I have some long hedge gaps that I need to fill, I am going to use
native hedging for most of the gaps but one I need to fill quickly -
about 15ft. -as it is a bit of a security thing and it worries me. I
have been looking around and think that Laurel would do the job as the
plants are fairly large to start with but having just done a google the
fact that there is a poison problem is another worry, any advice please

kate

I have some long hedge gaps that I need to fill, I am going to use
native hedging for most of the gaps but one I need to fill quickly -
about 15ft. -as it is a bit of a security thing and it worries me. I
have been looking around and think that Laurel would do the job as the
plants are fairly large to start with but having just done a google the
fact that there is a poison problem is another worry, any advice please

kate

There is the question of which laurel you're thinking of, though it
seems that most of them are poisonous anyway. Many, if not most, plants
are poisonous, so knowledge of your specific worries would also be of
assistance to potential respondees.

I wish to block the gaps with a fast growing evergreen in order to
prevent the local low life getting any ideas about plundering my stable
yard, also to give birds somewhere to shelter.

kate

On 16/10/05 10:53, in article ,
"Kate Morgan" wrote:


I have some long hedge gaps that I need to fill, I am going to use
native hedging for most of the gaps but one I need to fill quickly -
about 15ft. -as it is a bit of a security thing and it worries me. I
have been looking around and think that Laurel would do the job as the
plants are fairly large to start with but having just done a google the
fact that there is a poison problem is another worry, any advice please

kate

There is the question of which laurel you're thinking of, though it
seems that most of them are poisonous anyway. Many, if not most, plants
are poisonous, so knowledge of your specific worries would also be of
assistance to potential respondees.

I wish to block the gaps with a fast growing evergreen in order to
prevent the local low life getting any ideas about plundering my stable
yard, also to give birds somewhere to shelter.

kate

I don't know where you live, Kate but perhaps Escallonias would answer your
need? They grow pretty quickly and have lovely flowers, beloved by bees.
The other possibility is Eucalyptus which also grows fast and tall. If the
height isn't what you want, there are some varieties that can be 'stopped'
and make good hedging plants. Holly isn't quite so fast but it's a good
deterrent and if you get male and female varieties, you'll get the berries,
too.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

snip
I wish to block the gaps with a fast growing evergreen in order to
prevent the local low life getting any ideas about plundering my stable
yard, also to give birds somewhere to shelter.

kate

I don't know where you live, Kate but perhaps Escallonias would answer your
need? They grow pretty quickly and have lovely flowers, beloved by bees.
The other possibility is Eucalyptus which also grows fast and tall. If the
height isn't what you want, there are some varieties that can be 'stopped'
and make good hedging plants. Holly isn't quite so fast but it's a good
deterrent and if you get male and female varieties, you'll get the berries,
too.

Some good ideas Sacha, Escallonias would be a goody, would Macrantha be
a good choice, I dont know much about it I am just looking in a book at
the moment and it tells me that that one grows large and vigorous.

kate Sth.Glos.

The message
from Kate Morgan contains these words:

I have some long hedge gaps that I need to fill, I am going to use
native hedging for most of the gaps but one I need to fill quickly -
about 15ft. -as it is a bit of a security thing and it worries me. I
have been looking around and think that Laurel would do the job as the
plants are fairly large to start with but having just done a google the
fact that there is a poison problem is another worry, any advice please

Poison problem is negligible unless you have a toddler with a
death-wish. In any case, the toddler would be pretty-well grown-up by
the time ant 'cherries' appear.

Security provided by laurel is in the chocolate fireguard bracket. I'd
suggest blackthorn or whitethorn for fairly fast-growing security.

Even better would be to grow briar and/or bramble to climb amongst it.

--
Rusty
horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from Kate Morgan contains these words:

I wish to block the gaps with a fast growing evergreen in order to
prevent the local low life getting any ideas about plundering my stable
yard, also to give birds somewhere to shelter.

I hesitate before suggesting leylandii. You can grow brambles amongst
that with no problem, which will provide you with cover, a screen, and
something pretty impenetrable.

Laurel will provide big inviting gaps at the bottom, suitable for
crawling through - and not even on all-fours. Also, it's not *THAT*
quick growing: well, not until it gets really established.

--
Rusty
horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message k
from Sacha contains these words:

I don't know where you live, Kate but perhaps Escallonias would answer your
need? They grow pretty quickly and have lovely flowers, beloved by bees.
The other possibility is Eucalyptus which also grows fast and tall. If the
height isn't what you want, there are some varieties that can be 'stopped'
and make good hedging plants. Holly isn't quite so fast but it's a good
deterrent and if you get male and female varieties, you'll get the berries,
too.

I don't know - in a race I'd back holly against laurel any day.

--
Rusty
horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

On 16/10/05 11:54, in article
, "Jaques d'Alltrades"
wrote:

The message k
from Sacha contains these words:

I don't know where you live, Kate but perhaps Escallonias would answer your
need? They grow pretty quickly and have lovely flowers, beloved by bees.
The other possibility is Eucalyptus which also grows fast and tall. If the
height isn't what you want, there are some varieties that can be 'stopped'
and make good hedging plants. Holly isn't quite so fast but it's a good
deterrent and if you get male and female varieties, you'll get the berries,
too.

I don't know - in a race I'd back holly against laurel any day.

Ah but I thought the idea was to consider things other than laurel.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

On 16/10/05 11:46, in article
, "Jaques d'Alltrades"
wrote:

The message
from Kate Morgan contains these words:

I have some long hedge gaps that I need to fill, I am going to use
native hedging for most of the gaps but one I need to fill quickly -
about 15ft. -as it is a bit of a security thing and it worries me. I
have been looking around and think that Laurel would do the job as the
plants are fairly large to start with but having just done a google the
fact that there is a poison problem is another worry, any advice please

Poison problem is negligible unless you have a toddler with a
death-wish. In any case, the toddler would be pretty-well grown-up by
the time ant 'cherries' appear.

