Hedge as opposed to fence..but which one and how to plant?!

[samdontdiy]

It's so difficult to decide- At present my garden and the neigbours' has no fence in between as the wind totally destroyed the 6ft high panel fencing a while ago.. I've been looking at getting a (privet?) hedge in its place (as recommended by a freind dad!) as its fast growing, gives privacy and is wind proof.. The alternative was the Hit and Miss Fencing (http://www.southern-timber.co.uk/gbu0-prodshow/hit_and_miss.html) but think it's too costly to erect maintain with what the wood having to be 'treated/ protected' each year it's such a faff...but a prune/ trim of the privet upto 3times a year is fine!

What I want to know is, which hedge is low maintenance, as in it'll grow itself without much inteference (bar the cutting back- that's fine) hard wearing and wind proof. Would ideally like it grow up to 5ft (no higher so anti social leylandii's are out) I'm just familiar with the privet hedge- but open to other types too!

The length of the garden is about 7m long and i'd like the bush to be about a 18" thick.. and would ideally like it to grow quite speedily (although am willing to wait for a good one to take its time- but not too long like 5yrs or sommat!)

Any suggestions please?

 

[Diyisfun]

Beech

 

[samdontdiy]

ah, that looks nice, colour variation sounds lovely too- but just read that it's not suited to heavy clay soil.. the soil the bush will be planted in, is just that! it's absolutely rock solid and a pain to soften..

 

[merlin50]

i have privet and beech but the privet is the best, and it grows very quick

 

[r896neo]

If you only want it 18inches thick then privet or lonicera nitida. Both grow quickly so need cut 2 or 3 times a year.

If you could deal with 2 feet common laurel is a great hedge and needs less cutting. It is also available to buy in larger plants.

 

[themiddleagedun]

Holly, Hawthorn, Hornbeam, Blackthorn are all good and IMO look better, and will certainly attract more wildlife, than a souless Privet

 

[samdontdiy]

Holly, Hawthorn, Hornbeam, Blackthorn are all good and IMO look better, and will certainly attract more wildlife, than a souless Privet

thanks for the suggestions!
I just wanted sommat that's not look too rough after a trim..
however,
which of those suggested can
withstand strong winds
is evergreen ....and more importantly
easy to maintain (bar trimming a few times a year) and
fast growing?
I have about 50ft of length to cover (probably scattered formation to gain dense hedge)

 

[themiddleagedun]

Holly- a great plant: evergreen, attractive, berries in the winter. Yew is another.
Neither is particularly fast growing, but "quick fixes" are never the best are they

 

[HERTS P&D]

Pyracantha - that's what I planted 3 years ago, looks lovely and stops anyone climbing over the fence. I double planted them to cover a 1.2m wide boundary. Bought them from ebay at 450mm high now they are 1.2m high and 16m long. Cut/trim 2/3 times a year.

Also they are a burglary deterrent due to them having 40mm spikes and every green.

All mine are red berries, but you can get white and yellow.

Andy

 

[Diyisfun]

Pyracantha - that's what I planted 3 years ago, looks lovely and stops anyone climbing over the fence. I double planted them to cover a 1.2m wide boundary. Bought them from ebay at 450mm high now they are 1.2m high and 16m long. Cut/trim 2/3 times a year.

Also they are a burglary deterrent due to them having 40mm spikes and every green.

All mine are red berries, but you can get white and yellow.

Andy

Thats just what I am thinking of doing & the dbl planting, good looking plant 12mths of the year.

 

[b3taman]

Easy there - think twice before choosing pyracantha - if you need a tightly clipped hedge then you'll never get any berries - (because pyracantha only flowers and berries on second year wood) - and if you leave it and prune after flowering/berrying you'll have long pieces of extremely thorny material to dispose of. I speak from bitter experience - planted a closely spaced 30ft hedge of it at my previous property and wished I had chosen something else. I found the only way to manage it is by very frequent cutting before the young growth thickens up and gets spiny.
Having said that, it certainly is completely kid, dog, and vandal proof. Any one who tangles with it will certainly come off seriously worse.

 

[samdontdiy]

I have finally sorted out the house, and now it's time to move into the garden- I'm gonna go for the privet (err.. or yew) as much as I've delved into the various hedge variety, the privet seemed fool-proof..so ideal for me..but then i've read too much about gaps and trimming it 'right' etc.. is yew easier?

I've googled the method of planting: http://www.ehow.com/how_5712797_grow-privet-hedges.html

FOr now, I think I'm sticking to the privet..

Garden is 40ft long
1. I want a dense hedge abt 18" wide at the end of this (privacy)...so I'll be doing the staggered method (or can I get away with single layer?)
2. Do I plant each plant 12'' apart on both lines as I want a thick hedge? (lines as in the two lines they're planted in due to the the staggering)
3. Should I plant now or wait until a particular month?
4. What's the best type of plant to go for - bare root / cell grown/ pot grown/ p7 or 9 etc/ root ball.. why's it so confusing?!

(oh, how do i avoid doing it too thick and it backfiring on me, as i know i need to get light inito the very base in order for it to be healthy...?!)

Got the following info from hedginguk- is it correct?! (only ask as I haven't dug out THAT much!)
Plant at 12in – 15in apart for hedges 3 foot upwards or for a denser hedge plant in a staggered double row 18in apart and 15in between rows.

 

[Geometer]

Have you considered a "living willow" hedge?
http://www.kingsbarnfarm.co.uk/living_willow_hedge.html

 

[samdontdiy]

Have you considered a "living willow" hedge?
http://www.kingsbarnfarm.co.uk/living_willow_hedge.html[/QUOTE]

aah, no I hadn't till now- but don't think its what I'm looking for as it's not evergreen and also because it has brick structures at either end - and from what I've read it has said that it's recommended that its planted well away from foundations and walls etc. thanks a lot for the suggestion nonetheless

think im sticking to privet..

im still looking for answers to my post (posted last night on22/06/12 at 09.10pm) Any advice greatfully rec'd

 

[b3taman]

If you're planting this time of year then the plants will be actively growing, so you cannot use bare root or transplanted material. Anything in pots will be OK, as long as they haven't been in the pots so long so that you have such a tightly compressed rootball that the roots will never grow away nicely.
Personally, I'd wait until October/November and plant up either bare root or pot grown plants. Don't bother spending a lot of money on large plants - it's more important to make sure the ground is well prepared and free draining.
You could plant in a single line 6" apart or a staggered double line 12" apart - it won't make much difference. Privet has a slightly suckering habit so the bottom of the hedge will spread outwards anyway.
If you're using a single line 6" apart then you can take out a continuous trench for planting into which will make it easier.
Hope this helps.