Box hedge help

[milkybarkid]

Hello!

We live in small house on a fairly busy street with only a low wall in front of the house. It's pretty easy for any passer by to have a good look inside. I want to increase our privacy by planting a hedge behind the wall in the bed already there. I'm thinking of planting Box for this purpose. My local B & Q sells individual plants in it various sizes. There are small ones about 3-4 inches high selling for a pound or they have ones about a foot tall for ten pounds. Which should i go for bearing in mind I'll need a few plants to make a hedge. Do I spend £50 - £60 on nthe bigger plants or £6 - £8 on the small ones? Does it grow quickly and easily?

 

[Thermo]

it does grow fairly easily, however it grows very slowley. ARe you after a formal hedge or just a screen of plants?

 

[milkybarkid]

I think a formal hedge. What are the other options?

 

[breezer]

informal?

 

[Scoby_Beasley]

Box (Buxus) will take a hell of a long time to reach privacy height, its a plant that tends to be kept trimmed tight/ small. Think again if you're thinking 5' tall.
In answer to your question though, generally a £1 plant in a years time will be the same size and be more established than a £10 plant, which will hate the move(unless you are prepared to nourish/cherish them).
But how high is your wall and how far from front of house ?

 

[Thermo]

i always use this (link below) as a guide for planting plans. As breezer so helpfully said the other option is a more informal screen using various shrubs. Choose the right ones and it can give you year round colour and intrest as well as being more intresting to look at than a solid wall of one plant.


http://www.rhs.org.uk/rhsplantselector/default.aspx


hope it helps

 

[mrgrumpy]

In answer to your question though, generally a £1 plant in a years time will be the same size and be more established than a £10 plant, which will hate the move(unless you are prepared to nourish/cherish them).

What a load of tosh A £1 plant will be on the compost heap in 12 months! "Buy cheap, and it will be on the heap" remember that saying! Spending money on established plants will pay you back in years to come. Most plants from diy sheds, are looked after by school kids, who wouldn't know plant care from their a*se.

milkybarkid Why not consider a trellis along the wall, and grow 2 climbers up it. One spring flowering and one late summer flowering, will grow quick and provide good screening. Will obviously die back in winter, but you will have your curtains closed no-doubt . Did this once for someone, with good results, providing good screening from April to late November.

 

[Thermo]

mr grumpy whilst i totally agree with your comments regarding the benefits of buying decent plants from decent established nurseries, over the trash in diy sheds and some garden centres.......i think i now see how you have come by your name!

 

[Scoby_Beasley]

Edited out by self as I was in an a*** mood when I posted the original !!

 

[mrgrumpy]

mr grumpy whilst i totally agree with your comments regarding the benefits of buying decent plants from decent established nurseries, over the trash in diy sheds and some garden centres.......i think i now see how you have come by your name!

Well Thermo! you've thrown your dummy out the pram good and proper this time Just remember what makes a good forum: advice, debate, comment, criticism, a bit of prodding. Forums shouldn't be just stale advice.

Scoby_Beasly: you should of left the post in tact, as you clearly know nothing about gardening

 

[Thermo]

yes and also wit and humour which you seem not to have any modicum of. I think you will find this is a friendlly forum based on advice given by people with good intentions, giving up their precious time to help people. Its not here for people to run down others, blow and blow their own trumpet. I dont believe my advice has been stale and i certainly didnt throw my dummy out of the pram, which is exactly what you seem to have done. I suggest before you start criticising people with a tone of venom you take a look at the forum, its rules and understand the way it works. It is a friendly forum but it seems once in a while someone has to wade in feet first and upset people, which detracts from the questions posed by the original poster leaving them confused and bewildered.

well done you seem to fit this bill exactly

 

[Scoby_Beasley]

yes and also wit and humour which you seem not to have any modicum of. I think you will find this is a friendlly forum based on advice given by people with good intentions, giving up their precious time to help people. Its not here for people to run down others, blow and blow their own trumpet. I dont believe my advice has been stale and i certainly didnt throw my dummy out of the pram, which is exactly what you seem to have done. I suggest before you start criticising people with a tone of venom you take a look at the forum, its rules and understand the way it works. It is a friendly forum but it seems once in a while someone has to wade in feet first and upset people, which detracts from the questions posed by the original poster leaving them confused and bewildered.

HERE, HERE !!!

Scoby_Beasly: you should of left the post in tact, as you clearly know nothing about gardening

Au contrare, moi petite jardeniere. The only gardening I have no knowledge of is the uphill variety !!

 

[AMAC47]

Try a Yew hedge...quite fast growing and looks not unlike a box hedge. Have benefit of berries to brighten things up for Christmas.

 

[Thermo]

by the way i think the point that scott was trying to make was that a young plant (therefore cheaper) will be less affected by shock from being transplanted and will therefore recover quicker than a more mature specimen (normally more expensive) and in every likelehood overtake it. An accepted fact in the horticultural world, but what ho you know best

 

[mrgrumpy]

Its not here for people to run down others, blow and blow their own trumpet. I suggest before you start criticising people with a tone of venom you take a look at the forum, its rules and understand the way it works. I

Thermo How could you hurt my feelings so much To say I put people down, don't have good intentions, tone of venom, I'm shocked! sorry but check my post history, there's no malice at all.
You need to check your dictionary, to define the difference between 'criticising' and 'constructive criticism' As far as forum rules go, well I'm still here. Have I broken any rules? I have no problems with the fact that you try to answer everyones posts, even though sometimes you don't know what your talking about. If that's your thing, fine. But don't criticize me for trying to introduce some accuracy into the 'Gardening' forum. I'm curious Thermo, where you bullied as a kid?