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Help me identify hedge species please

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glasgowdan
glasgowdan Posts: 2,967 Forumite
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I wonder if anyone can help me with ideas to plant a hedge that will end up looking similar to this one? I like the idea of cotoneaster, hornbeam and something quite light green/yellowish to stand out in clumps. Non-thorny ideally.

Any thoughts?
14571978_10153752417535706_1609592681_o_zps8wz7ddk8.jpg
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  • Justagardener
    Justagardener Posts: 307 Forumite
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    What about Griselinia littoralis, nice light evergreen makes a great thick hedge could be planted with laurel, viburnum tinus and prunus lusitanica. Cotoneaster can grow a bit spindly and leave gaps in the hedge in my experience ;)
  • TheGardener
    TheGardener Posts: 3,303 Forumite
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    Looks like a mixture of beech, privet or box and possibility Hawthorne (its hard to see past the first two) Try Lonicera for the golden bit
  • theonlywayisup
    theonlywayisup Posts: 16,031 Forumite
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    I cannot identify that one, but what about elaeagnus ebbingei. We had a hedge and it was soft (not prickly) fairly quick growing but not overrunning and the lovely white flowers smelled divine.
  • glasgowdan
    glasgowdan Posts: 2,967 Forumite
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    Life's too short for hedge seeds
  • chipfire
    chipfire Posts: 95 Forumite
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    glasgowdan wrote: »
    Life's too short for hedge seeds

    They grow themselves you know ;)
  • Davesnave
    Davesnave Posts: 34,741 Forumite
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    Seed raised spindle is OK for use in a mixed hedge, but like its name, it's too spindly to have much impact on its own, unlike the named varieties that cost, grown as single specimens.

    Here I grow-on the hazels that squirrels plant for me in a nursery bed, and hawthorns too, but I agree with Dan that life's too short for establishing hedges from seed alone.

    A country field hedge is a very long-term job, far removed from the average garden, mainly because it's such a harsh environment, where replacement saplings must compete in a starved, raised area with existing trees. I put hazels in at 2' tall 3 years ago and they've barely made 3' yet!

    For gardens, not cut with a flail, I prefer more formal hedging of a single type, but if mixing evergreen and deciduous, I'd probably go for beech,green and purple, which holds its leaves and is dirt cheap.
  • glasgowdan
    glasgowdan Posts: 2,967 Forumite
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    This is where I need the hedge. There's also a road perpendicular to the main road just out of shot that faces right onto our house when cars are waiting to join the main Rd. You'll appreciate I'm not going to wait for seeds to grow! IMG_20161009_162036160-01_zpsvqio1qdd.jpeg
  • chipfire
    chipfire Posts: 95 Forumite
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    edited 15 October 2016 at 6:52AM
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    Bare root hedges are the way to go. order a bundle of beech bare root plants now for delivery in November when they are dormant. Beech will keep its leaves in winter if clipped right.

    You need at 5 least a metre for a Double staggered row to make it solid.

    Life too short comments are hilarious as you are about 4 years away from a decent hedge......which is 2 years less than growing from seed!!

    I wasn't suggesting growing an entire hedge from seed, although I have done it.

    I grow all sorts of hedge plants and to add to existing hedges. It's as rewarding as any gardening or growing. Hedges grow faster than you think and it's satisfying to know you grew from seed, just as with other plants. You will get plant failures and will need to fill gaps.

    I mentioned spindle as they add welcome colour. The original post mentiond wanting a hedge with some stand out aspects. In autumn Red leaves and pink berries. Just random collected seed grew well, no need for nursery specimens. All look great. If pruned young they aren't spindley at all as someone Davesnave suggested. They are called spindle because the branches grow very
    straight so were used to make weaving spindles.

    Hazel growing slowly is unusual, perhaps the soil or position not suited. 2 year Hazel bare roots put in 2 years ago are now at 7ft and will be pollarded this winter.

    Good luck with the hedge!
  • glasgowdan
    glasgowdan Posts: 2,967 Forumite
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    2 years is a significant amount of time!
  • Davesnave
    Davesnave Posts: 34,741 Forumite
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    edited 15 October 2016 at 8:58AM
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    chipfire wrote: »

    Hazel growing slowly is unusual, perhaps the soil or position not suited. 2 year Hazel bare roots put in 2 years ago are now at 7ft and will be pollarded this winter.
    No, it's not unusual and it's exactly the same with all other species when one plants into an existing field hedge, which is what I said. Maybe you don't have field hedges. Here in Devon they are everywhere and they're usually raised well above the fields and roads, meaning they dry out very quickly.

    Spindle give good impact if allowed to grow into 4m high shrubs with plenty of room to spread, but I find mine don't compete so well in a hedge, so my comments were based on that. I never get the sort of results that they do in RHS Rosemoor, 10miles down the road.

    Your experience may vary. In any event, Dan will get much faster growth in that town plot, especially if he improves the soil first and waters in any dry spells in the first year or so

    PS. There are euonymus that are evergreen an weave nicely into a town hedge, but again, they'll be slow growing to start with. Specimens in a park near where I used to live were probably decades old.
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