Hi,

Looking for ideas to salvage a close shave to the neighbours side of the conifer hedge. It is the north side and has been pruned to the wood. It has a 4 ft fence and grows along it to 7ft. What can I grow to reach 7 ft high that will cover it and make it look nice for neighbours?

My husband after much nagging pruned the hedge and ignored my advice to not cut back to the woody bits! Grrrrrrr...... Would Laural grow up along side it ? Maybe it could eventually replace it? Or a climbing plant to cover it? Pref evergreen options.....?

Any advice gratefully received!

We presume that it's Leylandii conifer? If it were yew, it would grow
again.

J.

On 03/04/2013 15:41, Sheppard wrote:

Hi,

Looking for ideas to salvage a close shave to the neighbours side of the
conifer hedge. It is the north side and has been pruned to the wood. It
has a 4 ft fence and grows along it to 7ft. What can I grow to reach 7
ft high that will cover it and make it look nice for neighbours?

My husband after much nagging pruned the hedge and ignored my advice to
not cut back to the woody bits! Grrrrrrr...... Would Laural grow up
along side it ? Maybe it could eventually replace it? Or a climbing
plant to cover it? Pref evergreen options.....?

Any advice gratefully received!
For now, why can't your neighbours plant a row of sweet peas along the
fence?

Which side are the neighbours? If to the north, any climber will just shoot straight up and over to your side.

On 2013-04-03 15:41:21 +0100, Sheppard said:

Hi,

Looking for ideas to salvage a close shave to the neighbours side of the
conifer hedge. It is the north side and has been pruned to the wood. It
has a 4 ft fence and grows along it to 7ft. What can I grow to reach 7
ft high that will cover it and make it look nice for neighbours?

My husband after much nagging pruned the hedge and ignored my advice to
not cut back to the woody bits! Grrrrrrr...... Would Laural grow up
along side it ? Maybe it could eventually replace it? Or a climbing
plant to cover it? Pref evergreen options.....?

Any advice gratefully received!

Which type of conifer is it? If yew, it will grow back. If C.leylandii
it won't and will need maybe a climbing rose or evergreen climber of
some sort to disguise it.
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk

"Sheppard" wrote in message
...

Hi,

Looking for ideas to salvage a close shave to the neighbours side of the
conifer hedge. It is the north side and has been pruned to the wood. It
has a 4 ft fence and grows along it to 7ft. What can I grow to reach 7
ft high that will cover it and make it look nice for neighbours?

My husband after much nagging pruned the hedge and ignored my advice to
not cut back to the woody bits! Grrrrrrr...... Would Laural grow up
along side it ? Maybe it could eventually replace it? Or a climbing
plant to cover it? Pref evergreen options.....?

Any advice gratefully received!

--
Sheppard

Best long term solution is to start again with Yew or other evergreen
hedging that will take that sort of abuse and come back.

But if you want to cover up the bare bit this season try a few plants of
Lonicera japonica, you will need to keep them watered if the hedge is still
alive as it will grab most of the water going, once the honey suckle has got
going you can trim it like a hedge.

There are good and bad clones of L japonica so chose one that is good at not
getting mildew rather than the one with the biggest flowers


--
Charlie, Gardening in Cornwall
Holders of National Collections of Clematis viticella
and Lapageria rosea cvs
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk

On 03/04/2013 15:41, Sheppard wrote:

Hi,

Looking for ideas to salvage a close shave to the neighbours side of the
conifer hedge. It is the north side and has been pruned to the wood. It
has a 4 ft fence and grows along it to 7ft. What can I grow to reach 7
ft high that will cover it and make it look nice for neighbours?

My husband after much nagging pruned the hedge and ignored my advice to
not cut back to the woody bits! Grrrrrrr...... Would Laural grow up
along side it ? Maybe it could eventually replace it? Or a climbing
plant to cover it? Pref evergreen options.....?

Any advice gratefully received!








Your problem is not so much the scalped evergreens, as the (probably)
limited amount of soil available and the fact that the soil is starved
by the evergreen hedge.

If there is a decent border of soil on one side of the hedge which is
not too rooty, then it would be worth planting something to climb into
the remains of the hedging, if only this year while you decide what to
do with the hedge.

In your position, I would have a good chat with my neighbour. If you
are on reasonably friendly terms, they may be more appeased by the
height of the hedge being lowered. 7ft is extraordinarily high for a
hedge between neighbours. The law starts to get nervous at 6ft, which
is surely enough. Further, if your hedge does survive, at 5 or 6ft it
will be easier to trim in the future, perhaps requiring less nagging on
your behalf before your husband obliges ;~).

If you still want to plant something through it, I would suggest
seriously improving the soil and planting a goodly row of Cobaea
Scandens. This is a lovely clinging vine with large purple bells
(opening from greenish-white buds) which is evergreen. Sadly it is not
fully hardy here (it is both perennial and woody in its native mexico),
but is grown as an annual. It would make a very attractive screen,
reaching up to 10ft, probably less in the conditions you are offering
it, so just about ideal.

However, as I say, talking to your neighbour seems a sensible first move.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay