RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025 8 May 2025/in News, RHS Shows /by Marketing

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025

Wild About Chelsea

We are delighted to support Garden Designers at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show again this year.

We are supplying Yew Practical Instant Hedge™ for Sadie May Stowell’s “Explore Charleston” installation at the show. We have more hedging in Ryan McMahon’s garden in the All About Plants category.

The RHS’s All About Plants category has tasked designers to look at how plants, wildlife and people adapt and interact with the environment around them. All the gardens in this category are supported by Project Giving Back, a grant-giving charity that supports gardens for good causes at RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The designs in this category have a particular focus on unusual and specialist plants.

Seawilding

Ryan McMahon’s Seawilding garden captures the spirit of Scotland’s west coast landscape, with a saltwater pool planted with seagrass, the UK’s only native ocean plant. The garden focuses on plants native to the west coast of Scotland, such as globeflower, a wildflower of the Scottish wet meadows, and string sedge. We are supplying our Practical Instant Hedge™ in Native Mix which frames this innovative Garden.

RHS Chelsea Flower Show is filled with amazing garden designs, gorgeous floral displays and exclusive shopping. This year’s show is 20 – 24 May 2025.

Practical Choice

Our hedging range makes a perfect choice for show gardens, which is why many garden designers choose our Practical Instant Hedge™ year after year. The hedges come in 1m long pieces across evergreen and deciduous species, all of which are grown at our Buckinghamshire nursery. The production method ensures that this mature hedge is easy to handle with no transplant shock and that it can be planted all year round.

See for yourself

Come and visit our nursery in Iver, Bucks and talk to our Horticultural team about your projects. Call us on 01753 652022. You can also email us at hedge@pracbrown.co.uk. Or browse our website for evergreen screening trees, specimen trees and instant hedges.

Wildlife Friendly Hedges & Trees 23 January 2025/in Hedging, News /by Marketing

Wildlife Friendly Hedges & Trees

With RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch this weekend, it’s a great time to consider how to ensure your garden is attractive to wildlife. Adding trees and instant hedges into your garden can provide essential habitats, food sources, and protection, enabling biodiversity and ecological balance.

Habitat and Shelter

Trees and mature hedges serve as vital nesting sites and shelters for various bird species. Dense foliage offers protection from predators and harsh weather conditions, creating safe environments for raising young. A good example would be mixed native instant hedges which provide benefits for a wide range of wildlife.

Food Resources

Native hedges, composed of species like Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Hornbeam, Hazel and Privet produce flowers, berries, and seeds that are crucial food sources throughout the year. The seasonal availability of these resources support a variety of wildlife diets, from nectar-feeding to seed-eating species.

Protection and Privacy

Beyond ecological benefits, mature hedges offer practical advantages for garden owners. They act as natural windbreaks, reducing wind strength more effectively than solid fences, and serve as visual screens for privacy. They can also absorb dust and noise, contributing to a more pleasant garden environment.

Instant Hedges for Immediate Impact

For those looking to quickly enhance their gardens, Practical Instant Hedge™ provide immediate structure and benefits. These pre-grown mature hedges create a strong framework for the garden, so that it looks good from winter through to providing attractive background to floral displays of spring and summer.

Biodiversity

Including diverse, native plant species in your garden not only enhance garden aesthetics but also contributes to broader conservation efforts, supporting biodiversity and ecological health.

Tree Availability List

You can view of comprehensive tree availability lists here.

Visit The Nursery

We would be delighted to show you around our Tree and Hedge nursery in Iver, Buckinghamshire, whether you are interested in screening trees or instant hedges.

We are located near to M4, M25 and M40 junctions, about 6 miles from Heathrow Airport. Also, just 15 miles from central London and 1 mile from Iver Station. With regular trains from London Paddington.

Please phone us first 01753 652022 to book a nursery visit and we will ensure we have an expert on hand to show you around.
We look forward to meeting you and helping you with your enquiry.

Picture shows Practicality Browns office in Iver with a large Photinia tree in the front.

Instant Hedges and Trees Available Online 13 August 2024/in News /by Marketing

Instant Hedges & Large Trees Online

Practicality Brown is always known as an innovative company! The first company to develop pre-grown instant hedge in the late 1990s, and we have since gone on to develop our own award-winning Practicality Instant Hedge™.

Our team also specialise in evergreen screening trees, to bring privacy to every garden.

We are now pleased to announce two new online developments, our Hedge Shop and our full Tree Availability List.

