Erecting fence but fighting with hedge...............

[Alison556]

My neighbour's hedge which is the boundary between our gardens is the bane of my life. I'm fed up of all the weeds and bits of foreign tree that seem to constantly grow on my side (there's never anything on hers!!) so I thought I'd put up a fence to try and keep her hedge over her side and - hopefully - stop it the huge amount of weeds that come over mine.

So, I reckoned on either a ranch style fence or closed board (I hope that's what you call it). It's not going to be that tall - maybe about 4 feet high.

How deep do I need to put the fence posts and how far apart should they be?

I'm having a hellish time trying to dig holes for the posts cos of the hedge roots - so any top tips there would be appreciated - saves my poor hands from any more blisters!

Would these metal fence support things that you get (seen them in Wickes) be any good to use?

 

[steveb1964]

what type of a hedge is it? is it one which will grow strong branches that could put pressure on the fence?

ideally for the fence to last years and years i'd use concrete posts that allow you to slide fence panels into them. will cost a bit more than wooden posts but will last much longer. if the fence is going to be 4 foot high i'd sink the osts 2 feet into the ground in concrete so it's nice and firm. you can get different width panels so it's up to you really and depends on how long the fence will be, maybe 4 to 5 foot wide

word of warning if you do use wooden posts concrete will rot a wood post much faster than dirt as it holds water between it and the post - Not many people think about that

 

[Alison556]

It's a privet hedge and a bloomin mess if you ask me. I've got hedging in my own garden but it's a nice tidy hedge - I think one of my neighbours said it was catoniasta or something like that - small dark green leaves with pinkish flowers which turn to red berries.

Two feet deep? Eek! I think I've got down about 6 inches so far and my hands are blistered with fighting against the hedge roots! It's gonna be a long dig!

Are these metal fence supports not any good?

 

[steveb1964]

haven't used the metal fence supports before but this may be of some help //www.diynot.com/pages/op/op003.php

6 inches won't be enough for a good solid fence

 

[Alison556]

Ooh, thanks for that link - that's really helpful.

I know 6 inches isn't enough but it's a daunting thought to keep on digging...................

 

[steveb1964]

i can imagine if there are lots of roots then it'll be a nightmare but if you have a toolhire shop nearby you could try and hire one of these to dig the holes http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Clearance/Landscaping/Petrol+Auger+150mm+Auger+Bit/d50/sd3210/p32384

could be money well spent

 

[oilman]

Shame it's privet, any thing else (not leylandii though) is ok, but privet is so invasive. How do you fancy digging a trench and burying weed suppressing fabric up the side iof the trench? A grub hoe makes it fairly easy. Available here.

That would stop the roots coming through and throwing up suckers.

How deep is your soil in Dundee, and what type is it?

 

[Alison556]

i can imagine if there are lots of roots then it'll be a nightmare but if you have a toolhire shop nearby you could try and hire one of these to dig the holes http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Clearance/Landscaping/Petrol+Auger+150mm+Auger+Bit/d50/sd3210/p32384

could be money well spent

That looks just the job!! My brother had a pole thing for manually doing holes but he went and gave it away (typical).

All these tips are much appreciated. I will succeed!

Shame it's privet, any thing else (not leylandii though) is ok, but privet is so invasive. How do you fancy digging a trench and burying weed suppressing fabric up the side iof the trench? A grub hoe makes it fairly easy. Available here.

That would stop the roots coming through and throwing up suckers.

How deep is your soil in Dundee, and what type is it?

Dunno why privets and leylandii are so popular! My neighbour has privet on the boundary and street side of her garden and bloomin leylandii on the other side! Thankfully the leylandii are nowhere near me.

The weed control idea sounds good but I really do want to just block the thing off - it's so messy and I have gravel on part of my garden and it's full of hedge cuttings so if it didn't need cut on my side, I'd be a happy bunny.

Depth of soil? I haven't got a clue! It's very rocky, clay soil - not very good cos I had to put compost and top soil in my borders for my plants but I wouldn't imagine it's that deep - it's easy to suddenly hit up on something rock solid and feel like you're not getting any further. Between cats and hedges, I'm rapidly going off gardening!

 

[oilman]

I think leylandii and privet go in because people want a "fast" hedge. They never think they are fast forever, and need loads of control.

If your ground is rocky, any digging or hole boring will be hard.

The hand augers will cost around £50, but they will involve work too.

If you can dig a trench, it will cut the roots, so there will be no more growth on your side of the fence.

 

[ColJack]

just water it well for her with sodium hyperchlorate.. should kill it off nicely and stop any weeds growing for a long time.. flowers and grass too...

 

[Alison556]

I "tested" some sodium chlorate on a bit of it already - it killed it fairly quickly! Would that be nasty to do that?

I developed a rather good technique for hedge root removal - I had part of my own hedge taken out but they only cut it down - and left the roots. Cue the digging and then hacking away at the roots with a set of loppers! 11 roots later, I got them all out!

Dontcha just love neighbours and their hedges!!

 

[oilman]

I "tested" some sodium chlorate on a bit of it already - it killed it fairly quickly! Would that be nasty to do that?

It would stop anything else growing for a long time too. It may also kill their hedge entirely, at which point you could be up for criminal damage if word got out. We could keep quiet (for a fee).

 

[mattylad]

You can rent a manual post hole borer for about £20 a week from the HSS hire shops.

Linky

BTW, where is the boundary?
Do you have any boundary markers, posts etc?
You can trim the hedge that is on your side.

If you put your fence further inside your property, ensure that you also put marker posts & wire on the actual boundary otherwise you are giving up your land.

 

[Alison556]

I'm only messing - I wouldn't deliberately kill her hedge off! I only tried the Sod. Chlor. on a teeny wee bit to see if it had any effect on hedges. I was actually using it on a bloomin rose bush sucker under my window - and believe it or not, the damn thing is still growing!

The hedge is well onto the neighbour's property - it's just the weeds that are on mine. There was obviously railings dividing the gardens at some point (they're old houses - c.1919) and I can see the stumps of the old iron posts where they've been cut down. I was going to put my posts on my side of these stumps if that makes sense.

I did try subtly asking her ages ago if she was really attached to the hedge but she says she likes it - no accounting for taste I suppose - so a fence it is.

I've managed to dig a hole closest to the wall of the house fairly deep - though not deep enough yet. One down, several to go!

How far apart should the posts be?

 

[ColJack]

then soak your weeds, cover with gravel and if her hedge dies then just claim you did it to prevent weeds from damaging your fence that you are going to put in and didn't realise it would kill her hedge.