Container and Planter box installation guide

Living Walls™ are fully formed instant hedges, supplied in one-metre lengths and installed together to create a continuous hedge from day one.

This guide covers installing Living Walls™ where root growth is restricted. Some Living Walls™ varieties are better suited to long-term container use than others. See our recommended container varieties.

Enclosed containers: troughs and planter boxes with a solid base.

Open-bottom planters: raised planters, planter boxes and some retaining-wall situations where roots can grow into the soil below.

Please make sure whoever is installing your Living Walls™ hedge reads this guide before installation begins and follows the instructions throughout.

After installation, follow our Care & Maintenance guide for ongoing watering, feeding, trimming and general care.

Handling Guidelines

• Safe lifting: Use both handles to lift hedge bags. Avoid pulling or dragging them, as this can tear the bags. Wear gloves, as the fibreglass rods can be rough on skin.
• Weight considerations:
  • 100L hedge bags can weigh over 100 kg when wet and require two to four capable people to carry, or mechanical assistance to move around the site.
  • 70L hedge bags, at around 65 kg each, require two capable people to carry.
  • 25L hedge bags, at around 25 kg, can generally be carried by one capable person.

Choosing the Right Planter

Living Walls™ are supplied in one-metre lengths, with rootballs approximately 900 mm long. Allow as much root space as practical. The dimensions below are the minimum internal sizes we recommend for each hedge bag size.

ENCLOSED CONTAINERS

• 100L hedge: minimum internal size 900 mm long × 500 mm wide × 500 mm high
• 70L hedge: minimum internal size 900 mm long × 400 mm wide × 400 mm high
• 25L hedge: minimum internal size 900 mm long × 300 mm wide × 300 mm high
• Drainage: Enclosed containers need adequate drainage holes so excess water can escape freely.
• Container materials: In hot, north-facing positions, avoid thin steel or dark plastic containers that can heat up significantly. More insulated materials such as concrete, sandstone, terracotta or timber are generally better choices.
• Cross-bracing: For multi-metre containers, position any internal cross-bracing in the gaps between rootballs so it does not interrupt a rootball. Place bracing at full-metre centres, for example 1 m, 2 m or 3 m centres, assuming the bracing is no more than about 100 mm thick. This allows the hedge lengths to be installed together to create a continuous hedge. See the Rootball Spacing Diagram below.

OPEN-BOTTOM PLANTERS

Open-bottom planters can be useful where extra height is wanted, where drainage needs improving, or where site conditions make direct in-ground installation difficult.

• Allow enough internal width and depth for the rootball and surrounding soil.
• Make sure the soil below the planter drains freely.
• Use free-draining garden mix or topsoil under and around the rootball.
• For multi-metre open-bottom planters, follow the same cross-bracing guidance as for enclosed containers above, positioning bracing in the gaps between rootballs so it does not interrupt a rootball.

Preparing Your Planter

ENCLOSED CONTAINERS

Use a quality container mix under and around the rootball.

Don’t add extras such as gravel, compost, manure, water crystals or fertiliser. Container mixes may already contain nutrients or moisture-retaining additives, which is fine.

OPEN-BOTTOM PLANTERS

Use free-draining garden mix or topsoil under and around the rootball. Make sure the soil below the planter also drains freely.

Don’t add extras such as gravel, compost, manure, water crystals or fertiliser. These can interfere with drainage, break down over time or be too rich for new roots.

How Much Mix?

Measure the internal dimensions of your planter to calculate its volume:
length × width × height in metres = cubic metres (m³)

For example:
1.0 m × 0.4 m × 0.4 m = 0.16 m³, or 160 L

Then subtract the approximate volume of the hedge rootball:
160 L − 70 L rootball = approximately 90 L of mix required

This gives you an approximate amount of mix needed for each planter.

Installing Your Hedge

Wear gloves when handling hedge bags, as the fibreglass rods can be rough. Place the hedges beside the planter with the logos facing the same way. If the bags are numbered, line them up from left to right in order.

• Add the base mix: Add enough of the appropriate mix to the bottom of the planter so that, once the hedge is placed, the top of the rootball will sit slightly below the top edge of an enclosed container, leaving room for watering and mulch.
• Remove the bag: Cut open the square ends of each bag with a Stanley knife or similar cutting tool. Gently lift the hedge into the planter, using the bag as a sling if helpful. Avoid kicking or roughly handling the rootball.
• Position the hedge: Keep the hedge upright and level. If you are installing a single hedge length in one container, position it centrally.
• Space the hedges: Where you are installing multiple hedge lengths, set the rootballs about 100 mm (10 cm) apart, allowing one hedge length per linear metre of finished hedge. The bag handle is 1 metre long and can be used as a reference.
  The foliage should meet. The rootballs should not. See the Rootball Spacing Diagram below.
• Fit your space: If your planter length is not an exact number of metres, adjust the gaps between rootballs slightly as needed to keep the hedge evenly spaced and fit the available length.
• Cut only if necessary: If you need a shorter hedge length, for example to fill a half-metre gap, saw through the rootball between plants using a toothed tool. Keep as much of the rootball intact as possible. Do not use a spade.
• If the rootball is too wide: Gently rub off a small amount of potting mix from the sides where the rootball bulges. If needed, carefully wash away some mix. Keep as much of the root system intact and undamaged as possible.

Diagram: Rootballs spaced approximately 100 mm (10 cm) apart – foliage touching, not rootballs.

Backfilling and Watering

Once the hedge is upright and positioned correctly:

• Fill around the rootball halfway with the appropriate mix, packing it gently but firmly. Do not over-compact.
• Water lightly to settle the mix.
• Finish filling around the rootball.
• Water thoroughly after installation.
• See the Watering Guide for ongoing watering requirements.

Post-Installation

• Trimming: Give your hedge a light trim after installation if needed to even up the shape. See our Trimming Guide for ongoing care.
• Irrigation: For enclosed containers, use drippers placed in each rootball. For multi-metre planter box runs, flow-regulated landscape drip line may also be suitable. See the Watering Guide for ongoing irrigation requirements.
• Feeding: Apply a complete slow-release NPK fertiliser over the rootball area after installation, and again each spring and summer. Do not mix fertiliser into the container or planter at installation. See Feeding and Mulching for ongoing guidance.
• Mulching: Apply mulch around the hedge to help retain moisture and suppress weeds. Keep mulch away from plant trunks and do not use fresh grass clippings. See Feeding and Mulching for ongoing guidance.

Care and Maintenance

For ongoing care, read and follow our Care & Maintenance guide.