Hedge Shop

We are delighted to announce the launch of our brand new Hedge Shop. Fully integrated with our existing website, or available direct at https://shop.pracbrown.co.uk/ This is an easy way to select and buy Practical Instant Hedge™ from the Instant Hedge Specialist.

Practical Instant Hedge™

Our Practical Instant Hedging range currently consists of

Blue Holly
Burkwood Osmanthus
Common Laurel
Elaeagnus
Green Beech
Griselinia
Hawthorn
Holly
Hornbeam
Native Mix
Portuguese Laurel
Privet
Purple Beech
White Cedar

With other species being grown and developed on site.

How to Shop

Simply select the species, add to the cart and your delivery details and the price will be calculated. Delivery is a minimum of 3 metres of hedge, and usually takes two working days from receipt of order, but we can deliver later too.

As well as a delivery only option, we can also arrange to install the hedges. Just give us a call or email to discuss. You are very welcome to visit our nursery to view and select your instant hedge.

Tree Availability List

We have completed a stock take of the trees in our Iver nursery in Buckinghamshire and have produced a comprehensive list of the 800+ trees that are available to purchase right now.

If you are looking for evergreen screening trees, standard or pleached, attractive deciduous specimens or useful screens, we have a choice of trees for you!

The list contains the trees that we have in stock and is accurate at the time of publishing. Stock situations can change quickly so please get in touch to receive a quotation or to reserve any trees that you like the look of. If you are looking for something more unusual or don’t see the trees that you are looking for on this list, please ask and we should be able to source them for you through our partner growers.

Special Offer

A 20% discount will be applied to ex VAT orders of trees worth a total of £3000 or more. The discount applies to the tree stock value of the order only, not to delivery and planting etc.

Visit

We recommend coming to view and select the trees before purchase, as choosing your very own trees is a lovely thing to do! – and you can book a nursery visit.

Contact Us

Call our sales team on 01753 652022 or email hedge@pracbrown.co.uk or trees@pracbrown.co.uk to arrange a visit, we would be delighted to show you around the nursery to view our stock Monday to Friday 9.00am – 3.00pm.

Osmanthus Instant Hedge 2 October 2023/by Marketing

Our Practical Instant Hedge™ range now includes the attractive evergreen Osmanthus burkwoodii.

Burkwood osmanthus is a dense, slow-growing, evergreen. The glossy, finely toothed, dark green leaves beautifully offset by highly scented, jasmine like, white flowers in mid and late spring. If pruned after flowering, it will increase the blooms for the following year.

Osmanthus instant hedge thrives on free draining soils but may lose leaves in the severest of winters, so it is best grown in a sunny aspect with protection against biting winter winds.

Osmanthus burkwoodii has RHS Award of Garden Merit and is an attractive evergreen with seasonal interest that will prove popular as an instant hedge.

We have this available at 80cm to 100cm high as a Practical Instant Hedge™.

Click here to contact us if you would like a quote for this instant hedge.

Osmanthus Instant Hedge growing on our nursery ideal hedge for small gardens.

Osmanthus burkwoodii Instant Hedge, closeup of flower and foliage

Species	Latin	Foliage	Pruning	Annual growth	Aspect	Soil acceptance	pH	Leaves
Burkwood osmanthus	Osmanthus burkwoodii	Evergreen	Regularly in Summer	Average 20-40cm	Sun to partial shade	All well drained	Any	Dark green oval

Blue Holly Instant Hedge 2 October 2023/by Marketing

Blue Holly Instant Hedge

Our Practical Instant Hedge range now includes the evergreen Ilex meserveae, also known as Blue Holly.

Ilex meserveae Blue Maid/ Prince has dense, lustrous, blue-green, spiny leaves from purple stems and tiny, white flowers are produced in spring. These cultivars are some of the best blue hollies available. Our Practical Instant Hedge™ has a mix of Blue Maid and Blue Prince to ensure the delightful profusion of bright red berries in autumn and winter. Late summer pruning will reveal dark purplish-green stems, which add to the ornamental effect.

Plant it in full or partial sun in moist, well-drained soil; it can be easily pruned.

We have this available at 1.4 – 1.6m high as a Practical Instant Hedge™.

We also have English Holly (Ilex aquifolium) available as an instant hedge.

