Help needed in choosing what to plant for a hedge
 

Hi all,

I realize this a probably been asked a million times, but that's part
of the problem with the net...too much information. I don't know much
about this subject so here is what I need help with.

I want to plant a hedge on the front of my property. The property
faces more or less Northeast (slightly more north, not sure if that
matters). My considerations:

1. Hedge would get full sun, all day long.

2. Would prefer evergreen. Thinking this could also be a windbreak.

3. Something I could keep trimmed to about 4-5' fairly easily.

4. Fairly long; 2 sections on either side of my driveway. Total length
would be close to 180-200' (1 acre lot, hedge to run almost full length
of yard). I mention this for cost. I assume with a hedge most
plantings would have to be fairly close together 1-2'? So with the
distance I will be dealing with, I'll be digging a lot of holes
regardless.

5. Zone 4

6. Not sure about pH level of soil but it is sandy.

I was thinking of arborvitae but all I've ever seen of this is much
taller than my wife wants. She doesn't want to feel like we are
cutting ourselves off from the rest of the neighborhood, but we want to
dress up the yard. There is practically no landscaping. So I
appreciate any advice I can get.

Thanks,
Tom Sawyer

Privet

wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi all,

I realize this a probably been asked a million times, but that's part
of the problem with the net...too much information. I don't know much
about this subject so here is what I need help with.

I want to plant a hedge on the front of my property. The property
faces more or less Northeast (slightly more north, not sure if that
matters). My considerations:

1. Hedge would get full sun, all day long.

2. Would prefer evergreen. Thinking this could also be a windbreak.

3. Something I could keep trimmed to about 4-5' fairly easily.

4. Fairly long; 2 sections on either side of my driveway. Total length
would be close to 180-200' (1 acre lot, hedge to run almost full length
of yard). I mention this for cost. I assume with a hedge most
plantings would have to be fairly close together 1-2'? So with the
distance I will be dealing with, I'll be digging a lot of holes
regardless.

5. Zone 4

6. Not sure about pH level of soil but it is sandy.

I was thinking of arborvitae but all I've ever seen of this is much
taller than my wife wants. She doesn't want to feel like we are
cutting ourselves off from the rest of the neighborhood, but we want to
dress up the yard. There is practically no landscaping. So I
appreciate any advice I can get.

Thanks,
Tom Sawyer

what about a beech hedge

wrote in
ups.com:

Hi all,

I realize this a probably been asked a million times, but that's part
of the problem with the net...too much information. I don't know much
about this subject so here is what I need help with.

I want to plant a hedge on the front of my property. The property
faces more or less Northeast (slightly more north, not sure if that
matters). My considerations:

1. Hedge would get full sun, all day long.

2. Would prefer evergreen. Thinking this could also be a windbreak.

3. Something I could keep trimmed to about 4-5' fairly easily.

4. Fairly long; 2 sections on either side of my driveway. Total length
would be close to 180-200' (1 acre lot, hedge to run almost full length
of yard). I mention this for cost. I assume with a hedge most
plantings would have to be fairly close together 1-2'? So with the
distance I will be dealing with, I'll be digging a lot of holes
regardless.

5. Zone 4

6. Not sure about pH level of soil but it is sandy.

I was thinking of arborvitae but all I've ever seen of this is much
taller than my wife wants. She doesn't want to feel like we are
cutting ourselves off from the rest of the neighborhood, but we want to
dress up the yard. There is practically no landscaping. So I
appreciate any advice I can get.

Thanks,
Tom Sawyer


Look at Chamaecyparis, such as plumosa, thyoides, plumosa. Also Juniperus
chinensis, scopulorum, and virginiana.

My personal preference might be Taxus cuspidata.

--
David J. Bockman, Fairfax, VA (USDA Hardiness Zone 7)
email:
http://beyondgardening.com/Albums

Look into a row of globe arborvitae, they top out at 4-5 ft and would
require very little maintainance once grown.

Look into a row of globe arborvitae, they top out at 4-5 ft and would
require very little maintainance once grown.

Thanks to everyone for the replies. I hope you can stand a few more
questions.

I looked at all of the suggestions and started looking more at the yews
suggested by David. One yew that caught my eye was Taxus x media
(Anglo-Japanese yew, if I remember right). I found it available here
http://www.musserforests.com/prod.asp?p=DET

This seems to fit my requirements. Their price is 25/$75.00. Does
that sound like a good deal if I can't find a local carrier?

They list the spread as 3-5'; so should they be planted at a spacing
3-5'? Or should they be planted closer to ensure a nice dense growth?
If a 3' spacing then 25 plants would be good for about 75' of hedge
row? Or I could go a 4' spacing and get 100' row

Thanks again for all the help.

wrote in
oups.com:

I looked at all of the suggestions and started looking more at the yews
suggested by David. One yew that caught my eye was Taxus x media
(Anglo-Japanese yew, if I remember right). I found it available here
http://www.musserforests.com/prod.asp?p=DET

This seems to fit my requirements. Their price is 25/$75.00. Does
that sound like a good deal if I can't find a local carrier?

They list the spread as 3-5'; so should they be planted at a spacing
3-5'? Or should they be planted closer to ensure a nice dense growth?
If a 3' spacing then 25 plants would be good for about 75' of hedge
row? Or I could go a 4' spacing and get 100' row

Thanks again for all the help.



A Yew which is being sold strictly as 'x media' (anglojap yew) is going to
be extremely variable in form from plant to plant-- not the best for a
hedge unless you don't mind shearing from time to time. Of the x medias
look at buying named cultivars such as 'Densiformis', 'Densi-Gem' or
perhaps 'Wardii'.

It would appear Mussers is selling Taxus cuspidata ‘Intermedia’, which is
something else entirely. I note they do have Taxus x media 'Densiformis'
and Taxus x media 'Wardii'.

Note that it will be some time (years) before you get your hedgerow using
seedlings like this.
--
David J. Bockman, Fairfax, VA (USDA Hardiness Zone 7)
email:
http://beyondgardening.com/Albums

Hi
If you want to know about plant spacing and stuff like that take a look at this flash movie on planting yew hedging at http://store.ashridgetrees.co.uk

Good luck