On 22/07/2020 12:31, Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
john west wrote:
Someone we know if having to install a hedge due to neighbouring
developments some 50 metres long and they want it to be eventually six
feet tall.
Getting on in years they need it to be essentially minimum maintenance.
They have been told Laurel doesn't look good if cut down with hedge
cutters as a lot of leaves don't go brown after being cut in half.
They have also be told leylandi type conifers don't grow around dead
patches so that could be a problem?

Yew. The problem is that fast-growing hedges need a lot of maintenance;
so it's a choice between speed of growth and ease of maintenance.

Yew grows a lot faster than is generally thought (but take the "40 cm a
year" mentioned on some websites with a pinch of salt!). However, for a
hedge 50 metres long they will need a *lot* of money. For 70 - 100 cm
plants (which will take at least four years for the shorter plants to
reach six feet, more likely six years) they will need three per metre,
so that's 150 required. For those they will pay around £15 for each
plant. Then they will have to pay someone to plant them. And don't
forget that for the first year they will need regular and frequent
watering, especially if they are in the south or east of England.

Another possibility is Thuja plicata (Western Red Cedar) which is
somewhat cheaper and faster growing.

--

Jeff