Best time to plant a hedge and species that work with beech

Whether you're a gardening beginner or expert, Irish Examiner columnist Peter Dowdall has the answer to your questions

Mixing beech, pictured, with other species can make for a very interesting hedge. Picture: iStock

Back in the last century, most plants were supplied as bare-root specimens — that is, they weren’t grown in pots. They were grown in traditional nurseries in beds in the ground and they were lifted during the dormant season, October–February, for sale. This is where the thinking that you can only plant in a month with an “r” in it came from.

The truth is that you can actually plant during any month of the year but you can only take something out of the ground during these months.