Wind breaking trees / bushes

Hi all, my first post, thank you very for your help in advance.

I am English but now live in South Africa. Unfortunately the forums here are not very good and garden centres haven't been very useful.

Over here I run a camp site and accommodation facility. Most of the Western Cape in the summer months can be hit by the dreaded South Easterly a wind that can howl for days on end.

I need to plant some trees or big bushes that will grow quickly and thickly to protect people in their tents, preferably a conifer. The earth is very hard and rocky, temperatures never fall below 2 degrees but can raise to 35 in the summer.

If you need any more information just let me know.

Any ideas you have that work well in those conditions I would be very grateful to hear. I can then investigate further.

Thanks for your help

 

Welcome to Gardeners Corner Happydunk

We have our resident South African on here, Dim, I expect he'll be along later.

 

Hi and welcome.

One of our regular contributors *Dim* will be sure to have some advice and ideas.

a-a

 

Blackthorne forms very dense clumps & grows on really exposed coastal sites here. Being compact, you wouldn't get big branches breaking off & hitting people.

 

not so sure about the western cape ... (I'm from Durban and also lived in JHB)

Turkestan elm (Ulmus pumila celer) .... also known as wonder hedge

Hedges, hedge fences

not sure if these are available there .... grows very fast .... one drawback is that it looses it's leaves in winter .... but doubt that you will have many campers in winter (it rains in winter in the cape)?

the only very fast evergrowing one that I can think of is Leylandii .... but don't plant it north facing, as it will block out all the sun unless you prune it ... (for the UK members, North facing is the sunny side)
Green Leylandii - About Leylandii - Leylandii.com

eucalyptis grows all over south africa, grow fast, but they don't make a good wind break

so, my choice would be leylandii

 

We told you he'd be along:WINK1:

Walk backwards round the church 3 times......:D

 

Blackthorn would be my first recommendation too. It is tough as old boots and will happily just sit there while a gale is worrying all the neighbouring trees.

I've never heard one break wind though, but I guess it is a living organism, so it must do some times.

 

:D

 

'Wind breaking tree's' ? am I the only one who smiled ?

Hi happydunk.

 

here are a few more suggestions (some plants that are indegenous (sp) to that area)

Services and Retail plant list

 

I thought it must be a spin-off from the Hawkin's Bazaar thread.

 

Dear All

Well thank you very much I wasn't expecting such a huge response, I will head to the garden store in the New Year with information rather than guessing...

I hope the trees don't break wind may put the guests off.

Thanks again