medal plus Best Back to Back Garden and Best Construction Award (Back to Back Garden and Tatton Garden).

Congratulations to all the designers and their teams on the RHS medals and awards.

We’re now looking forward to an unseasonably late Chelsea Flower Show later in September and will share news of our involvement nearer the time.

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 Tatton Park July 2021 /in , /by

RHS Flower Shows The RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival was a welcome return to garden shows for the first time this year. Our attentions now turn to Tatton Park in Knutsford, Cheshire. This Garden Show promises to be “a fabulous day out bursting with colourful gardening inspiration, fun family activities, have-a-go workshops and shopping” RHS […]

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RHS Hampton Court July 2021 /in , /by

RHS Flower Shows July 2021

 

RHS Shows are back this month, and we are delighted to be working with talented garden designers at both Hampton Court and Tatton Park.

Every year, top garden designers choose our Instant Hedge as an integral part of their concept, forming an important green backdrop or as part of the structure within the design itself.

First on the agenda is The Hampton Court Garden Festival (6-11 July) which is the world’s largest flower show, set in the stunning grounds of the Historic Royal Palace in Richmond upon Thames.

We are working with two designers at this year’s show:

 

Message in a Bottle

Tracy Foster has designed this Global Impact Garden for Canal & River Trust.Tracy Foster garden design at RHS Hampton Court

This conceptual garden represents a discarded bottle floating towards the shore. It’s not a depressing piece of pollution, rather, it has a bright and appealing garden growing inside it. Its message is simple; we can all take action to help prevent plastic pollution, in our own gardens, urban green spaces and around our canals and rivers. Surrounding the bottle is a sea of graceful flax plants that represent plants which are natural alternatives to plastic.
We are supplying a number of individual shrubs as part of the bottle garden.

 

The Communication Garden

Amelia Bouquet’s Lifestyle Garden, in support of Mental Health UK, is a living, growing symbolic refuge.Amelia Bouquet garden design at Hampton Court

The Communication Garden is a place to meet, talk, listen and to highlight the importance of face-to-face communication for our mental wellbeing. The rustic woodland and native trees provide a protective canopy. Topiary balls symbolise ordered, rigid thoughts. Other shrubs represent a mindset that is less inhibited and more relaxed and is reinforced with bursts of colour.

Practical Instant Native Mix Hedge will be used as a backdrop to Amelia’s garden.

 

Both Garden Designers visited us to see the hedge growing in our nursery in Iver, Bucks and to select the exact specimen and height they want for their individual designs.

See our social media channels for more images as the gardens are being built, including some behind the scenes. There is a lot that goes on when creating a show 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

 

And news of RHS Chelsea Flower Show to follow in due course!

 

 

RHS Hampton Court 2018 Practical Instant Hedge
Marketing
Making The Most Of Your Outdoor Space /in , /by

Gardens are an important part of our lives. They give us space to relax and unwind outdoors, and the satisfaction of seeing the landscape change with the seasons.  Many studies have shown that gardens and outdoor spaces improve our mood and wellbeing, and a great garden can just lift our spirits.

We have been helping create inspired outdoor spaces for over 20 years. Here are a few ideas on how you can make the most of your outdoor space.

A Space To De-Stress & Relax

Many studies suggest that spending time outdoors can help alleviate stress, as well as improving mental wellbeing and mood. A garden designed and created with your needs in mind, can bring all the benefits of spending time in nature into the comfort of your own home.

Screening & Privacy

You can create privacy in your garden by planting mature hedging to give you instant screening.  Buying pre-grown hedges, such as our Practical Instant Hedge™ ensures that you have a solution to create a private, secure garden without waiting for small plants to grow into a hedge.

Use Instant Hedge To Make The Most Of Your Outdoor Space

Using Instant Hedge to section off areas in your garden is easy.  The production method of Practical Instant Hedge™ for example, ensures it is easy to handle, because it is pre-grown in 1m troughs and there’s no worry about “transplant” shock.

