FAQ

Traditionally, achieving a finished, solid hedge has required years of waiting and maintenance. That’s because when individual plants are installed, they are typically cone or “natural” shape. Conventional installations can only become a solid hedge after meticulous, repeated shaping. With InstantHedge the privacy and finished look of a hedge is achieved in a single day, instead of 4-5 years.

There is nothing like them on the market. For the first time ever, you can have a finished hedge in just one day. Using patented technology and state-of-the-art precision agriculture implements, we produce finished hedges on our farm in Oregon that we can ship directly to a landscape in a biodegradable box for easy installation. Find more information please read our blog post about InstantHedge vs. Conventional Hedges.

InstantHedge will last for many years if the plants are maintained. With proper maintenance your hedge can last for decades and beyond. European Beech – our most popular variety- has thrived as a hedge in the United Kingdom and Netherlands in the same footprint for more than 200 years.

We hear this question a lot. We are dedicated to growing disease-free hedges and have taken active steps to achieve this. We are voluntary participants in the Oregon Boxwood Blight Cleanliness Program, which involves special disease prevention practices and yearly audits and inspections. This clears us to ship boxwoods to any state, including PA and TN. We grow only Green Mountain boxwood, which has shown itself to be one of the most naturally blight-resistant cultivars on the market. We are also in the process of growing boxwood substitutes that have all the beloved qualities of boxwood without the increasing disease issues.

Note: Boxwood blight can often be controlled with cultural practices in landscape settings as well. If you ever suspect you have boxwood blight, contact your local extension office for advice. Disease will stop or slow down spreading if you keep the area clean, thin the foliage and apply a fungicide.

We are doing our part to make sure we never send you an infected plant, but if you find it on existing boxwoods in your landscape, there is hope! Buy Boxwood now!

We guarantee that our hedges will arrive at the delivery site in perfect condition.

Live plants are difficult to guarantee over a long period of time, since they are out of our care and control once they leave our nursery. If a problem arises with the hedges, we ask that you let us know as soon as you notice it, providing photos and details about the problem. Written communication is preferred via email (or fax) within 7 days of order receipt. We will work with you to find a solution tailored to your situation that works for everyone. We are passionate about customer service, and we want every InstantHedge experience to be 100% positive. Please contact us immediately with any issues by calling 503.587.0102 or emailing [email protected].

A “hedge unit” is a 40” long segment of pre-finished hedge.

For the 3-4’ and 5-6’ hedges, each hedge unit has 4 plants in it that have been grown, pruned, and harvested together. The roots have been pruned to form a nice, fine root system at the base of the unit. The unit will come in a biodegradable cardboard box that can be planted with the hedge (there are other packaging options as well). The root ball is 40” long, 12” deep, and 16” across at the widest point. The height is measured from the top of the soil to the top of the plant. Each hedge will be 12-14” thick.

For the 18-24” hedges, each hedge unit has 5 plants in it that have been grown together in a 32” long plastic container. The plastic container will need to be removed before planting and can be recycled. The root ball is 32” long, 7” deep, and 10” across. The hedge is 18-24” tall from top of the soil to top of the plants and 10” thick. See the Hedge Sizes page for more information.

Calculating your needed units is easy! First, figure out how many linear feet of hedge you want. Second, multiply that by 12 to get that number in inches. Third, divide that number by 40 to get the number of units you will need. In mathematical format:

(LF x 12) / 40 = Qty InstantHedge units needed

For boxwood hedges, you would use the same formula but divide by 32 instead of 40.

(LF x 12) / 32 = Qty Boxwood InstantHedge units needed

Another way to do it is to take your total linear feet and divide by 3.33 for the large hedge units or 2.67 for the boxwood units.

Every 3 hedge units gives you 10 linear feet (eg 6 units = 20 linear feet, 15 units = 50 linear feet, 30 units = 100 linear feet).

Still not sure? Contact us and we will guide you through it!

Our standard hedges are available at heights of either 3-4 feet or 5-6 feet. Each hedge unit is 40 inches in length.
Our boxwood hedges are available at a height of 18 inches and are 32 inches in length. For more information about sizes, please take a look at our Hedge Sizes Guide.

Refer to the chart below for a summary of hardiness. Additional plant varieties are available – please view the plant pages for more detailed information.

Not sure what these zones mean? The USDA has categorized each area in the US by a “hardiness zone”, which is based on the lowest temperatures in each area. Plants hardy to that area will survive the coldest temperatures experienced in that area. For example, if you plant an Acer ginnala ‘Flame’ (hardy to zone 3) in northern Wisconsin where it is zone 3, the maples will be fine even when temperatures hit -35ºF. If, however, you plant a Portuguese laurel (hardy to zone 6b), the first temperatures below -5ºF will kill it immediately.

Installing InstantHedge is almost unbelievably simple. All that is needed is a trench, where the hedges are placed end-to-end (still in their cardboard boxes!) before the native soil is backfilled. Water and mulch, if desired, then stand back and admire the new hedge, finished in 1 day! Find more detailed information in our planting guide.