Hedge suggestions/advice please

JuzaMum

I have an area of hard standing for my bins and want to screen it with hedging. I also want some hedging to close in the side entrance to my garden (choosing hedging rather than fence to be more wildlife friendly). The narrowest bit to fill is 0.5m. The hardstanding is on the NW corner of a corner plot so although NW it gets a good amount of sun. Side entrance is west facing.
I want something that will grow to and be easy to keep at 1.5-2m.
My knowledge of plants/gardening is somewhat lacking so I would be grateful for suggestions and advice.
Thanks

Heedtheadvice

To bet brst advice I suggest you add a bit more detail.
I would assume you do not want anything prickly such as rose!
How long can you wait till it is 2m high?
Evergreen or not?
Where in the uk are you? Deep southern soft climate, wind swept Shetland, sea side, inland dry area, wet area, exposed, height above sea level, soil type (sandy, clay, chalk, well drained, waterlogged)?
Do you wish colour, flowers, scent, just greenery, or has hips or fruit?

Something that will need a trim once a year or something that grows so fast that it needs clipping during the nesting season?


.......questions, questions, questions.......but then hopefully a good horticulturalist/gardener will come up with the goods to meet your need!

FreeBear

I'd go (have gone) for Myrtle - Slow growing, evergreen, and a pleasant scent from both the flowers and leaves. My hedge has grown high enough to hide the wheely bins, and it might get to 2 metres if I let it grow.

Privet is often used for hedging, but I find it fast growing and unruly. Would steer clear of any conifer as they are real thugs.

Bamboo can also be used as a screen, but needs to be grown in a pot and measures taken to ensure it doesn't escape - If it does, there is a chance it will run and pop up all over the garden.

JuzaMum

Heedtheadvice wrote: »

To bet brst advice I suggest you add a bit more detail.
I would assume you do not want anything prickly such as rose!

Yes. No prickles please!

Heedtheadvice wrote: »

How long can you wait till it is 2m high?

The bit to close in the garden - a year maybe but am happy to buy something established if possible. Round the bins I can be more patient

Heedtheadvice wrote: »

Evergreen or not?

Evergreen would be nice.

Heedtheadvice wrote: »

Where in the uk are you? Deep southern soft climate, wind swept Shetland, sea side, inland dry area, wet area, exposed, height above sea level, soil type (sandy, clay, chalk, well drained, waterlogged)?

Bournemouth. Soil looks like dusty dirt at the moment but I know that underneath is sand - drainage is good

Heedtheadvice wrote: »

Do you wish colour, flowers, scent, just greenery, or has hips or fruit?

Flowers or fruit for the birds would be lovely.

Heedtheadvice wrote: »

Something that will need a trim once a year or something that grows so fast that it needs clipping during the nesting season?


.......questions, questions, questions.......but then hopefully a good horticulturalist/gardener will come up with the goods to meet your need!

Low maintenance ideally

Thanks

Typhoon2000

Sounds like a privet would fit the bill. Grows anywhere, just about any soil and position, low maintenance, hard to kill no matter what you do to it. and ever green. Easy enough to keep to you desired height. You can buy pot grown plants up to 1.75m for an instant hedge but more expensive than a smaller plant and waiting till it grows. Probably the most popular hedging in the U.K so should be easy to get hold of.

-taff

laurel is also an option - edited - ooops no flowers or fruit
cotoneaster - bees love it...birds eat the berries...

Nile

Hi, we move threads if we think they’ll get more help elsewhere (please read the forum rule) so this post/thread has been moved to another board. If you have any questions about this policy please email forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.

I’ve moved your thread from the ‘In my home’ board to the ‘Greenfingered’ board, where it is better suited.

Regards

Nile

Davesnave

Someone here with many kinds of hedges, but they're something of a personal choice, with the situation often choosing the species.

There's no wildlife value in laurel, or much in prunus lusitanica, its more refined cousin, and you can't rely on all species of cotoneaster to remain green in winter. All of these are relatively quick growing, but you can't have that and low maintenance too,so it might be better to go for something slower anyway.

My favourite dividing hedge is yew. People say it's slow, but mine is way taller than me and I only planted it in 2011. I also like viburnum tinus, but I've not made a hedge with it yet. or with photina, which is another possibility, if perhaps rather fast growing again.

As you are at the coast, you might want to consider plants that don't mind salt spray, like griselina littoralis, olearia traversii, pittosporum tenufolium or quercus ilex. Bay trees are also happy at the seaside and respond well to clipping.


I agree that bamboo don't make good hedging, though they can do screening. They don't necessarily run all over the garden; the cheap ones do that, but the expensive ones are well-behaved, and at £40 upwards you'd expect them to be!


Don't buy big plants, as smaller ones establish more reliably and cost less. Spend the money saved on improving the impoverished soil, mulching the plants and maybe even burying a soaker hose in the trench.


I could recommend a number of on-line suppliers, but Buckingham Nurseries have a good catalogue and their prices are competitive....though they probably won't have everything mentioned above:



http://www.hedging.co.uk/acatalog/index.html

FreeBear

Typhoon2000 wrote: »

Sounds like a privet would fit the bill.

-taff wrote: »

laurel is also an option

Both privet and laurel are comparatively quick growers, and laurel can get out of hand pretty quick.

Hebes and bottle brush would produce quite a stunning hedge... Depends on how long the OP wants to wait for the hedge to grow to the desired height.

glasgowdan

Laurel is hard to keep trimmed as a nice narrow hedge. I would absolutely consider conifers. Leylandii and Thuja keep a lovely shape and size if trimmed 1-2x annually. Yew is very nice but takes a long time to form a neat 6ft hedge.

JuzaMum

Thanks to all for their suggestions. I will google for more information on each and make my shortlist