Practical Instant Hedge Ilex meserveae growing in hedge bags

Blue Holly Growing in hedge bag at our Iver nursery

Species	Latin	Foliage	Pruning	Annual growth	Aspect	Soil acceptance	pH	Leaves
Blue Holly	Ilex meserveae Blue Maid/ Prince	Evergreen	Once in August	Slow 20-30cm	Sun to shade	All well drained	Acidic to alkaline	Blue green spiny

Creating an RHS Garden 30 August 2023/by Marketing

Behind the Scenes

Creating an Award-Winning RHS Garden

Practicality Brown have many years of experience in supplying instant hedges and large trees to garden designers at prestigious Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) gardens shows. There is an immense about of work and effort that goes into planning, preparation and planting a garden exhibit at RHS shows

Garden Designers spend thousands of pounds and use their skill and dedication to create unique landscaping and show off their horticultural knowledge in their attempt to claim a coveted gold from the RHS judges in their chosen category.

Not Just About The Show Gardens

As well as the creative garden designers, the shows are full of exhibitors who use the opportunity to create an attractive Trade Stand. In 2023, Practicality Brown decided to invest time, money and effort with a trade stand and garden installation at the World’s biggest garden show, Hampton Court Garden Festival.

And, in a similar way to the show gardens, trade stands are judged on the quality of the exhibit, with the best gaining award-winning stars. And for our first effort, in a return to exhibiting, we gained a valuable 3 star rating.

The Award-Winning Trade Stand Design From Start To Finish

The photos shows the behind-the-scenes built of our trade stand from design to Press Day. The garden installation, entitled “Playing with Shapes” showcased a selection of Practical Instant Hedge™ and screening trees from our nursery in Iver, Bucks and was designed by Sales Director, Graeme Jenkins. Enhanced by the stunning “Diana, The Huntress” sculpture by David William-Ellis.

RHS Hampton Court 2023 16 August 2023/by Marketing

RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival 2023

We exhibited at Hampton Court in 2023, with a trade stand and garden installation showcasing Practical Instant Hedge™ and evergreen screening trees, with a clever design incorporated both. “Playing with Shapes” used a selection of instant hedges and trees from the nursery in Iver, Buckinghamshire together with the stunning “Diana, The Huntress” sculpture by David William-Ellis.

Graeme Jenkins, Director at Practicality Brown, on the RHS Hampton Court exhibit

In addition to exhibiting ourselves, our Practical Instant Hedge™ featured on three different gardens at the UK’s largest garden show.

Explore Charleston – Welcome To Charleston

Show Garden designed by Sadie May Stowell – Silver Gilt medal winner

The garden provided visitors with a glimpse of the historic courtyard gardens of Charleston, South Carolina, capturing their spirit, charm and elegance. The planting colour scheme is blue, pink, and white and showcases a number of hardy exotic plants. Practical Yew Instant Hedging gives the design a classical formal backdrop.

RHS Wildlife Garden

Feature Garden designed by Jo Thompson

The garden represented an urban corridor reclaimed by nature, showing how wildlife can thrive in what are often thought of as unexpected or forgotten places. Re-framing the idea of re-wilding, this garden observed nature and took inspiration from it, whilst maintaining the balance of plants for biodiversity through light intervention. Practical Instant Native Mix Hedging was perfect for this design.

The Inghams Working with Nature Garden

Get Started Garden designed by Butler and Parker – Silver medal winner

The garden was inspired by summer holidays, using natural stone for tracks and seating.
The planting had a natural feel that aims to handle future UK climates, such as temporary periods of flooding as well as dry periods. The planting palette was inspired by woodland and lower valley glades, with Practical Instant Hornbeam Hedging providing the backdrop.

Come and visit our nursery in Iver, Bucks and talk to our Horticultural team about your own garden. Call us on 01753 652022. You can also email us at hedge@pracbrown.co.uk. Or visit our website: www.pracbrown.co.uk

Horse Friendly Hedging 21 December 2022/by Marketing

HORSE FRIENDLY HEDGING

If you need to plant a horse friendly boundary hedging, whether it is to keep livestock in or out, our Practical Instant Hedge™ may provide the perfect choice.

These stockproof hedges will give interest all year round and will also be beneficial to many species of wildlife. Practical Instant Hedge™ is a mature, ready to plant product, so the animals can feel the immediate benefits, including protection from the elements. However, as with any new plants, these hedges will need protecting from the horses until they are fully established.

To give extra shade to the horses, you could also add some trees into your hedging, which would replicate natural hedgerows found throughout the UK. Trees that are safe for horse pasture include ash, birch, poplar and willow. Avoid oak, as acorns, if consumed in large quantities, can be poisonous.

