On Sun, 27 Oct 2002 16:22:23 +0000, cormaic
wrote:

...he reckons the hedge needs
to be 2-3m in height, and be up at that height by next summer at the
latest.


Please ask your friend to solve an elementary arithmetic problem,
namely:


If a hedge grows 2 meters in its first year, and continues to
grow at the same rate for four more years, how tall will it be in
five years?



There is no such thing as a *woody* plant that will grow 2 meters
in its first year and then stop in its tracks. Some herbaceous
plants can do this: castor bean, cannabis, and perhaps a few
others recommended in older books for fast screening use. But
nothing that will actually form a real hedge.

In the long run, something like Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd' (aka
'Emerald Green') might do admirably, but you are looking at much
slower growth.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada