REASONS FOR A PRIVACY HEDGE?
YOU NEED A PRIVACY HEDGE IF...
You don't want to take care of your yard!
You want to block out an ugly neighbour!
You like to sunbathe in the nude!
Your neighbours are annoying!
You want to instantly add some green to a fenced in yard!
Your neighbours have an old appliance collection in their yard!
You would like some privacy from the outside world!
You want to increase your property value with a natural, living fence!
CEDAR TREES as A PRIVACY HEDGE
Why Eastern White Cedars?
The Eastern White Cedar is native to this part of Ontario and therefore a very hardy and reliable option for hedging. Although the colour is not as bright and vibrant in the offseason, as an evergreen variety, they will remain full year round providing a solid wind and privacy screen. Most importantly, they won’t turn brown and die like so many of the other Pyramid and Emerald cedar varieties brought here from the west coast. As a hedge tree, they are meant to grow together, whereas most other cedar varieties sold in the nurseries are “dominant” trees that will never grow into a hedge….if they survive at all!
Why Our EASTERN White CedarS?
Although this variety is often nicknamed ‘Swamp Cedar’, our trees are grown on farms from seedlings. True swamp cedars are readily available on the side of any highway north of the GTA and they often make their way south with “fly by night” landscapers looking to profit with free or even stolen product. The problem for you the customer is that these trees will not do well once dug up and transplanted. This is due to the fact that they are usually growing like weeds with several trees spouting off of one fallen cedar (often in swampy areas). Since they are sharing a root system, the individual tree is damaged when these roots are cut. It is the same variety of cedar tree that we sell, but since ours are grown individually from a seedling, the roots are not compromised when transplanting. Much of our business has been replacing these swamp cedars or the ornamental Pyramid and Emerald varieties so popular at local nurseries.
How Much? A lot cheaper than a wood fence.
Pricing
We don’t keep any stock on hand, all trees are dug fresh to order and then delivered. If you are outside of our normal delivery area, there will be a delivery charge....or you can wait until we're offering a special free delivery day to your area (see below for delivery dates).
We normally only sell the 5-6 footers. Taller 7-9 footers can be dug but they tend to look more sparse since they have been left to grow longer in natural conditions, without regular watering, fertilizer or pruning. Also, the bigger the tree, the more risky it is to transpant.
5-6’ Trees
# TREES / PRICE
10-19……...$30 per tree
20-29……..$25 per tree
30-39….….$24 per tree
40-49…....$23 per tree
50-74….….$22 per tree
75-99….….$21 per tree
100+..........$20 per tree
Please Note: Minimum order size for free delivery is 10 trees.
Trees are sold in the specified size range. Where they fall in that range is totally random ie. they won’t likely all be at the tallest end of that range.
Planting Services (minimum 15" spacing required for our auger)
Save your back and stay clean! Book us to plant for you for $12-15 per tree. Please Note: this is for planting only and does not include any garden sculpting, soil removal, staking or mulch.
Please Note: If you think it would be wise to replace your existing soil, have some triple mix or other soil on hand and we will happily use it when we plant for you. However, your existing soil cannot be taken off site with us....it will have to be left just in behind the hedge row.
How to Order
Using the Calculator on the home page, figure out how many trees you will need. The most common spacing is 18" apart.
Planting services are available for $12-15 per tree as long as the spacing is at least 15" apart. Any closer and you are on your own since we can no longer use our auger to dig the holes.
If you are planting yourself, and want to pre-dig the holes.... they only need to be 10-12” across and 5-6” deep for the 5-6 footers.
Please give us a delivery location so that we can confirm that there will be no extra charge for this service.
The minimum order size for free delivery is 10 trees.
Once a quote is sent, you can then confirm the order with a phone number and an exact address for delivery. Once you provide your phone number and address, the order is considered confirmed and arrangements will be made for your trees to be dug and delivered. This is where you might also consider ordering some soil for planting.
Please Note: ONCE AN ORDER IS CONFIRMED YOU ARE COMMITTED TO BUYING THE TREES SINCE THEY WILL BE DUG OUT OF THE GROUND AND IN NEED OF A NEW HOME.
care and maintenance
Water the trees after planting and continue to do so on a regular basis, with the goal of always keeping the soil moist. If you notice the soil cracking, you have not watered enough, and if the trees are sitting in a puddle all the time, you are watering too much - both will hurt the trees. Depending on the weather, 2-3 times per week should be enough for the first couple of months as the trees get established. Once they are well established, they will likely survive without watering, but they will thrive if you continue to keep the soil moist. Major garden retailers sell moisture meters for this purpose. A soaker hose can help water the trees slowly so that it reaches the roots. Pay attention to unusually hot and dry conditions when they might need a little extra.
Mulch can be added as it will help keep down weeds, it retains moisture, and it adds a tidy, finished look to your landscape.
If the tree tips over after some wind, straighten it up and step down on the surrounding soil to re-anchor.
Do not use any fertilizer for the first couple of years. In the third or fourth season, if the trees are looking healthy, you can use a cedar fertilizer according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Do not trim the hedge for the first year or two, until it is well established. After that, it can be trimmed once new growth appears and every few months into the fall. Simply clip off 1/3 to ½ of the new growth (the bright green leader at the tip of the tree). This will promote new growth and the thickening of the hedge. If you want to bring the hedge way down in height, you can trim off a lot more but it is best to do so gradually, and not all at once.
After transplanting, the trees will look a little stressed for a while, with some yellowing and possibly some browning of branches that were damaged during the transplant. Don’t panic! Unless they are totally brown, they will come back and began to flourish once they get through the transplant stress and establish new roots. Also, some brown foliage die-off is normal in late summer/fall. This will drop leaving a natural winter colour that is a duller green. A healthy cedar hedge will show new growth in the spring with a brighter green foliage.
Once well established, your new cedar trees will grow 1-1.5’ per year, even more in ideal conditions.
Good luck! Enjoy your new, beautiful, and natural privacy hedge.