Horse friendly hedging has the following benefits:

Keeps horses in and/or other animals out.
Offers shelter against winds and rain in winter and the sun and flies in summer.
It can supplement your horses’ diet.
Seasonal interest from hedgerow flowers, catkins, berries and Autumn foliage.

Hedges are great for wildlife, look natural, and will last for over a hundred years with a little care and maintenance.

Best Hedges for Horses

We are frequently asked about hedges suitable for equestrian use. We have selected the following Practical Instant Hedge™, that, if grazed by horses, should cause no harm.

Hawthorn – Crataegus monogyna
One of the most popular deciduous horse-friendly hedges, as it looks perfectly natural in the landscape and is loved by birds and insects. Horses like to nibble on the new shoots too.

Griselinia littoralis
An attractive evergreen hedge, with soft lime green leaves and suited to salt laden winds of coastal locations.

Hornbeam – Carpinus betulus
A deciduous hedge whose leaves turn yellow in the autumn and then emerge bright green in early spring. Similar in look to beech but with finely ribbed leaves.

Oleaster – Elaeagnus ebbingei Compacta
A dense evergreen hedge that is particularly suitable for seaside locations. Horse friendly with a lovely grey / green leaf.

Beech – Fagus sylvatica
This deciduous hedge retains its leaves in to the winter, offering additional screening in the coldest months. Horses quite often nibble leaves, twigs, and bark of the trees. Beech nuts are poisonous but if your hedge is trimmed in summer, nuts are unlikely to be produced.

Mixed Native Hedging for Horses

We have native mixed instant hedges are suitable for horses, and include Hazel, Hawthorn and Hornbeam. This mix of species brings interest in colour, texture and wildlife interest through their diversity of berries, flowers and fruits.

Please specify horse-friendly hedging when ordering!

Hedges To Avoid If You Have Horses

As noted by the British Horse Society, there are some species of trees and shrubs that are toxic to horses, and are therefore not suitable for hedging. These include Privet, leylandii, Broom, Box, Yew, Laburnum and Laurel.

Other shrubs to avoid, although horses are unlikely to eat them, are; Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa),
Holly (Ilex aquifolium), Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica), Prunus, Photinia and Thuja.
NB please note this list is not exhaustive.

Planting

If you are planning to include trees in your horse friendly hedging, then autumn and winter are the perfect time to plant semi-mature large trees. Our Practical Instant Hedge™ has been produced so that it can be planted at any time of the year, meaning you can plan around your needs.

Contact our Horticultural team for more details. Email Hedge@pracbrown.co.uk or call 01753 652022

RHS Tatton Park 2022 31 August 2022/by Marketing

RHS Flower Show Tatton Park

Celebrating colour, creativity, community and the positive power of plants and flowers, RHS Flower Show brings the joy of gardening to the historic grounds of Tatton Park.

RHS Young Designer of the Year

Crowned at the 2022 show, RHS Young Designer of the Year Will Scholey created the Working From Home Garden which was a perfect working environment, while reducing the homeowner’s carbon footprint.

The ‘daily commute’ was a winding gravel path through native meadow planting with multi-stemmed trees. There was plenty of native wildlife-friendly planting including our Practical Native Mix Instant Hedge, from our range of Deciduous Instant Hedges. Will received a Silver-Gilt award for this garden, as well as his title.

Talk to our Horticultural team about how Practical Instant Hedge™ could be right for your own show garden. Simply email us on hedge@pracbrown.co.uk

RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival 2022 31 August 2022/by Marketing

Forest Bathing at RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival 2022

This event is the world’s largest flower show, full of colour and wonderful summer gardens of inspiration. It is set in the stunning grounds of the Historic Royal Palace in Richmond upon Thames.

RHS Forest Bathing Garden by Dave Green

Award-winning garden designer, Dave Green created a beautiful feature garden for The Royal Horticultural Society.

The RHS Forest Bathing Garden drew on a purposeful practice of spending time under the canopy of trees surrounded by nature to relax and de-stress, which can decrease both anxiety and depression.

Forest bathing often takes place with a guide and focuses on exploring the natural environment using the senses (sight, sound, touch and smell) to create mindfulness awareness. The garden was designed to for all the sense, including sight, sound and aroma.

We supplied Practical Native Mix Instant Hedge for this beautiful, restful garden.