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.

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?

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.

Hi there,

Not sure exactly what you mean by high watertable - is the ground very wet? Do puddles sit on the surface for more than a couple of days after it rains heavily? If so, you may be best steering clear of certain plants that don't like soggy ground. Evergreens in general don't like wet ground - laurel, yew and photinia will all sulk if they have wet feet.

There is one evergreen - one of my favourites - that does really well on wet ground: the Blue Spruce, Picea pungens glauca. It is more of a screening plant than a hedgerow tree, which is good because you can leave more space between each plant and it isn't a very expensive tree. The downside is that they will take a few more years to get really big.

Another solution could be hornbeam: cheap, does very well on wet ground and although it isn't evergreen, it will hold its autumn leaves right through the winter if you clip it during the summer.

If I am mistaken about the wet ground, then I'd say go for cherry laurel. It shoots up and gives great cover against light, wind and sound. A mixed hedge is better for the creatures, but will cost more (as you'll decrease your bulk savings). Holly, cherry laurel and portugal laurel make a great combination.

Hope that helps!