Hi,

My husband and I would like to plant new hedges on both sides at the
entrance of the house. The outside is a primary road with plenty of traffic
most of the time in the day. Our house is nearly the top of the hill, so it
is very exposed. The whole plot is about 1/4 acre and is sloped to
south-east and the soil is quite shallow, with an average 6" - 12", then
loads of slate underneath.

I am not sure whether I can plant one type of hedge or a mixed one as the
conditions of both sides of the entrance are rather different.

The upper side of the entrance is longer than 30', inside is our vegetable
garden. The plot for the hedge is quite sunny most time of the year. There
are some deciduous trees and shrubs adjacent to the neighbour's garden. The
place we would like to have the hedge is a low bank with only a wooden
fence.

The lower part of the entrance is much shorter, around 15'. However, there
are two hugh green leylandii on adjacent to next house while a tall
variegated leylandii on the southern side. With the shadows of those three
monsters and the three-storey house, it is quite a shady place in winter.
We would like to replace the original deciduous shrubs with evergreen one.

We would like to have an evergreen, low-maintenance hedge on both sides, so
they could act as windbreaker and also a screen for noise. My husband would
not mind pruning/trimming twice a year as we would like to keep the height
of 6'-7' and a width of 2'-3'. We have considered to plant some more
leylandii but would wonder whether the root system would dry up our
vegetable beds.

Any suggestion would be welcomed!

With regards,
CK from Aberystwyth, Wales

In article , CK
writes


We would like to have an evergreen, low-maintenance hedge on both sides, so
they could act as windbreaker

there are some formulae for the distance over which the windbreak effect
acts - it's a very small number times the height of the hedge, so a 6ft
hedge might not give much windbreak except in its near vicinity

and also a screen for noise. My husband would
not mind pruning/trimming twice a year as we would like to keep the height
of 6'-7' and a width of 2'-3'. We have considered to plant some more
leylandii but would wonder whether the root system would dry up our
vegetable beds.

Leylandii are not low maintenance. Their advantage in growing fast has
the consequence that you have to prune them a lot once they have reached
the height you want.

Disadvantage of any conifer is that if you leave it for a year, and then
have to cut back beyond the green bit, they tend not to regrow from that
bit, so you have a permanently brown bit of hedge.

Yew makes a very nice hedge but is slow growing
Holly is OK in shade - not sure about dry shade, though. They are slow
to start but reasonably quick once they've been in a couple of years.

from Aberystwyth, Wales

You're milder than we are, being over in the west. Having you seen any
evergreen hedges around you that you particularly like the look of?


--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

Hi Kay,

Firstly, thank you very much for your opinion.

"Kay" wrote in message
...
In article , CK
writes

there are some formulae for the distance over which the windbreak effect
acts - it's a very small number times the height of the hedge, so a 6ft
hedge might not give much windbreak except in its near vicinity

I have just tried to search for those formulae you had mentioned but since
searching. As the hedge will be on top of the slope (slope down to the
vegetable garden and carpark, the house and then the spilt garden), so with
the bank and the slope, the height will be 2 feet more just inside and then
more than another foot to the opposite boundary.

There are several reasons I have to consider before planting a high and
thick hedge:
1. Whether it will cast a heavy shadow on the primary road or not? As a
driver myself, I know the effect of suddenly thick shadow in a sunny day.
2. Whether we can manage to prune/trim the hedge ourselves or not? It is
mainly my hobby, not an investment. My husband enjoys eating the fresh
vegetables and fruits but I would not expect him to hire someone else twice
the year to do the job.
3. Our runner beans and pod beans got blown down while tomatoes were nealy
on their sides since we started growing vegetables. We need a windbreak but
would not want it to dry up the beds.


Leylandii are not low maintenance. Their advantage in growing fast has
the consequence that you have to prune them a lot once they have reached
the height you want.

Disadvantage of any conifer is that if you leave it for a year, and then
have to cut back beyond the green bit, they tend not to regrow from that
bit, so you have a permanently brown bit of hedge.

Yew makes a very nice hedge but is slow growing
Holly is OK in shade - not sure about dry shade, though. They are slow
to start but reasonably quick once they've been in a couple of years.

We got 2 gaints and loads of young holly in the spilt garden. Maybe we can
try to transplant some of them instead of clearing them.

from Aberystwyth, Wales

You're milder than we are, being over in the west. Having you seen any
evergreen hedges around you that you particularly like the look of?

Yes, as a town just next to the west coast, the weather of Aberystwyth is
milder than most part of the UK. However, it is the third year I moved in
the town, I am still learning from the neighbouring environment. It seems
that most of the neighbours use either leylandii or privet as hedge. One
got a mahonia in the mixed border. I got a 3L pot of mahonia and I am
wondering whether I can grow it as part of the hedge. I like the fragrant
winter flowers and the berries would be nice for wildlives.

