Hi
I would really appreciate some help in deciding what type of hedge to plant as a boundary hedge between us and the neighbours.

The hedge needs to be as dense as possible to give us some privacy from an extremely nosey and troublesome neighbour. We intend to grow the hedge to a height of around 6ft and it must act as a dense screen. Maybe prickly?
A Laurel hedge is a main contender at the moment because of its nice big leaves and i assume it will fill out fast.

We are looking to buy online and plant as soon as possible.

Thanks
Matt

Hi Matt, You dont say where you live ? but with the sort of thing your talking about, I dont suppose it really matters. Laurel would be fine but I'm a little concerned about you keeping it to 6ft without becoming a slave to it ! As your asking, I would be more inclined to plant Eleagnus ebbingii, its almost as vigorous as laurel, very dense but it does have spines and also very scented small white flowers but i think you will find it easier to keep it dense to the ground (something that laurel doesnt always do) If you wanted to be really mean and were prepared to wait a little longer, consider also Pyracantha which is viciously prickly but stunning when either in flower or berry.
I think, looking at all options, giving your requirements, i'd go for the Eleagnus ebbingii.
lannerman

matttrim01 wrote:
Hi
I would really appreciate some help in deciding what type of hedge to
plant as a boundary hedge between us and the neighbours.

The hedge needs to be as dense as possible to give us some privacy
from an extremely nosey and troublesome neighbour. We intend to grow
the hedge to a height of around 6ft and it must act as a dense
screen. Maybe prickly?
A Laurel hedge is a main contender at the moment because of its nice
big leaves and i assume it will fill out fast.

We are looking to buy online and plant as soon as possible.

Thanks
Matt

It is only a guess unless you give a clue what your climate and soil are
like.

David

In article ,
matttrim01 wrote:

Hi
I would really appreciate some help in deciding what type of hedge to
plant as a boundary hedge between us and the neighbours.

The hedge needs to be as dense as possible to give us some privacy from
an extremely nosey and troublesome neighbour. We intend to grow the
hedge to a height of around 6ft and it must act as a dense screen. Maybe
prickly?
A Laurel hedge is a main contender at the moment because of its nice big
leaves and i assume it will fill out fast.

We are looking to buy online and plant as soon as possible.

Thanks
Matt

I'd think that Hawthorn would be good anywhere in the U.K.. Midland
Hawthorn is also good for heart conditions. You may not have one yet,
but if you are lucky enough to get old, the Hawthorn may come in handy.
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Crataegus%20laevigata

If you like weekends, thank a labor union.

--
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYIC0eZYEtI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_vN0--mHug

No one can really give you good information without knowing where you
are in the world, what the soil is like, amount of sun, amount of care you're
willing to put forth, etc.

Were you in the midwestern US, I'd remind you that the Osage Orange was
traditionally considered to be "head high and hog tight" as a hedge.
http://chestofbooks.com/gardening-ho...Continued.html

Kay

Quite a few of you asked where in the UK i live so you can get an idea of the soil type. We live in South Somerset, which i think is clay to heavy loam.

Thank you Lannerman, yes i like the look of Eleagnus ebbingii and the idea that it is dense to the ground.

Im quite happy about maintaining a fast growing hedge.

I find our laurel hedge is the easiest to maintain in the garden. Most years a late summer trim is all it needs to maintain it, though after a warm, damp spring it can need an early summer trim too. The new growth remains sappy enough that cheap electric hedge trimmers do the job without the dimensions of the hedge growing. It is certainly thoroughly dense. Will also respond well to being cut back hard if you let it get overgrown. From small plants will probably take you a couple of years to get a 6 foot hedge, and another year for it to fill out properly.

I have an E. ebbingei bush and I find it trouble. Need to cut it at least twice a year and it is sufficiently woody that tougher tools are required. Pleased I only have the one bush, not a whole hedge of it. It grows very fast. In theory it should have fragrant flowers in the winter and berries in the spring, but our has only produced about 3 berries in total.

I think a hawthorn hedge could be hard and painful work to trim. Also will lose much opacity during the winter. If you want a dense thorny evergreen hedge, that isn't too much work, I'd have a look at the various kinds of Berberis. Some of them are very dense, evergreen, easily trimmed, and thorny. You can have an optically opaque hedge that takes up less space than a laurel hedge. Plus it can have attractive flowers and berries.

There are also suitable pyracantha for hedging, which is evergreen, dense and thorny with attractive flowers and spectactular berries, but being rather woody would be harder work to trim. Again, achieves an opaque hedge with slightly less space than laurel.

Thanks very much indeed for your detailed advice. I do like the sound of a Berberis as an alternative. I like the idea of it taking up less space. I wonder how fast it grows in height compared to a Laurel, any ideas?

When you first plant your hedge in well prepared and well fertilised soil, and water it regularly, it can grow quite fast once established. Subsequent growth can be slower when benign neglect and ruthless pruning sets in.

This is a useful resource. (I have no experience of them as a supplier, it just looks to be a good compendium of information).
Hedging Plant Index - Hedging Plants by Latin Name (Buckingham Nurseries Online Catalogue)
Most Berberis, it says, grow only 1 foot per year, but it would seem that B stenophylla is more vigorous and would give you about 18" per year. On the other hand, they say that laurel grows only 6"-12" per year, so these must be fairly conservative estimates, at least for initial establishment, because I've watched a near neighbour grow a 6' laurel hedge in 2-3 years.

These people sell a hybrid B ottowensis x Auricoma that they claim grows about 2 foot per year. Hedges & Garden Hedging Plants Online - Hedges Direct UK Sounds like a triffid.

And if you are really in a hurry, these people will sell you 1m high Berberis plants that they say will give you a 2m hedge with a season.
RHS Hedging Plants | Bare Root Hedging | Instant Hedge | Hedge Nursery

With hedges like laurel (or beech, etc) you will get quite fat trunks in the interior of your hedge after a few years, and you need enough width in the hedge to to have branches coming off those. With Berberis, the main stems are much thinner, so the hedge can be thinner. An interesting thing about Berberis, at least my Berberis darwinii, which you discover when you prune it or snip a root, is that the wood and interior of the roots is bright orangey yellow.

Hi Matt,

Laurel is a good choice but sometimes difficult to prune neatly because of its large leaves.

Considering your requirements I would also consider Holley (Ilex) - A bit more slow to grow but makes a great hedge and really dense once established. Also Pyacantha (Firethorn). If you want prickly this is the way to go (2-3inch thorns!) Also quick growing and provides a nice dense hedge once established.

Hope this helps

Alex

Thanks Alex for the info, yes i remeber the leaves being just too big for my parents trimmer when i used to cut theirs.

I shall check out the Pyacantha, thanks.

I would pick Holley if it grew quicker, i like it a lot.


cheers!!