Here are just a few ideas for creating unique spaces in your garden

  • Outdoor lounge
  • Sheltered Dining Area
  • Children’s play area
  • Secret garden

Use of Colours

An evergreen hedge isn’t just one colour, Practical Instant Hedge™ comes in many different varieties to suit your individual taste. If you like bright colours, then the apple green leaves of Griselinia could be your favourite. If shiny leaves are more your thing, then its Common Laurel. For classic elegance, nothing can really beat the traditional Yew. Or if subtle greys is what your garden needs, then Elaeagnus would be perfect.  There are many more varieties of instant hedge that will help make your garden the perfect space.

 

We hope this has given you some ideas about how to make the most of your outdoor space.  If you would like to know more about what makes our Practical Instant Hedge™ special, please look our projects and blogs.

Childrens Garden at Kew Gardens
Practicality Brown
The Secret of a Good Garden /in , /by

What springs to mind when you think of how you’d like your garden to look? Lush expansive greenery or clear simple lines? An array of beautifully vivid wild contrasting colours or your favourite simple colour theme in a variety of subtle hues. Natural, wild foliage or tightly trimmed and clipped geometrical patterns? We all have our own idea of what makes a great garden.

Whether it’s the view from your window as spring bursts into life, or creating the perfect place to relax and entertain outdoors as the weather turns warmer, if you have structure to your garden it will be much easier to create the look and feel that you’re aiming for, and hedges are the ideal natural way to do this. They are extremely versatile and even popular well known gardeners have been known to say that they are the secret of every good garden.

Hedges have multiple benefits and having grown and supplied mature instant hedging to garden designers, landscapers and private clients, for over 20 years, we know they are also quite unique. The secret to a good garden is that structure is the foundation from which everything else should be planned. A hedge naturally establishes structure, creating a framework that will convey a sense of scale. While many hedgerows may have been growing for hundreds of years, Practical Instant Hedge™  can create full hedging structures instantly.

Creating structure

Boundaries and Partitions
Hedges make some of the best boundaries and dividers. Using hedging to separate your garden into ‘rooms’ or areas is a good option, as they can channel or block views. Low hedges can act as physical barriers to without blocking views, while taller hedges create an outline and can also provide a backdrop for focal points.

Backdrop and Colour
Instant hedging provides a lush green backdrop for other planting. Depending on how the light falls you will see the colour and texture change as well as attractive shadow play. It’s the perfect way to show off your flowering plants that are bursting into bloom in spring, and of course evergreen varieties will even make the view less bare and colourless in winter.

Shelter and Protection
Hedges give your garden more shelter and protection because the wind is broken up by the hedging. With a fence or wall, the wind whistles over the top and can land on the other side with some force, leaving delicate flowering plants or sheltered seating areas exposed to the elements.

Punctuation, Contrast and Framing
Just as commas break up a sentence, gardens need their punctuation points too. Lavish borders need a little geometry to give them structure and instant hedges are ideal for creating this as well as providing contrast for wilder plantings. You also showcase large features or sculptures by using instant hedging as a frame.

We have grown our own range of instant hedges to ensure they are easy to handle and plant all year round, meaning you can add instant structure to any garden. Practical Instant Hedge™  enables you to create the garden you want during the spring and summer months when you can enjoy the benefits immediately without having to wait for the right time to plant.

If you would like to know more about the range of species available and what makes our Practical Instant Hedge special, visit our webpage here, or simply email us hedge@pracbrown.co.uk

Practical Instant Hedge growing in Iver
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It’s The Perfect Time Of Year To Plant Hedges /in , /by

Now is the perfect time to plant hedges

Traditionally, the best time to plant hedges is during the autumn/winter – this applies to both evergreen and deciduous hedging plants.

Our Practical Instant Hedge™ has been produced to ensure that it is easy to handle and plant all year round, with no transplant shock. We have designed this instant hedging range to give you plenty of choice, depending on your garden style, local soil and weather conditions. It’s also ideal for use as a partition or screening to divide your garden into sections. All of this means, any time of year is  the perfect time to plant Practical Instant Hedge™.

 

How to Plant an Instant Hedge

Planting and caring for a new instant hedge is very similar to that for any new tree or shrub. Good soil preparation beforehand will give your hedge the best start in life.