With regards,
CK from Aberystwyth, Wales

Please reply to the group as the email address is not longer existed.

On Sat, 12 Mar 2005 18:24:03 -0000, "CK" wrote:


There are several reasons I have to consider before planting a high and
thick hedge:
1. Whether it will cast a heavy shadow on the primary road or not? As a
driver myself, I know the effect of suddenly thick shadow in a sunny day.
2. Whether we can manage to prune/trim the hedge ourselves or not? It is
mainly my hobby, not an investment. My husband enjoys eating the fresh
vegetables and fruits but I would not expect him to hire someone else twice
the year to do the job.
3. Our runner beans and pod beans got blown down while tomatoes were nealy
on their sides since we started growing vegetables. We need a windbreak but
would not want it to dry up the beds.

Escallonia macrantha or one of its cultivars should do OK for you.
Evergreen, don't mind salty winds, stands any kind or type of
clipping, not hard to trim, nice balsamy smell, pink flowers if you
don't cut it too hard.


=================================================

Rod

Weed my email address to reply.
http://website.lineone.net/~rodcraddock/index.html

Rod wrote:
On Sat, 12 Mar 2005 18:24:03 -0000, "CK" wrote:


There are several reasons I have to consider before planting a
high
and thick hedge:
1. Whether it will cast a heavy shadow on the primary road or
not?
As a driver myself, I know the effect of suddenly thick shadow in
a
sunny day.
2. Whether we can manage to prune/trim the hedge ourselves or
not?
It is mainly my hobby, not an investment. My husband enjoys
eating
the fresh vegetables and fruits but I would not expect him to hire
someone else twice the year to do the job.
3. Our runner beans and pod beans got blown down while tomatoes
were nealy on their sides since we started growing vegetables. We
need a windbreak but would not want it to dry up the beds.

Escallonia macrantha or one of its cultivars should do OK for you.
Evergreen, don't mind salty winds, stands any kind or type of
clipping, not hard to trim, nice balsamy smell, pink flowers if you
don't cut it too hard.

Yes, I like escallonia too -- note that varieties come from Northern
Ireland, which has some pretty tough climates -- but they don't grow
tall, and they don't grow thick. It really is very hard to lay down
the law for other people, as in these islands the climate can vary
from one end of a village to another. Hell, from one end of your
garden to the other! What older-established neighbours do can be a
good guide; but they aren't always right. I'd always say use
something like Lawsonia only if you've got plenty of room, so that
their hungry roots won't matter (let's say six to ten feet from the
base), and if you've taken all the shade and aesthetic considerations
into account. If you want that kind of hedge, Thuja plicata is
infinitely better, as you can clip it as you like, and it will clothe
down to the ground: not a lot more expensive in money, and a hell of
a lot nicer to live with. I really wouldn't worry about shade on the
road: people have to drive sensibly, and if you produce a shady patch
under fifty yards long it's irrelevant unless it's also on an already
exceptionally dangerous bend.

On the whole, I'd say you could ignore any formula for wind-breaking.
The clue is in the word "breaking": you can never actually _stop_
wind. The thing to do is to break it up: let some trees absorb part
of the energy so that smaller plants down wind won't get hammered. If
you make a solid barrier, either of trees or a stone wall, the wind
will shoot up over the top, and come down the other side in the form
of turbulence. This roundy-roundy turbulence may be even worse than a
straight blast. Only experiment over a few years will tell you
exactly what your site needs.

Things to consider include the time of year when the wind is worst:
an evergreen barrier may not actually be relevant during the spring
and summer months when most of your plants will be growing. Deciduous
trees often look most natural in British conditions, and the winter
winds will be broken quite enough by their bare trunks and branches
to let your display of snowdrops, primroses, early daffodils or
whatever flourish: for my money, they'll look better, too.

Tomatoes and beans are not European species: you've got to expect to
give them extra protection. I've grown both outdoors in West Wales
(Carmarthenshire, not wind-blasted Pemrokeshire); tomatoes in the
open were a disaster, but runner beans, dwarf beans, and climbing
French beans were fine. A farmer neighbour did well enough with
tomatoes under the shelter of a little wall he built with stakes and
fertilizer bags; my good ones were an easier proposition in
containers against the south-facing wall of the house. Growbags were
a waste of time: instead, I cut five-gallon plastic drums in half and
put a plant in each. You can't buck the system: the Old Testament is
all about people arguing with God, while the New Testament is "Oh,
all right then: I don't know what on earth you're talking about, but
I'll do it anyhow". Gardening is a judicious mixture of the two,
inclining to the "Oh, all right, then, I'll do it your way: I suppose
you built the bloody place". Go with the system.

