Hedge underplanting: colour and life at the foot of your hedge

The forgotten zone: the hedge base

Almost every garden has a hedge. And almost every hedge has a bare, sad-looking base. Dry, exhausted soil full of roots where nothing seems to grow. That, at least, is the assumption. In reality, dozens of plants actually thrive in those very conditions. You just need to know which ones.

The secret: choose plants that naturally grow in woodlands — under trees, in dry shade, competing with tree roots. Those plants are tough and know exactly how to grab their share of light and water.

Combination 1: Spring explosion

Let your hedge base burst into colour in early spring with bulbs. Galanthus nivalis (snowdrop) appears as early as February, followed by Crocus tommasinianus in March and Narcissus 'Tête-à-tête' in April. The bulbs take advantage of the light before the hedge is fully in leaf. By summer they have vanished and ground cover takes over.

Plant the bulbs in autumn, straight through the existing planting. Use a narrow bulb planter.

Combination 2: The dry shade champion

Under a beech or privet hedge it is often dry and dark. The perfect trinity: Epimedium × versicolor 'Sulphureum' (barrenwort) with delicate yellow flowers and graceful leaves, Vinca minor (lesser periwinkle) as an evergreen ground cover with purple-blue flowers, and Liriope muscari (lilyturf) with purple flower spikes in autumn.

All three are extremely tolerant of drought and root competition. Once established — that takes a year or two — they are virtually indestructible.

Combination 3: The flower-rich edge

If your hedge sits in partial shade and the soil is not too dry, you can be more ambitious. Digitalis purpurea (foxglove) self-seeds and delivers towers of pink-purple flowers in June. Geranium macrorrhizum (bigroot geranium) forms a fragrant, semi-evergreen carpet. Add Aquilegia vulgaris (columbine) for airy flowers in purple, pink and white in May.

Combination 4: Evergreen carpet

For a hedge base that looks smart even in January: Pachysandra terminalis (Japanese spurge) creates a dense, glossy green carpet in the deepest shade. Pair it with Helleborus foetidus (stinking hellebore) — the name is unfortunate, but the green flowers in February are beautiful. Add Asarum europaeum (European wild ginger) with its glossy, kidney-shaped leaves.

Combination 5: The edible hedge base

For the practical gardener: Allium ursinum (wild garlic) grows brilliantly under hedges and delivers a tasty leaf harvest in spring. Combine with Fragaria vesca (wild strawberry) and Melissa officinalis (lemon balm). You get a productive underplanting that also looks great.

Tips for success

Preparation is everything. Before planting, work a generous layer of compost into the top ten centimetres. The hedge has most of its roots deeper, so you are not competing directly.

Water regularly in the first year. New plants need to establish in soil already packed with hedge roots. Once settled, they manage perfectly well on their own.

Mulch with leaf mould or cocoa shells. This retains moisture and provides nutrition.

Do not plant too close to the hedge itself. Keep fifteen to twenty centimetres' distance so that air can circulate and you do not trample everything when trimming the hedge.

Plant in groups. Set the same species in drifts of at least five to seven. It looks calmer and more natural than a mixed jumble of individual plants.

See your hedge base transformed

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