Hedging suggestions

Davesnave

We have a mixed evergreen hedge made up mainly of elaeagnus varieties, evergreen oak, viburnum tinus and Portuguese laurel. I'd agree adding photina to that would make it more lively. We trim once a year. Having planted it in winter 2016, it's up to 7' or so, but I'd caution against letting new hedges grow too fast, as we lost 2 elaeagnus to strong winds on our light soil.

rubble2

Sorry to jump in on somebody else's thread but we are about to plant a new hedge around our front lawn to form a barrier with the pavement that runs alongside. We want to keep the hedge to an eventual height of approx 1 metre and I am trying to determine how far in from the border between grass and pavement we should plant the hedge. I am working on the theory that if the hedge is a metre high, then we should allow for the thickness of the hedge to be also 1 metre so should we plant approx half a metre in from the boundary to avoid the hedge overhanging and restricting the pavement?

Thanks

Apodemus

rubble2 said:

Sorry to jump in on somebody else's thread but we are about to plant a new hedge around our front lawn to form a barrier with the pavement that runs alongside. We want to keep the hedge to an eventual height of approx 1 metre and I am trying to determine how far in from the border between grass and pavement we should plant the hedge. I am working on the theory that if the hedge is a metre high, then we should allow for the thickness of the hedge to be also 1 metre so should we plant approx half a metre in from the boundary to avoid the hedge overhanging and restricting the pavement?

Thanks

That sounds about right...but what species of hedge are you planting, as that may make a difference.  You could have a metre-high privet hedge that is pencil thin, but that wouldn't work so well with something like escallonia.

rubble2

Thanks for the reply, still at the research stage regarding type of hedge plant but possible candidates are Box or maybe Lonicera or Hornbeam?

Farway

rubble2 said:

Thanks for the reply, still at the research stage regarding type of hedge plant but possible candidates are Box or maybe Lonicera or Hornbeam?

Think twice about box with recent problems infesting it, blight & a specific caterpillar spring to mind. DYOR as they say

The RHS is running trials at the moment on suitable replacements for box but it's work in progress

shinytop

madjackslam said:

+1 for the Leylandii roots. If the existing hedge is any size they will be a pig to get out.

I have removed lots of tree stumps including many leylandii.  If it's any consolation, leylandii are among the easier ones.  The roots are quite shallow and mainly spread out rather than down. I found the best way is to cut it down to a 2 foot stump to get a bit of leverage and use a mattock to dig/chop the roots.  Still a pig to get out though 
 

NaughtiusMaximus

Thanks again for the additional comments.

If it's dry this weekend I'll cut back the bottom 2ft or so of a section of hedge to the depth of the trunks and do an exploratory dig to get an idea of how extensive the roots are. 

DiWil

We have various Hedging here. The weather can be very hot in Summer and Chilly Winters but can have Cold Spells also. We have had wetter springs the last two years and very dry Summers regardless of tempreture.
Elaeagnus Hedging(evergreen) is the most reliable in our location SW France. Red Robins they keep most of their leaves is also a good choice.. We have Laurel Hedges they do need more cutting back,but  we like them because we have plenty of space and time and they give a lot of privacy. We have also Fir Trees not strictly the hedging type but do screen quite well. and need a fair amount of cut back. The hedging firs once cut to a squarish hedge take lots of maintenance to keep them squared. We have some hawthorn trees which can be cut back to make attractive hedges which loose their leaves in the Winter
We had Lonicera  Hedging in South of England home and like the shading. It grows in a slightly untidy nature in long soft stems that wrap around themselves to trimming is easy but can result in some bald parts...Grows quickly once established.
Good Luck in what you achieve.

ka7e

I am planning a hedge for the bottom of my garden at the moment and there seems to be a trend for planting wildlife-friendly ones. Lots of blossom for butterflies and bees and fruits and berries for birds. You can buy packs of mixed hedging, usually based on hawthorn or blackthorn from most suppliers. I want a "harlequin" hedge with lots of variety and I'm considering Rosa Glauca, Guelder Rose, Vibernum Tinus, Bird Cherry, Hazel, Wild Plum, Goat Willow, Spindle, Amelanchier, Crab Apple and Cotoneaster. For winter screening, Red Robin, Cotoneaster, Beech, Hornbeam and Oleaster.

Katiehound

ka7e said:

  I want a "harlequin" hedge with lots of variety and I'm considering Rosa Glauca, Guelder Rose, Vibernum Tinus, Bird Cherry, Hazel, Wild Plum, Goat Willow, Spindle, Amelanchier, Crab Apple and Cotoneaster. For winter screening, Red Robin, Cotoneaster, Beech, Hornbeam and Oleaster.

Spindle is amazing for autumn colour with reddish leaves and the stunning shocking pink berries. Some years ago they planted mixed trees with spindle on at a motorway service station- only a couple of years later all the spindle gone , presumably overwhelmed by the alder
What is the goat willow contributing?
For winter evergreen you might look at : escallonia, Grysilina variegata (can be frost tender)

Bare rooted plants are very much cheaper to buy- and to be planted over winter- rather than the potted variety

ps hawthorn and blackthorn can be lethal to trim with their mega thorns- but they would deter intruders as does Rosa Rugosa