It is always our pleasure to be helpful where we can with questions for advice on numerous subjects to do with plants and our work. On the following pages you will find information that covers a wide range of topics including the subjects that we are most asked about. We hope you find it useful. If you want to know more, or have questions on other subjects that you feel we can help you with, please get in touch.
‘Beautiful’, ‘Stunning’ and ‘Graceful’, deserved comments of the much loved Acer palmatum (Japanese maple) trees. A must have plant for so many gardeners.
At Hortlands we believe our fully formed instant hedges are horticultural wonders but why do our customers rate our hedges so highly?
A long living, tough tree that grows on most soils that are not too poor but with a preference for loamy ground.
Water is required by plants all year round but mainly between April and the end of September. Trees, shrubs and hedges planted less than five years ago require water to encourage root growth into the surrounding soil to enable the plants to establish and flourish.
View our recommended plants that can produce good hedges in their own right or as creative mixtures and are horse friendly.
Hortlands recommend our Ilex crenata (Japanese holly), as the best alternative or replacement for Buxus hedges and topiaries.
For newly laid turfed lawns, begin mowing after 2-3 weeks when the roots have anchored the turves into the soil. After the winter, the first cuts on established lawns should not be too short as it is important to reduce the height of the grass slowly over the first few weeks. For most lawns it is generally best practice to never mow lower than 15mm.
Our customers love their lawns and always want them to look their best. Good lawn care practice covers many aspects of our work and here we consider the benefits of one of them; raking and scarifying. If you have a fine grass or ornamental lawn, raking and scarifying should become a necessary task within the annual maintenance work schedule.
Our native hedging plants provide food and protection to a hidden world of creatures and wildlife and when planted as a creative mixture, produce an outstandingly beautiful hedge.
The following plants can produce good hedges in their own right or as creative mixtures.
All hedges require regular pruning to keep them tidy and within bounds. The more hedges are trimmed the denser and stronger they will become. Read our full guide.
In our opinion it is far better to have a garden full of plants that will establish and thrive to their full potential rather than a group of plants that simply survive and give an average show.
Trees are planted for many reasons and ongoing care and attention is important to help them overcome the shock of transplanting from a pot or piece of land into another.
Read our handy guide on tree sizes and compare measurements of different types of trees.
There are numerous trees that are small enough for planting into limited spaces but careful consideration is required when choosing them.
There are numerous plants that are capable of surviving in damp ground situations but only a few that can cope with periods of flooding.
We use a quality ornamental lawn turf that can be used for landscaping where fine garden lawns are required.
The first control should take place as soon as the soft growth phase begins which is mid to late spring. Further control can then take place as required up until the end of October.