Is it likely to be poisonous to horses, though? I simply don't know if
horses take a nibble at laurel, though I do know people won't use yew
hedging round horses. And a friend of mine's horse died after eating
acorns. ;-(
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

"Sacha" wrote in message
.uk...
On 16/10/05 11:46, in article
, "Jaques d'Alltrades"
wrote:

The message
from Kate Morgan contains these words:

I have some long hedge gaps that I need to fill, I am going to use
native hedging for most of the gaps but one I need to fill quickly -
about 15ft. -as it is a bit of a security thing and it worries me. I
have been looking around and think that Laurel would do the job as the
plants are fairly large to start with but having just done a google the
fact that there is a poison problem is another worry, any advice please

Poison problem is negligible unless you have a toddler with a
death-wish. In any case, the toddler would be pretty-well grown-up by
the time ant 'cherries' appear.

Is it likely to be poisonous to horses, though? I simply don't know if
horses take a nibble at laurel, though I do know people won't use yew
hedging round horses. And a friend of mine's horse died after eating
acorns. ;-(
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)
~~~~~~~~~~
Interestingly, the New Forest permits pigs to roam during the acorn
season to keep them from the ponies.
Yew foliage is exceptionally poisonous to all herbivores hence it being
planted in graveyards~away from animals. Yew trimmings thrown over a hedge
are tempting, and fatal, to horses and cattle. The seeds are even more
poisonous but the surrounding bright red aril is very edible~~ but do spit
out the seed!!
A few Pyracanthas will quickly deter any unwanted guests. Very sharp
thorns but will remain 'see-through'.
Have never had horses interested in laurel~just ignored it~ but a very
hungry horse will eat anything!!
Best Wishes Brian.

On 16/10/05 14:44, in article ,
"Brian" --- 'flayb' to respond wrote:


"Sacha" wrote in message
.uk...
snip
Is it likely to be poisonous to horses, though? I simply don't know if
horses take a nibble at laurel, though I do know people won't use yew
hedging round horses. And a friend of mine's horse died after eating
acorns. ;-(
--
~~~~~~~~~~
Interestingly, the New Forest permits pigs to roam during the acorn
season to keep them from the ponies.
Yew foliage is exceptionally poisonous to all herbivores hence it being
planted in graveyards~away from animals. Yew trimmings thrown over a hedge
are tempting, and fatal, to horses and cattle. The seeds are even more
poisonous but the surrounding bright red aril is very edible~~ but do spit
out the seed!!
A few Pyracanthas will quickly deter any unwanted guests. Very sharp
thorns but will remain 'see-through'.
Have never had horses interested in laurel~just ignored it~ but a very
hungry horse will eat anything!!

I think the other thing the OP could consider is hawthorn. That could make
a nice dense, prickly, hedge.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

"Sacha" wrote in message
.uk...
On 16/10/05 11:54, in article
, "Jaques d'Alltrades"
wrote:

The message k
from Sacha contains these words:

I don't know where you live, Kate but perhaps Escallonias would answer
your
need? They grow pretty quickly and have lovely flowers, beloved by
bees.
The other possibility is Eucalyptus which also grows fast and tall. If
the
height isn't what you want, there are some varieties that can be
'stopped'
and make good hedging plants. Holly isn't quite so fast but it's a
good
deterrent and if you get male and female varieties, you'll get the
berries,
too.

I don't know - in a race I'd back holly against laurel any day.

Ah but I thought the idea was to consider things other than laurel.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

For screening and security I think the holly suggestion to be the best bet
and given a bit of help and encouragement at planting time would be as quick
as laural. I find escallonia fast and it has a nice smell plus flowers but
it tends to fall apart under its own weight and I often get die back in dry
years.
I assume the toxicity problem relates to horses, Holly should present no
problem, not sure whether they would try Laurel, it certainly wouldn't do
them any good if they did.

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collection of Clematis viticella (cvs)

Surely thick and prickly would be more of a security thing than tall
and not prickly? Anyone can push their way through a laurel hende but I
would defy anyone to push through pyracantha, berberis, rosa rugosa etc
and they are certainly pretties, easier to maintain and great for
feeding wild birds too.

In article .com,
says...
Surely thick and prickly would be more of a security thing than tall
and not prickly? Anyone can push their way through a laurel hende but I
would defy anyone to push through pyracantha, berberis, rosa rugosa etc
and they are certainly pretties, easier to maintain and great for
feeding wild birds too.

I want to thank everyone who responded to my Laurel thread. I have had
lots of good ideas and will be plant shopping this week.

kate

Kate Morgan wrote:
In article .com,
says...
Surely thick and prickly would be more of a security thing than
tall
and not prickly? Anyone can push their way through a laurel hende
but I would defy anyone to push through pyracantha, berberis, rosa
rugosa etc and they are certainly pretties, easier to maintain and
great for feeding wild birds too.

I want to thank everyone who responded to my Laurel thread. I have
had lots of good ideas and will be plant shopping this week.

kate

Just a couple of Johnny-come-lately comments. HMSO Bulletin 161,
_British Poisonous Plants_, which I always find a good read when I
want cheering up, says animals eat little "Laurel" (_Prunus
laurocerasus_) from choice, and that it doesn't seem to be as
poisonous under British conditions as in other countries. On yew
berries, which I always used to eat for fun -- taking great care not
to swallow the seed, as Brian warns -- it says the flesh _does_
actually contain the toxic stuff, but in small quantities.

--
Mike.