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novocastria · 29-09-2004, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert E A Harvey

novocastria wrote in message ...
I live in the Fens which is VERY windy at times due to the lack of trees
and being VERY flat!

The original native cover on the fens would have included a lot of
Alder and Willows of various types were grown and pollarded both
before and after drainage. After drainage it became traditional to
plant Plane trees to form a windbreak, although many of these are now
extremely large and provide thier windbreak 20 feet up in the air.
Hedgerows may have been of 'laid' hawthorn or even Oak. I don;t
remember seeing Beech, but it would survive quite well as a laid
hedge.

You don't say how big a plot you have, and how close to the house you
want to go. All of the species mentioned above can be invasive or get
out of control, but a well managed hawthorn hedge should be fine,
especially if you mix other species into it, like the guelder rose or
dogwood. It used to be traditional to plant damson or plum trees
among the hedgerow and let them grow to standards.

There are huge numbers of leylandii hedges on the fen, they grow
quickly and well and provide quick windbreaks. I would regard that as
a temporary solution while something else got established, except they
will take a lot of nutrient from the soil.

Hi

Thanks for replying! :-D

My "plot" is 150 feet ( not metres as I think I said earlier!) by 30ft at the top near the house and 12 dow nthe bottom. The bottom of the garden is very rough ground over grown by weeds but we have laid a lawn now, it is a winding "river" of grass with potential flower beds on either side and a compost area with a shed at the end of all that! About 20 feet is over gorwn at the bottom of the garden! The clay soil is VERY off putting but I can see the potential in the garden and I have this inner need to plant trees! I would love a bit of a "woodland glade" area. I also have a very small 4ft Acer palmatum that is in desperate need of shady shelter from both the sun and the wind.... I only hope my fern has weathered the sun this year!
I see from writing this that I need a lot of either large shrubs or trees ( I am tempted to by quite mature trees to plant immediately, what do you think!?) I have also thought abotu planting a few fruit trees too.

The wind is very off putting for planting things, I have pots of things waiting to go in and am terrifed that they get ruined by the wind! Do you think bamboos mind very windy weather!?

Diana