Suggestions for Fast Growing Trees?

zygurat789

Davesnave wrote: »

There was a typo in my post, which should have read 25', though it should be obvious, as I also said I did my less pretty gardening behind the hedge.

I don't think you could do a lot of gardening in a two foot gap behind a leyland cypress hedge! (though cyclamen and epimediums did well.)

In my post I was trying to indicate that a screen need not be so very high to give privacy or restrict anyone's sunlight to a huge extent.

I thought you were refering to when you couldn't be bothered to go back to the house.

Davesnave

mufi wrote: »

Davesnave: I seem to recall from another thread that you've planted trees to block something or other on your land in the past - what did you actually plant? BTW, greatly enjoy all your posts; thanks.

Glad someone likes what I write.:) I try not to be too serious!

We've planted quite a few different types of hedges and trees since moving from the city to the country, so keep in mind that the following has happened within a large country setting.

• We made a new garden from a field/dumping area, which needed a beech hedge to make it private from our main neighbour. We planted a double row of 50p beech whips in 2011 and those are now quite a thick hedge about 5' - 6' tall. The owner of next door has just told me she likes the hedge much more than her own leylandii, which she keeps at around 2m.
• When we planted the beech hedge, we also bought small yews which we grew on for a year before planting them to form a more formal wind break on the other side of the ormamental garden. They've grown really well and are now around 4', so not as slow as we expected.
• At the front of our property we had a rickety fence separating us from the roadside verge, which we own/ maintain. Replacing the fence with cotoneaster simmonsii pruned to around 2', means dog walkers no longer allow their animals to foul the grass.

• We have a neighbour on our far boundary, whose dogs are sometimes noisy, so we planted laurels there. We hoped they'd grow large enough to absorb some of the noise, especially in winter. However, the dog noise has decreased significantly, so these large, boring shrubs will be kept under control if this pleasant state of affairs continues.
• A commercial neighbour next to our barn yard is not looking after his land or fences so we've also planted laurel there, to see less of his property and maintain the boundary. Other parts of his land have hornbeam or cotoneaster lacteus hedges where they meet a small woodland we've made. The fast-growing cotoneaster was needed to screen a couple of dumped cars and various other large pieces of junk; something they're already doing well, besides feeding redwings in winter.
• Finally, we inherited a 150' laid elm hedge, which my daughter re-laid in her time before going to uni. This is quite a rare hedge, which survives so long as not allowed to grow into trees, when Dutch elm disease would kill them. Fortunately, much of this can be cut by tractor when our field hedges are done each year...but those are another story!

Davesnave

zygurat789 wrote: »

I thought you were refering to when you couldn't be bothered to go back to the house.

:rotfl: Oh, I see....:o Gardener's loo was never more than 30m away there, whereas here it can be over 200m.

Anyway I now have foxes to deter...and every little helps!

zygurat789

Davesnave wrote: »

:rotfl: Oh, I see....:o Gardener's loo was never more than 30m away there, whereas here it can be over 200m.

Anyway I now have foxes to deter...and every little helps!

Do you have any tips for slugs?

Davesnave

zygurat789 wrote: »

Do you have any tips for slugs?

Geese never fail.

However, material fed into a goose emerges roughly 40minutes later, apparently double the volume consumed, so the cure, while 100%, may be worse than the problem!

mufi

Very many thanks again, Dave - entertaining and informative, as ever. I shall have a little ponder on all the helpful suggestions and then, perhaps, I can get around to actually doing something about it.