FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
ABOUT OUR PRODUCT
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.
Our hedges are grown on 80+ acres in Canby, Oregon, located within the fertile and world-renowned Willamette Valley. Our experienced horticultural staff tends to the 50+ miles of hedges with exceptional care and attention to detail.
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!
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.
DESIGNING WITH INSTANTHEDGE
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!
SELECTING YOUR HEDGE
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 zone you’re in? Check by entering your ZIP code here: | ZIP: |
| VARIETY | USDA Hardiness Zone Range |
|---|---|
| Acer ginnala ‘Flame’ | 3-8 |
| Buxus x ‘Green Mountain’ | 4-9 |
| Carpinus betulus | 4-8 |
| Cornus mas | 5-8 |
| Fagus sylvatica | 5-8 |
| Ilex aquipernyi ‘Dragon Lady’ | 6-8 |
| Juniperus scopulorum ‘Wichita Blue’ | 4-7 |
| Magnolia stellata ‘Royal Star’ | 5-9 |
| Prunus laurocerasus | 6-8 |
| Prunus laurocerasus ‘Schipkaensis’ | 6-9 |
| Prunus lusitanica | 6b-9 |
| Pyracantha ‘Teton’ | 6-9 |
| Taxodium distichum | 5-10 |
| Taxus x ‘Hicksii’ | 5-8 |
| Thuja ‘Smaragd’ | 3-8 |
| Thuja occidentalis | 3-8 |
| Thuja plicata ‘Virescens’ | 5-9 |
| Thuja x ‘Green Giant’ | 5-8 |
| Viburnum dentatum | 2-8 |
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.
PRICING
SHIPPING
Please contact us with additional shipping questions.
Some examples of shipping costs:
The estimated $6000 cost shown in the chart is for a full truck with one pickup (our farm) and one drop (you) on the east coast. This is usually the best freight rate possible for the per unit cost.
Example: If you were receiving 90 units (30 pallets/1 full truck) of 6’ English Laurel to a wholesale yard that had a loading dock and forklift to unload the truck, you would get the best possible per-unit freight price. To the east coast, the per-unit cost for this example would be about $50.
If you are ordering a less-than-truckload (LTL) amount, the total freight would be less, but it would end up costing more per unit.
Example: If you were ordering 18 units (6 pallets) of hedges, and you needed them delivered to a residential location with a lift-gate required for unloading, there would be additional charges for both of those reasons (residential + lift-gate required) in addition to the already higher per-unit freight cost. To a Boston suburb, for this example, the per-unit cost would be about $130.
There are also many cases that fall between these two extremes, where the shipping would run more around $80 per unit to the east coast.
To get an exact quote for your location and order size, please contact us!
We do everything we can to get the best freight rates for our customers, without sacrificing quality, but you are always welcome to arrange your own shipping instead.
Our climate is quite mild, which means plants usually either enter dormancy later or leave dormancy earlier than colder parts of the country. If you are planting the hedges in Zone 6 or lower and are hoping to ship in the fall or spring, we will work with you to make sure your plants arrive at a great time.
CARE & MAINTENANCE
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.
Our hedges are tailor-made to be geometrically sound and squared-off at the end of each unit. Our pruning method ensures that the entire length of the hedge is uniform. When planting, the customer can choose which hedge unit is placed where; simply select the hedge with the nicest end. For example, if planting a 30-foot hedge row, 9 hedge units are used. Choose whichever unit is the most uniform and aesthetically pleasing of the 9 units to show at the end. All of our hedges will be lush, with lots of end growth.