We can supply you, or your gardener with an installation guide. This outlines trench preparation, handling, planting and back filling. All of the hedging in our Practical Instant Hedge™ range comes in bespoke trough bags, developed to enable easy handling during the planting process.

We will supply you with a maintenance guide for aftercare to help ensure the instant hedge establishes well in your garden. We do recommend the use of a simple irrigation system, which will help the hedging plants establish themselves in their new permanent location.

And of course, one of the beauties of our Practical Instant Hedge™ is that we have taken to the time to grow a large product, so you can appreciate the mature effect, in an instant!

Why not take a look at our range of instant hedge on our website now, and plan your garden improvements.

To help you choose, we have a Hedge Selecting Guide, which give details of the different species available. And if you would like further guidance, simply email us hedge@pracbrown.co.uk

 

Elaeagnus leaf detail evergreen instant hedge
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Instant Hedge In Focus: Elaeagnus /in , /by

Instant Hedge In Focus: Elaeagnus

Elaeagnus ebbingei Compacta, also known as Oleaster, makes a wonderful evergreen instant hedge.

Elaeagnus instant hedge is great for coastal locations

Elaeagnus leaf detail

Top 5 features of Elaeagnus

  1. Attractive silver green foliage
  2. Tolerant of maritime exposure and windy conditions
  3. Thrives in all but the coldest or waterlogged locations
  4. Fragrant flowers and attractive fruits
  5. Easy to care for, prune once a year

Why choose Elaeagnus Instant Hedge?

Oleaster has very attractive leathery leaves that are metallic grey-green above and silver underneath. This mix of colours gives a silver shimmering effect when the leaves of an Elaeagnus hedge flutter in the wind. Newly emerging leaves are almost entirely silver, adding to the sparkly appearance.

Elaeagnus Instant Hedge is a robust hedging plant that is very tolerant of site conditions, except those that become waterlogged. It prefers a well-drained soil although it can grow in very poor soils. It is also very drought resistant and will succeed in dry soils. This versatile plant is as happy in full sun as it is in deep shade.

This hedging plant is one of those species that is extremely resistant to maritime exposure and salt-laden winds. It can grow right next to the sea and in such a position would give very good wind protection. The plants are fairly hardy in temperate areas, and although they are not best suited for the coldest, harshest of winters, they can be seen at the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens in Scotland.

Another attractive feature of Elaeagnus Ebbingei  is how it flowers and produces fruit. Exquisitely scented tiny bell-shaped, silvery flowers appear in clusters during October and November. The flowers then ripen into fruits in spring, which are red with a very attractive silver marbling effect. Known as Wild Olives these are edible when fully ripe and are popular in south-eastern Europe.

Elaeagnus Ebbingei is excellent for creating a dense evergreen screen with seasonal interest anywhere but has particular value in coastal or windy areas.

Elaeagnus Practical Instant Hedge Currently is available in heights of 1.6-1.8m and 1.8m high.

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

Mature hedging growing at our hedge nursery in Iver, Buckinghamshire

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Species Latin Foliage Pruning Annual Growth Aspect Soil preference PH Leaves
Oleaster Elaeagnus ebbingei Compacta Evergreen Once in July or August Fast 40-60cm All – excellent for coastal areas All well drained Acidic to slightly alkaline Silvery Green

How to order Practical Instant Hedge™

If you like to find out more about our comprehensive range of evergreen and deciduous Practical Instant Hedges, you can:

  • Explore our website for more details, including current size availability
  • We offer supply only, or supply and installation
  • Call us on 01753 652022 and speak to our horticultural team
  • Email us on hedge@pracbrown.co.uk with your requirements (including size and length of hedge, your location and whether you would like a price for installation) and we will return a quote within 2 working days.
Griselinia growing at Iver
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Top 5 Hedges for Screening & Privacy /in , , /by

Top 5 Hedges for Screening & Privacy

What are the best hedges to provide screening and privacy in your garden?

