Want/Need and Hedge

Hi
I hope to get some good advice on chosisng an hedge. I have a narro(ish) front garden and last year I put a ground sheet and covered with decorative stones and a couple of Hebes.
I have been getting more and more weed coming through and the Hebes have been damaged by urinating dogs , plus people tend to walk over the 'border'.
I d like to grow a hedge about 4 feet tall (about 15 ft long) and very very thick and strong!!
Fast grwing would be the icing on the cake.

What do you recommend?

Thank you very much!

 

Try decorative box.
Heres a very nice framework to enable you to develop an attractive shape.

Don't ask for planning permission though, it can, apparently, cause injury to potential trespassers

 

Hi, thanks for your replies already! I would like to have fast growing but noticed some shops would sell already grown edges?

I also dont have a clue on how spaced they need to be to make them really 'thight'.

Running a quick search on the forum I like the look (have not looked at gwrowing rate or soil suitability) of these

Conifer
Beech
Lonicer Nitida
Leylandii

I've been told that the box is relatively slow growing otherwise it would have been a perfect choice. Holly may be ok if it can be grown really close to make the hedge thick and rose is too gentle

 

Oh don't you be fooled! have a look at Rosa rugosa pretty flower sand vicious thorns:D

 

Sorry Pinkfinger. I think you missed the underlying intent.:D

 

I would stay clear of Leylandii, Beech is excellent but can be a slow starter although it will grow quite fast after a year or two.

Others I would recommend are Privet, Portuguese Laurel (not Cherry), Pyracantha, Holly, Berberis, Blackthorn and Hawthorn mixed.

Spacing depends on the species, but generally 12-18", if you have the room and the funds to buy the plants plant a double row, with the two rows about 1ft apart as this will thicken up quicker, but don't plant inline with each other, make it so they are inbetween if that makes sense :thumb:

 

problem with that, is that you have to keep on adding chilli peppers/cayenne pepper

buy loads of thoothpicks .... place them in the ground around the plants you want to protect, and make sure that they stick out of the ground 2 inches high ... space them close together

job done for cheap (works on c*ts too)

:WINK1:

 

I do like the Portugues Laure, does it grow fast?
I like a structured hedge not one that has bits hanging out
Do you mean planting like in zig zag?

 

Hi again PF, yes I mean like a zig zag, the Portuguese Laurel does grow quite fast once it's growing, about 12-24" a year depending on conditions. The good thing about it is; it's attractive, dark green leaves and red stems, it's evergreen, nice scented flowers and it's dense. It can be left to grow in large shrubs or kept clipped in a formal looking hedge :thumb:

I think the thing to remember with most hedging plants is that no matter how fast a nursery might say they grow, most have a settling in period when they put roots down rather than put on any significant top growth and then after that they grow to their potential so long as the ground was well prepared prior to planting :thumb:

Hope this helps..

 

Berberis stenophylla will keep out humans and animals, is decorative, evergreen and has berries for the birds.

 

Escallonia is an evergreen that grows 30/50 cm each year and it flowers each year. Mine still has flowers on now, planted it in may and already growing into each other. Hope this helps.

 

I too am looking to plant a hedge in my front garden. Bare root season is almost upon us so it will soon be time to do it cheaply, although we should expect to wait a couple of years before it starts to become a significant hedge.

I don't know what to recommend, I'm still looking into it myself, but there are a few that I'd avoid.

Leylandii is not a good idea. It robs all the nutrients and moisture from the ground, and unless you keep on top of it with regular trimming, it tends to die off at the bottom and become leggy and ugly. It is also extremely flammable. There is a thread somewhere on this forum with pics showing the aftermath of some local chavs setting fire to a wheelie bin that was close to an established leylandii hedge. It is not pretty. I had leylandii at my last house and used to put the clippings in the incinerator bin. I had to stand back and throw the bits in because it goes up like petrol.

Blackthorn is lovely, and I can't really fault it, except for one slight problem with its growth habit making it less than ideal for small gardens. It sends out runners just under the ground, and then you keep getting new trees popping up all over the place where you might not want them.

 

Have a look at this website : ShrubsDirect which is where I get some of my plants from.

In terms of fast growing plants, there is of course good old Cherry Laurel and Elaeagnus x ebbingei, which are the fastest growing, certainly of the shrubs I have. I have Escallonias and they aren't nearly as fast growing, in my garden anyway.

I think that website gives guidance on how far apart to plant each one.

The beauty of hedges of course is that you can trim they to be as neat as you want.

 

thank you all for your many replies very helpful