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K · 21-09-2006, 12:27 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening

writes
Hello,

I am looking to buy a hedge for our garden. I'd like it to be about 4
ft high. I'd prefer not to buy a Leylandii because of all the bad
press they seem to have. Is this deserved?

They grow rapidly, which is great for getting privacy quickly, but the
downside of quick growth is that they carry on growing quickly, which
makes them hard to keep control of, hence all the upset. Secondly, being
a conifer, they don't re-shoot if you cut back beyond the green bit, so
if you have left them to get too large, your choice is to leave them
looking good and being too large and perhaps upsetting your neighbours,
getting rid, or turning them into a monstrosity.

There is no such thing as a hedge which will grow rapidly to 6ft and
thereafter stop growing ;-)

What hedge do you recommend? Is Yew the best?

First define best ;-)

What are you looking for?

a) Good looks
b) Low maintenance (only one cut per year)
c) Thorny invader-proof
d) Flowers or berries
e) doesn't drop its leaves in winter
f) establishes very quickly
g) inexpensive
h) not poisonous to children or pets
i) friendly to wildlife
j) good on acid/alkaline/dry/boggy soil or whatever particular soil
horror that you have
... etc

Yew ticks the boxes on a, b, and e and possibly i

--
Kay