Type of hedge over fence - thin but tall

[tataylor1]

Hi all

Just wondering if anyone can advise me on what type of hedge to plant.

I was going to erect a fence down the side of my garden but it will be adjacent to the highway and the council are making things difficult. Therefore I am looking for a type of hedge that I can put in that will grow to at least 2 metres high without being very deep. So something that's pretty robust, still forms an attractive barrier around the garden, stops stray dogs and kids etc but could be pruned to within say 1 foot depth without being lots of bare patches?

Thanks in advance for any help anyone can provide.

 

[Deleted2797112]

Your requirement for it to be only one foot deep is a problem. Best I can think of is pyracantha. I have it cladding a wall and keep it to around a foot deep with careful training and pruning. It's certainly robust and will deter human and canine intruders as it's very thorny. It's attractive - small glossy evergreen leaves, butterflies love the fluffy white flowers in summer and birds the berries in winter (red, orange or yellow-berried varieties available).

 

[tataylor1]

Pyracantha looks good, i like the red column variety i think it is. Good recommendation thanks, I'll read up on it. A lot of sites say it's best against a wall as you've got it so with a fence up behind it should be okay. cheers!

 

[r896neo]

bare in mind whilst it grows relatively quickly it will take a long time to thicken at all and will not form a thick hedge for a quite some time.

 

[r896neo]

You could consider planting half pyrcantha half cotoneaster as it will grown quicker and tolerate the same position.

 

[tataylor1]

thanks for the idea. alternating plants you mean? with a metre gap or so? im seeing plants that are delivered about 50cm tall and gain about that much again each year so i am preparing for the long wait.

 

[r896neo]

A metre spacing will never form a hedge. You'd be looking at 3 per metre probably.

Also cotoneaster will be much cheaper to buy then pyracantha

 

[ImayKnow]

Are these hedges suitable for being adjacent to the highway. The thorns could cause injury, and a subsequent insurance claim?

 

[tataylor1]

yep i have since found out 3-5 plants per metre, depending on conditions.

and insurance claim for walking into a spiky hedge that's on my land?? i suppose a police officer might try it, make a change from kerbs and fleas...

 

[skotl]

You mentioned that it was adjacent a "highway" - did you literally mean a road, or a pavement (with the road the other side of the pavement)?

I suspect (but have no legal basis for this!) that if your hedge bordered a road then you'd have no problems but if it bordered a pavement then you would have.

 

[tataylor1]

the pavement and then the road. so hedge > pavement > road, which seems to be covered by highway by the council. at least in terms of putting things up to it.

also, pyracantha is on the police approved list of burglar preventing plants.

such a thing exists.