Tree & Hedge Plantingin Watford & Hertfordshire— specialist-nursery stock, professionally planted.
From a single feature tree to a whole boundary hedge or garden makeover. Stock supplied by specialist nurseries, planted to arboricultural best practice, staked, protected, and set up to thrive from year one.
9.94/10 across 502 Checkatrade reviews · Free site visit · Fixed-price quote within 24 hours
Watford · Bushey · Radlett · Harrow · St Albans
What tree & hedge planting actually involves
Supply and planting of trees, hedges, shrubs, climbers, roses, grasses and specialist planting (topiary, palms, green walls, roof gardens). Includes ground preparation, staking, ties, mulching and irrigation set-up.
Homeowners replanting after removals, landscape designers needing skilled installation, developers meeting planning conditions, and estate owners planting for the long term.
Bare-root stock: November–March (dormant season). Container-grown: any time, ideally spring or autumn. Large specimens with rootball: autumn or early spring for best establishment.
Most tree failures happen in the first 3 years — and almost all of them come down to how the tree was planted. Wrong depth, wrong pit prep, wrong stake, no water plan. Get the planting right and you've done 90% of the work.
What happens if you put it off
A £300 tree planted badly is £300 in the bin — plus the disappointment of watching it fail two summers later.
First-year die-off
Poor pit prep and no water plan means most losses happen in the first hot summer.
Girdling roots
Container stock left with circling roots strangles itself decades later — invisible at planting, fatal at maturity.
Wrong species, wrong site
The tree that looked great in the garden centre is the wrong one on shrinkable clay next to a house. A £500 mistake becomes a £15,000 subsidence claim.
Common mistakes we're called in to fix
- Planting too deep — root flare must sit at or slightly above ground level.
- Leaving the container-shaped root ball undisturbed — the roots keep circling.
- One thin stake tight to the trunk — should be one or two low, angled stakes with flexible ties.
- No mulch ring — grass and weeds outcompete a young tree ruthlessly for water.
A clear, quoted, tidy job — every time
No day rates. No guesswork on the day. You know what we're doing, when, and what it costs before a single cut is made.
- 1
Site & species consultation
We look at soil, aspect, mature size, proximity to buildings and objectives before recommending species.
- 2
Fixed-price quote
Supply + planting price, written, within 24 hours.
- 3
Sourcing from specialist nurseries
Stock ordered from established growers — not garden-centre shelf plants.
- 4
Pit prep & planting
Correct depth, root ball worked, backfill with amended soil, staked and tied.
- 5
Mulch, water & aftercare plan
Mulch ring installed, watering schedule handed to you, follow-up visit optional.
What you actually get when we do the job
Better stock
Specialist nurseries mean healthier root systems and truer-to-type specimens.
Planted to establish
Right depth, right pit, right stake — the fundamentals almost nobody gets right.
Species that suit the site
We steer you away from the classic wrong-tree/wrong-place mistakes.
Optional irrigation
Automatic irrigation on request — critical on new specimen trees in year one.
Aftercare guidance
If we plant it, we help you keep it alive — watering schedule, mulching advice and optional check-in visits.
Full setup
Stakes, ties, guards, mulch — everything the tree needs, on the day.
Tree & Hedge Planting — the full picture
What we plant
Trees (feature specimens through to whips), hedges (bare-root and container), shrubs, climbers and roses, perennials, ferns and grasses, palms and tropical planting, topiary, bulbs, pots and window boxes, and complete borders. We can also install automatic irrigation, mulching and soil-improvement systems, and plant supports (wires, trellis, guy-lines).
Right tree, right place
Species selection matters more than any other decision. Shrinkable clay near a house? Not oak, willow or poplar. Wet corner? Alder, willow or dogwood. Small urban garden? Amelanchier, Sorbus, ornamental cherry. Windbreak? Native mixed hedge, not leylandii. We know what fails and what thrives in Hertfordshire soil and climate.
Getting the pit right
Square pits (not round — roots turn corners), twice the width of the root ball, deep enough to sit the root flare level with the surface. Container root balls are gently loosened to break circling growth. Bare-root stock has roots fanned out over a firmed cone of backfill. Amended soil goes back in — not raw subsoil.
Staking and aftercare
One low angled stake on trees under 2m, two upright short stakes with a cross-bar for larger specimens. Flexible ties, checked yearly. Mulch ring 5cm deep, 1m wide, kept off the trunk. Watering — 20+ litres per week through the first two summers for a specimen tree. We hand you a written aftercare card.
Tree & Hedge Planting: your questions, answered straight
When is the best time to plant a tree?
Bare-root stock — November to March (dormant season). Container-grown — any time, though spring and autumn establish fastest. Large rootballed specimens — autumn or early spring.
How much does planting cost?
Fixed price per job after a free site visit — includes supply, planting, staking, ties, mulch and clean-up. Written quote within 24 hours.
Can you plant a tree near a house?
Yes, if the species is appropriate. Some species (oak, willow, poplar, some fruit) are best kept well clear of buildings on clay soils. We advise honestly and never plant something that will cause you a subsidence claim in 20 years.
Do you supply the trees, or do I source them?
Either. We normally source from specialist nurseries because the quality difference is significant. If you've already bought stock we're happy to plant it.
Do you offer aftercare?
We hand over a written watering and care schedule. Optional follow-up visits, feeding, staking checks and pruning-in are available.
How long until a hedge fills in?
Whip-planted native hedge: 3–5 years to a solid boundary at 1.5m. Instant-hedge modules (pre-grown panels): immediate but significantly more expensive.
Do you plant instant hedges?
Yes — pre-grown 1m or 1.8m instant hedge panels installed for immediate screening, common in commercial and urgent-privacy jobs.
Are there planning restrictions on new trees?
Occasionally — TPOs, planning conditions on new developments, restrictive covenants. We check before quoting.
Ready to sort your tree & hedge planting? Get a fixed price in 24 hours.
Free site visit. Written quote — not a day rate. Council TPO paperwork handled on your behalf. Full clean-up and all waste chipped or taken away under our Environment Agency waste carrier licence.
- Owner-led team — Sam or the team quote every job in person
- £10m public liability + £5m employers' liability
- NPTC CS39 climbers, City & Guilds qualified
- 24/7 phone answered for emergencies
Request your free quote
Tell us what you need — we'll come and take a proper look.