Spacing & sowing

Plant spacing

26 ft 3 in

In-row spacing

26 ft 3 in

Between rows

32 ft 10 in

Square-foot density

Not suited to SFG

Growing

Type

Tree · Perennial

Botanical family

Mixed / other

Sunlight

Full sun to partial shade, with full sun the better of the two.

Watering

Dry ground is no obstacle once it is established.

Feeding

Young hedges appreciate a spring feed; mature trees rarely need one.

Frost tolerant

Yes

Flowering

May

Pruning

Hedges get one clip in August; specimen trees need barely any pruning.

Through the year

• Apr–May Spring Growth
• May–May Leaf Fall
• May–Oct Flowering
• Oct–Dec Growing
• Jan–Apr Growing

Companions

Yew, Bay Laurel, Portuguese Laurel, Beech

Pests & problems

• Scale insects Immobile brown or white bumps fixed to stems and leaf undersides, sucking sap and weakening growth. Wipe off with a damp cloth or dab with horticultural soap; watch for the sooty mold that follows.
• Phytophthora root and foot rot A waterborne rot of woody plants that kills from the roots up: the whole plant fades and wilts, and the bark at the base is stained rusty-brown beneath.
• Oak processionary moth

Garden allies

Beneficial predators that hunt this plant's pests — grow their favourite flowers nearby to recruit them. ★ companion plant

• Hoverfly Syrphidae
  Hunts Scale insects

  Bee-mimicking flies whose legless larvae graze aphid colonies clean while the adults pollinate. A ribbon of shallow, nectar-rich flowers kept in bloom all season recruits wave after wave of them.

  Plant nearby CalendulaChamomileFennelFrench marigoldPhaceliaSweet alyssum
• Ladybird (lady beetle) Coccinellidae
  Hunts Scale insects

  The gardener’s favorite ally: adults and their alligator-shaped larvae each eat thousands of aphids, plus scale, mealybugs, and other soft-bodied sap-suckers. Grow flat, open flowers for the adults and never spray a colony that ladybird larvae are already working.

  Plant nearby CalendulaCilantroCosmosDillFennelYarrow