When looking for hedging to provide screening in your garden, the best solution is to plant mature hedging to give you instant privacy.  Buying pre-grown hedges, such as our Practical Instant Hedge™ ensures that you have a solution to create a private, secure garden for you to enjoy.

You could plant individual plants, but you will need to wait for them to grow into a hedge. The best hedges to provide screening and privacy are those that are ready grown for that purpose, and in particular, evergreen instant hedge.

Which Instant Hedge is best for screening and privacy?

There are many garden hedges, and many are suitable for specific issues or requirements.  Deciduous hedges offer season interest, from spring blossom to autumn fruits, however due to the annual leaf drop, they may not be suitable for year-round screening.

The best hedging to provide great screening for the whole of the year are evergreen, and they will give an attractive backdrop in your garden. Evergreen hedges are the best for screening and privacy.

Why use Evergreen Instant Hedges

Evergreen Instant Hedges are attractive hedges and give an immediate privacy screen.  Our Practical Instant Hedge™ is grown in nine varieties at our hedge nursery in Iver, Buckinghamshire.  Our production method that ensures this mature hedge is easy to handle, as it is pre-grown in 1m troughs at our nursery which means it can be planted all year round with no worry about “transplant” shock.

Our Top 5 Evergreen Instant Hedges

From our range of 9 evergreen Practical Instant Hedges, these are our pick of the top five hedges that are ideal for screening:

Common Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus ‘Rotundifolia’)

Laurel Leaf detail

Common Laurel (or Cherry Laurel) makes a bright, dense evergreen hedge. It’s shiny lime green leaves are thick and leathery, making it a good choice for noise reduction, for example, from a busy road. Common Laurel Instant Hedge will thrive in most soils, including clay, but it dislikes (shallow) chalk.

Yew (Taxus baccata)

Yew leaf detail

Practical Yew Instant Hedge is a very popular choice, a timeless classic that is at home in any garden style from formal traditional to elegant contemporary. The dark-green, conifer foliage is easy to maintain and trim. Yew hedges are perfect choice for dense, mature evergreen hedging.

Portuguese Laurel (Prunus lusitanica ‘Angustifolia’)

Portuguese laurel leaf

Practical Portuguese Laurel Instant Hedge will work well in any garden setting. The dark green leaves are neat and attractive, giving this evergreen hedge an attractive compact and refined appearance.  Portuguese Laurel hedging likes most soils including clay and shallow chalk.

Broadleaf (Griselinia littoralis)

Griselinia Evergreen Instant Hedge

Practical Griselinia Instant Hedge™ (as known as Broadleaf) makes a wonderful evergreen instant hedge with its attractive light apple-green leathery leaves. Griselinia hedging is excellent for coastal locations as it is particularly tolerant of salt laden winds, ‘littoralis’ translates as ‘growing by the sea’.

Oleaster (Elaeagnus ebbingei  ‘Compacta’)

Elaeagnus Instant Hedge leaf detail

Elaeagnus ebbingei ‘Compacta’ is a robust hedging plant with tough silvery grey leaves that are frost, wind and salt resistant. Also known as Oleaster, this Instant Hedge. is excellent for creating a dense evergreen screen anywhere but has particular value in coastal areas.

Why Plant Practical Instant Hedge™?

  • Create an attractive backdrop for your garden project.
  • Provides highly effective screening for privacy and security.
  • Give your garden more shelter for your garden and filter pollution such as dirt and noise
  • Hedges are more cost effective and weather resistant than fence or brickwork
  • Help protect birds and wildlife by creating a natural habitat
  • Enhance or section off parts of your property for sale.

 

How to order Practical Instant Hedge™

If you like to find out more about our comprehensive range of evergreen and deciduous Practical Instant Hedges, you can:

  • Explore our website for more details, including current size availability
  • We offer supply only, or supply and installation
  • Call us on 01753 652022 and speak to our horticultural team
  • Email us on hedge@www.pracbrown.co.uk with your requirements (including size and length of hedge, your location and whether you would like a price for installation) and we will return a quote within 2 working days.

 

Evergreen Instant Hedges are the best for screening and privacy in your garden