Hi All,

Completely new to gardening and didn't in a million years think I would be even considering taking it up but you never can tell where life will take you. I've moved into a renovated house and it has a bit of land around it. I've got a few questions on hedges and hoping for some guidance.

I live in East Lothian (Scotland) on a particularly exposed piece of the countryside. Southerly winds can be quite cutting and strong. I'd like to plant some hedging for two main reasons. The first is for privacy. My neighbors are farmers and I'm not keen on staring at their parked up machinery. The second reason is that I'm wanting to get a few polytunnels up and don't think they will be stable in the strong winds without a hedge wind break. Couple of goals but not sure how compatible they are with each other:

1. Needs to survive the climate. Can get cold and windy.
2. Would love ever green to keep cover and privacy.
3. Low maintenance. There will be a lot of hedging.
4. Height limited. Two to three meters will be plenty.

I think that's about all I can think of. Would appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance.