View Single Post
  #4   Report Post  
Old 09-12-2009, 05:08 PM posted to rec.gardens
gardengal gardengal is offline
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jan 2009
Posts: 74
Default help/advice choice of hedge?

On Dec 7, 10:11*am, benjamino48
wrote:
gardengal;871257 Wrote:





On Dec 4, 1:41*pm, benjamino48
wrote:-
having just moved in to a new house the garden boundry is a small
rough
bare looking hedge and i would like to replace it. i am after some
advice on which type to choose. i an after the very quickest growing
evergreen hedge going but is it is a long boundry then cost is a
factor. there really is no problem with it growing too fast or too
high
is it is a farm track with a footpath on the other side so no one to
upset and easy to cut with cherry picker. would be very greatful for
any sugestions. thanks ben.


--
benjamino48-


Where you are located - climate, hardiness zone, etc. - is essential
information before any appropriate suggestions can be made. *Broadleaf
evergreens, like English or cherry laurel, tend to establish and grow
much faster than conifers but their use is often limited to warmer
winter climates.


yorkshire near selby. zone 8. flat open ground and bit windy,clay under
soil and high water table. where does that leave me?

--
benjamino48- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


Wide open :-) Pretty much any variety of broadleaf evergreen can
work......some will grow much faster than others. I'd consider the
laurel(s) (Prunus laurocerasus or P. lusitanica), Photinia x fraseri,
Cotoneaster lacteus, various viburnums, Osmanthus, Euonymus japonicus,
Elaeagnus. FWIW, you will probably get the fastest establishment and
therefore growth from either the laurel or the photinia. An
alternative is one of the arborvitaes, Thuja orientalis, as you can
already get some with decent height (6-8' or even more is not
uncommon) but they are narrow in profile so will take more to fill in
the space compared to a wider growing choice.

If you have the space, I'd consider a tapestry hedge or hedgerow
combining a mixture of shrubs and small trees, both evergreen and
deciduous. These have an advantage of not being a monoculture (like a
single plant hedge), reducing issues of disease/pest proliferation as
well any unforseen die out that's tricky to replace in a single plant
hedge. And they are very appealing to wildlife and tend to be low
maintenance, if selected carefully. Plus they offer a different and
often more appealing aesthetic.