Hedging advice needed please

I paid a gardener to put in a beech hedge last autumn and it never looked alive... I thought it was just because of the winter but we've waited all summer and it still looks like a row of twigs.
Oddly enough, the gardener doesn't want to reply to my messgaes, so I've decided to do it myself this time!
Please could I have some advice? What can I put in to replace the (dead) hedge that is fool proof to grow as I am a complete novice and can't afford to lose any more money...
Thanks in advance for your help,

 

LIVE beech is usually considered to be one of the easiest hedges to grow. It sounds to me like you were fobbed off with twigs rather than plants. Pull one up and look at whether or not there are any roots.
As to replacement, if you do not want beech, there are plenty of alternatives. If your land is heavy then look at Hornbeam, very much like Beech but grows better on wetter soils. OR, how about Hazel, again easy to grow. If you want a security hedge then think about Berberis (but cutting is a real pain). Hawthorn is easy, but again a pain to trim as is Blackthorn. Privet is standard, but does need a lot more frequent trimming. Evergreen hedges like laurel or if sea side Griselina are nice, but need to be trimmed with secateurs rather than shears. Avoid Leylandii, it needs far more care and attention to keep to size than you would think.
I would go to a reputable Garden Centre and look at the prices they want for bare rooted hedging plants They should be able to tell you how many you need for your length.
Do you want details on how to prepare the soil?

 

Thanks for your quick replies and good advice. i would appreciate any more advice you might have with preparing the soil if you have time.
Thanks

 

Hi woodsy!

Another one to consider if you fancy a mixed hedge is cotoneaster. Will grow most anywhere, is normally covered with (not very significant) blossom in the spring which will attract every bee in the neghbourhood and in the autumn has masses of red berries for the birds. They are usually evergreen to semi evergreen and kept trimmed will make a very dense hedge addition or even a solid hedge on its own.

Box is also a usefull hedge but very slow growing so it depends whether you want something a bit 'instant' or only want to have to cut it once a year.

Like Palustris I would avoid Leylandii, (in fact PLEASE avoid Leylandii, they are potentially 40ft high weeds :D ) Rosewall can also be a menance

Gound preparation depends somewhat on what you have to start with but make sure the trench is clean of couch grass, bindweed or ground elder, dig through thoroughly to 12" deep x 24" wide and mix in a healthy dose of organics such as compost or leafmould. Firm in your new plants and give them some water. For added interest you can also plant some bluebells, snowdrops or daffs for some spring base colour. Keep your newly planted hedge reasonably well watered in dry weather for the first couple of years. You will have great fun planning and planting your hedge then watching the birds and insects colonising it as it matures. You will also be able to stand back in a few years and say, "I did that!"

On a professional level there is no excuse for anyone planting dead sticks as a substitute for beach (or anything else!) and if they are not prepared to guarantee replacements of failures in the first year then look somewhere else (I know it's a bit late for that now!) This is not a difficult guarantee to offer, the real cost of landscaping is in the labour for preparation, bought in bulk hedging plants are relatively cheap and an hour or so replanting the odd failure is worth the reputation and repeat business.

 

Thanks again, I'm off to the garden centre-so wish me luck!

 

Good luck :D

 

Well, the garden centre didn't have a huge range of hedging so I went for small greyish conifers that will only grow up to 2m. I realise that I totally ignored all advice but it gave me the confidence to realise that gardener was a rip-off and to make my own decision! (When I pulled the dead hedges up they had no roots...).
Garden's looking great-back is aching-think I've caught the gardening bug
Thanks again!

 

Never mind, do you know the name of your conifers? Thuya may be trimmed quite hard when necessary. Spruce I would have to look up. Junipers can also be trimmed hard.