Low maintenance, fast growing hedge

A work colleague has asked me to ask here for recommendations for a hedge. He wants to be able to keep it square and from what he's said I don't think he wants to have to work on it too much. Its purpose is to stop people cutting across his driveway to use a public path, currently there's just a strip of grass there. He was thinking of conifers but is concerned that the roots might cause damage.

I did suggest laurel as a possiblity, and maybe firethorn - any other ideas?

Thanks!

 

You can't get a hedge that's fast growing that is low maintenance - because, if it grows fast, it will need cutting often.

To get a decent-sized hedge, that is low maintenance, you have to pay to buy larger plants to start with, or even mature plants. You can buy a ready-formed hedge - i.e. it looks like a clipped-hedge on day one - from people like Instant Hedge or Practicality Brown but (last time I looked) it was about £200 a metre !!!!

Thuja plicata atrovirens makes a nice hedge. Clips very smart, grows reasonably quickly, but is not a thug like Leylandii (and Thuja can be cut back and will regenerate [up to a point]). They cost about £1 each for 50cm bareroot plants, £20 each for 1.5M and £40 for 1.75M

Laurel is nice, but it grows quite wide, so not really suitable if you want a narrow hedge (less than 4' thick)

For evergreen: Box, Privet, Yew (slow growing, expensive, but very smart, and very low maintenance), Viburnum tinus / Laurustinus (informal shape)

 

I`d go with the Privet, or, if conifers are preferred, then the Thuja plicata as Kristen has already mentioned.

 

How about a fence ? instead
Hawthorn would only need to be cliped once a year or rosa rugosa . Have you noticed both have thorns

Spruce

 

Thanks to you all.

I was going to ask him why not put a fence if he wants something square and easy to care for. :D

Not a huge fan of square plants myself - prefer the wild look though I can understand what/why he wants what he's described.

Many thanks for all your suggestions though, I'll pass them on.

Kristen - I'll suggest the instant hedge to him and see if he falls off his chair. :D

 

Portuguese Laurel will make a nice dense relatively fast growing hedge, it's far more attractive in my opinion than the more common Cherry Laurel.

As has been mentioned Thuja would be the one to pick if a conifer is preferred.

Privet, Hawthorn, Holly, Berberis, Viburnum tinus are other options...

You could of course plant a mixed shrub hedge; Portuguese Laurel, Privet, Berberis etc; planted alternately..