writes
Hello,

I am looking to buy a hedge for our garden. I'd like it to be about 4
ft high. I'd prefer not to buy a Leylandii because of all the bad
press they seem to have. Is this deserved?

They grow rapidly, which is great for getting privacy quickly, but the
downside of quick growth is that they carry on growing quickly, which
makes them hard to keep control of, hence all the upset. Secondly, being
a conifer, they don't re-shoot if you cut back beyond the green bit, so
if you have left them to get too large, your choice is to leave them
looking good and being too large and perhaps upsetting your neighbours,
getting rid, or turning them into a monstrosity.

There is no such thing as a hedge which will grow rapidly to 6ft and
thereafter stop growing ;-)

What hedge do you recommend? Is Yew the best?

First define best ;-)

What are you looking for?

a) Good looks
b) Low maintenance (only one cut per year)
c) Thorny invader-proof
d) Flowers or berries
e) doesn't drop its leaves in winter
f) establishes very quickly
g) inexpensive
h) not poisonous to children or pets
i) friendly to wildlife
j) good on acid/alkaline/dry/boggy soil or whatever particular soil
horror that you have
... etc

Yew ticks the boxes on a, b, and e and possibly i

--
Kay

wrote:
a) Good looks
Yes please
b) Low maintenance (only one cut per year)
What do you define as high maintenance? Whilst not wanting high
maintenance, I'd be happy to trim more than once per year.
c) Thorny invader-proof
I'm not going to surround the house, so any invader could walk past
the non-hedged part. In fact, I'd probably prefer thorn-free: they
hurt!
d) Flowers or berries
Not essential
e) doesn't drop its leaves in winter
Yes please
f) establishes very quickly
Yes please
g) inexpensive
Yes please

Privet, sadly comes to mind. off to exorcise myself

Sacha wrote:
Could you consider Camellias which you can grow other things through which
will flower when the Camellias are not?

Camellias would require an acid soil. The OP hasn't answered K's
question about this. Can't wait for him/her to answer so that other
ideas can be thrown in.

On 25/9/06 16:46, in article ,
" wrote:

On Thu, 21 Sep 2006 12:27:22 +0100, K wrote:

What hedge do you recommend? Is Yew the best?

First define best ;-)

What are you looking for?

a) Good looks

Yes please
snip

Could you consider Camellias which you can grow other things through which
will flower when the Camellias are not? Or how about Eleagnus, some of
which are highly scented? Then there's Aucuba, variegated hollies,
Pittosporum, Eucalyptus (pinched out after a couple of years to keep them
short) Escallonia and Griselinia (in milder areas)
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/

writes
On Thu, 21 Sep 2006 12:27:22 +0100, K wrote:

What hedge do you recommend? Is Yew the best?

First define best ;-)


b) Low maintenance (only one cut per year)

What do you define as high maintenance? Whilst not wanting high
maintenance, I'd be happy to trim more than once per year.


2/3 cuts per year / major problems if real life gets in the way and you
miss a cut.
--
Kay