Hedging serves many practical functions in the garden or landscape - in dividing spaces and creating garden ‘rooms’, providing protection from prevailing winds or even to screen out unwanted views. They provide a permanent presence and add structure all year round. Time is required to establish a good hedge but with careful selection, most hedges remain in place for years and in some cases, a lifetime. It is therefore essential to do your research and examine criteria such as where the is hedge going to be planted, the conditions it will be growing in and its aspect, then, and very importantly, the reason you want the hedge –what will be its primary function for you? Maybe you need a hedge for practical reasons, like those mentioned earlier, or maybe it is to add an ornamental focal point, so colour may be more of a consideration than say, height. If you are clear on what you want the hedge to achieve you can make a much more informed selection to create it. Also, if you require the hedge to grow fast there are many appropriate candidates (many in this collection are fast growers) but be aware that the quicker a hedging plant grows generally the more trimming they will require to keep the desired shape. English box on the other hand, has long since been a ‘go to’ hedging plant primarily as the dense foliage needed trimming maybe once a year but its downside is, because it is slow growing, it may take many years to achieve the height and bulk you require. Also, don’t forget that if a plant or shrub is one that responds well to clipping – and therefore a good hedging plant, it is also a great choice for creating topiary shapes. Sometimes using a series of clipped shapes in a line or dotted through a landscape can give you the same year round structure that a hedge can. All varieties in this collection are ideal for either hedging or shaping.