Best hedging?

hethmar

We have a long (400ft) narrow (45 ft) garden and half way down was a 50 year old jupiter which had spread right across over the years.

Now Ive finally managed to persuade OH that its past its prime and pretty ugly, not to mention the dogs going under it after cats and so on. So its gone!

But what do we have as a hedge in its place guys pleasse? We do need something there to break up the length of the garden and there are already two old iron church gates either side of the garden at that point, attached to brick pillars.

I have a pretty gazebo that I can put in the middle for interest and I want a lot of lavenders and roses round it (been growing lavenders over the year and have about 50 decent plants now). But behind the gazebo Id like hedging between the brick pillars/gates.

What approx 35 ft. evergreen, interesting, healthy fastish growing hedging would you recommend? OH says Red Robin? We have laurels elsewhere and I dont want more of those or hawthorns.

fwor

Are you sure you want 35ft tall hedging in a 45ft wide garden? Sounds a bit out of proportion unless I'm misunderstanding something.

The usual suspects would have to be the various conifers in order to get to that height any time soon. Some of the hollies are fairly fast-growing, and the variegated ones do look a bit less boring.

sirbrainy

Hornbeam is semi evergreen and works well

amcluesent

Yew or you could be more modern with bamboo or eucalyptus

SailorSam

I got my mixed hedge as bare root plants from Buckingham Gardens a couple of years ago and they're growing quite nicely. This is the time of years to get them planted.

hethmar

fwor wrote: »

Are you sure you want 35ft tall hedging in a 45ft wide garden? Sounds a bit out of proportion unless I'm misunderstanding something.

LOL, 35 ft of hedging, not 35 ft tall!:)

lostinrates

with roses and lavender I'd avoid anything too modern, and personally I dislike red robin. Holly or yew is what I'm using behind similar planting....ever green, not clipping it all the time, very ''traditional'' and good berries for colour and wildlife.

edit: is screening is not so important as colour and interest, perhaps a rugosa hedge interplanted with dogwood or something for autumn/winter colour but it wouldn't give a dense cold season screen.

hethmar

Purple beech is rather nice?

http://www.hedgesdirect.co.uk/acatalog/Purple_Beech_Fagus_Sylvatica_Purpurea.html

Oh hi lost. Yes, I was thinking of rugosa - we have quite a bit of dogwood in other areas. Hmm, holly - that does grow well in this clay soil, we have had to take one holly tree down last year as it had become huge.

Its not for screening, its just to break the garden up to give interest. Behind where the hedge will be is a small wild meadow planting, then a large natural pond which is surrounded by plants/ferns and a willow and then some fruit trees and then an old small barn. piles of wood and 5 differently painted sheds all over the garden

So that end is pretty interesting! Its this end that needs to be broken up to given some colour and interest part way down, especially in the winter when surrounding trees have lost foliage. The two old church gates are a lovely setting either side for the new hedging and the little gazebo in pale green/cream will be a point of interest in the summer with lavenders and roses round it.

lostinrates

ok, not dog wood, but not to ''solid'' what about a couple of witchhazels between the rogusa for winter colour and scent? Not the chepest option and not a pure ''hedge'' but a nice unusual idea that could ''filter'' the view? Or some fan trained fruit trees?

hethmar

Just reading up on purple beech, says not in frost pocket or heavy clay area So thats out anyway.

I shall have a look at the rogusa. Its strange isnt it, how we can spend money on make up, clothes etc that last such a short time, yet people are reluctant to spend a couple of hundred pounds on plants to make life better every day for decades

hethmar

May be hornbeam would be best, it does say it grows fairly swiftly and is hardier than beech.