Mike.

Hi Rod,

Firstly, thank you for your suggestion.

"Rod" wrote in message
...

Escallonia macrantha or one of its cultivars should do OK for you.
Evergreen, don't mind salty winds, stands any kind or type of
clipping, not hard to trim, nice balsamy smell, pink flowers if you
don't cut it too hard.

I had done a search on it, no Escallonia in the database of BBC and three
other varieties in RHS database. A web page of BBC Scotland mentions it is
fragrant while another website states it is pungent. I like the fragrance
of hyacinth in flowers but not when it starts faded, also I consider the
scent of those sweet peas my mother-in-law grew last year was too
un-natural. So, my husband and I will write it on a list with other plants
being mentioned when we visit some nurseries in the future.

With regards,
CK from Aberystwyth, Wales

Hi,

I had just read a discussion about leylandii in neighbour's garden. Those
leylandii and holly were planted by the previous owner. My husband was not
a gardener so he just let them grew, besides we got tiles blown down from
the rooftop nearly every year, that was the reason the plants are let to
grow so tall. We got three 5-storey tall leylandii which are in the bottom
of the spilt garden, they only cast shadow in our own garden. They give
some kind of protection from the wind and provide a heaven for birds. Would
it be possible to prune the top to stop them from growing any taller and
also a bit less dense so get a bit of more sunshine in the garden?

Any suggestion would be welcomed!

With regards,
CK from Aberystwyth, Wales

Hi Mike,

Firstly, thank you for your suggestion.
"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
...

Yes, I like escallonia too -- note that varieties come from Northern
Ireland, which has some pretty tough climates ......If you want that kind
of hedge, Thuja plicata is
infinitely better, as you can clip it as you like, and it will clothe
down to the ground: not a lot more expensive in money, and a hell of
a lot nicer to live with. I really wouldn't worry about shade on the
road: people have to drive sensibly, and if you produce a shady patch
under fifty yards long it's irrelevant unless it's also on an already
exceptionally dangerous bend.

I had a look about Thuja plicata, it seems it can very big too. If it or
escallonia would not dry up our vegetable beds while we keep giving the
hedge a regular pruning/trimming, we can consider using either or having a
mixed one.


On the whole, I'd say you could ignore any formula for wind-breaking.
The clue is in the word "breaking": you can never actually _stop_
wind. The thing to do is to break it up: let some trees absorb part
of the energy so that smaller plants down wind won't get hammered. If
you make a solid barrier, either of trees or a stone wall, the wind
will shoot up over the top, and come down the other side in the form
of turbulence. This roundy-roundy turbulence may be even worse than a
straight blast. Only experiment over a few years will tell you
exactly what your site needs.

Things to consider include the time of year when the wind is worst:
an evergreen barrier may not actually be relevant during the spring
and summer months when most of your plants will be growing. Deciduous
trees often look most natural in British conditions, and the winter
winds will be broken quite enough by their bare trunks and branches
to let your display of snowdrops, primroses, early daffodils or
whatever flourish: for my money, they'll look better, too.
I have planted some daffodils on both sides of the bank where the present
fence situated. However, as the increased traffic, we would like to get a
bit more privacy all the year round. The wind here can be really strong.
The metal support of the mini-greenhouse we bought from Lidl last year had
been bent by the wind.

Tomatoes and beans are not European species: you've got to expect to
give them extra protection....

Thank you again for all your advice. We will try and pick up those suitable
in our garden.

With regards,
CK from Aberystwyth, Wales

Hi Janet,

Firstly, thank you for your advice.

Although there is no pavement outside, my husband had turned the outside
boundary in a wide V-shaped place so we can get a better view when driving
in & out. The area where we consider planting the hedge would have at least
a width of 4 to 7 feet away from the main road.

With regards,
CK from Aberystwyth, Wales

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...

Before planting a tall boundary hedge beside a busy road, consider
where/how you're going to have acces to prune the outer side of the
mature hedge when it thickens up. Standing on steps on a busy road,
concentrating on a noisy hedge-cutter so you can barely hear approaching
traffic, is not a good idea.

Janet

In article , CK
writes
there are some formulae for the distance over which the windbreak effect
acts - it's a very small number times the height of the hedge, so a 6ft
hedge might not give much windbreak except in its near vicinity

I have just tried to search for those formulae you had mentioned but since
searching.

Try
http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/Environment/trees/advice.pdf

It's a lot better than I thought - total shelter zone 10-15 times
height, though obviously in a slop, so at the end of that zone it's only
sheltered for plants about half an inch high!

Lot of interesting thoughts on that web site, which may or may not have
some relevance to you

We got 2 gaints and loads of young holly in the spilt garden. Maybe we can
try to transplant some of them instead of clearing them.

Good idea. They have long tap roots and are susceptible to drying out
for a few months after transplanting.

from Aberystwyth, Wales

You're milder than we are, being over in the west. Having you seen any
evergreen hedges around you that you particularly like the look of?

Yes, as a town just next to the west coast, the weather of Aberystwyth is
milder than most part of the UK. However, it is the third year I moved in
the town, I am still learning from the neighbouring environment. It seems
that most of the neighbours use either leylandii or privet as hedge.

I like privet - I like the smell of the flowers - but you don't get many
if you keep it trimmed as a hedge.

One
got a mahonia in the mixed border. I got a 3L pot of mahonia and I am
wondering whether I can grow it as part of the hedge. I like the fragrant
winter flowers and the berries would be nice for wildlives.

Native plants tend to be better for wildlife - they move on to the
foreign stuff when they've run out of the rest.
But in a hedge you tend to lose out on flowers and berries unless you
have the space to leave it relatively untrimmed

--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

CK muttered:

Hi,

My husband and I would like to plant new hedges on both sides at the
entrance of the house. The outside is a primary road with plenty of traffic
most of the time in the day. Our house is nearly the top of the hill, so it
is very exposed. The whole plot is about 1/4 acre and is sloped to
south-east and the soil is quite shallow, with an average 6" - 12", then
loads of slate underneath.

I am not sure whether I can plant one type of hedge or a mixed one as the
conditions of both sides of the entrance are rather different.

The upper side of the entrance is longer than 30', inside is our vegetable
garden. The plot for the hedge is quite sunny most time of the year. There
are some deciduous trees and shrubs adjacent to the neighbour's garden. The
place we would like to have the hedge is a low bank with only a wooden
fence.

The lower part of the entrance is much shorter, around 15'. However, there
are two hugh green leylandii on adjacent to next house while a tall
variegated leylandii on the southern side. With the shadows of those three
monsters and the three-storey house, it is quite a shady place in winter.
We would like to replace the original deciduous shrubs with evergreen one.

We would like to have an evergreen, low-maintenance hedge on both sides, so
they could act as windbreaker and also a screen for noise. My husband would
not mind pruning/trimming twice a year as we would like to keep the height
of 6'-7' and a width of 2'-3'. We have considered to plant some more
leylandii but would wonder whether the root system would dry up our
vegetable beds.

Any suggestion would be welcomed!

With regards,
CK from Aberystwyth, Wales


Personally, I'd grow a mixed native hedge, hornbeam, hawthorn, holly,
dogwood maple. The advantages of this would be that if one thing doesn't
thrive something else will so you wouldn't have a complete failure.

If just an evergreen choose a holly or yew, leylandii is just very
depressing somehow.

CK muttered:


I am not sure whether I can plant one type of hedge or a mixed one as the
conditions of both sides of the entrance are rather different.

Magwitch writes
Personally, I'd grow a mixed native hedge, hornbeam, hawthorn, holly,
dogwood maple. The advantages of this would be that if one thing doesn't
thrive something else will so you wouldn't have a complete failure.

If just an evergreen choose a holly or yew, leylandii is just very
depressing somehow.

I'd agree with the mixed hedge - mine is a mix of privet, hawthorn,
field maple, self-sown ash and I don't know what else, and like you I am
on the top of a crest and very windswept during Feb. I think if you have
a longish run then a bit of variety is nice. I found my Lonicera keeps
its leaves, but recently cats have taken to crawling up and over it, a
great pity as they strip the small leaves off and make gaps in the
surface (suggestions for stopping this anyone??).

The figures for sheltering IIRC are width = 10 times the height for
fences (but the wind is also then very turbulent) and 20 times for
hedges (not turbulent).

There are some really nice Escallonia when trimmed might make a good
addition - I have Esc. Iveii which has masses of white flowers early on
and the bees absolutely adore it, and it grows I believe 5 ft high
eventually (mine is only 2 years old atm). There is another - Esc.
Donard something-or-other which is pink and grows to 8ft apparently. But
look around and see what grows well locally.

You could also consider Laurel, though it doesn't do much for wildlife I
think, but makes an excellent screen. Just keep it well trimmed!! I#ve
some mixed with photinia red robin, which had wind-scorched leaves when
smaller but seems to be holding its own now its neighbours provide more
shelter.
--
David