New hedge, what's nice to see?

I want to plant a hedge along the front of my property.

I thought origionally about a leylandii hedge but I want something nicer looking and easy to maintain.
I'd like something yellow/green in colour that is capable of growing to 1.5m - 2m tall. Something that isn't very common too, if poss.
Tiny flowers would be nice but certainly not essential!!

Any ideas?

P.S I don't want laurel as the leaves are too large.

Thanks.

 

Not Leylandii (just in case you are still undecided). It will destroy the soil underneath it, so nothing can be grown there, suck all the nutrients and moisture from other plants in the vicinity and end up looking patchy. I hate the bloody things!

I always like copper beech hedging, but I think its slow growing.

 

We have a Forsythia hedge.
I cut it to shape after it's flowered.
It does die back in the winter but its full of beautiful little yellow flowers in spring.
They are easy to grow and don't need special care.

 

Leylandii will grow 3 feet a year - so you will have to "trim" 3 feet off it, every year, and you cannot cut it back into old wood (if it gets out of hand for a year or two). If you want a hedge of that type consider Thuja plicata Atrovirens. Not quite as fast as Leylandii to get-to-size, but much more controllable and forms a very smart clipped hedge. Yew will make a very smart hedge t00, and if you can buy plants that are already 60cm tall then it will only take 2-3 years longer [than Thuja] to get to 2 metres.

They are just green, smart, hedges though, no flowers and no yellow/green leaves.

I like Copper beech too - they keep some of their leaves in the winter, so don't look like a bunch of dead twigs!

If you are planting a hedge in front of your house, and have room, planting a double row (staggered plants about 45cm between rows) will make a very dense hedge - so even a deciduous plant will provide reasonable privacy in Winter. (single row hedge is about 3 plants / metre, double row hedge would be 5 per metre).

 

I'd recommend beech. It looks good all year round, is relatively easy to trim and tolerates a variety of conditions..

 

Beech is more "sympathetic" (right word?) with the landscape I think.

 

Brind I would suggest Escallonia, it`s evergreen, easy to maintain and flowers.:thumb::D

 

Thanks for the replies!
I'm really liking the Griselinia Littoralis, I think this could be the one.

I have Castlewellan Gold Leylandii 'hedges in the making' in my back garden. They're still babies and the biggest has only just topped 1m.
I planted them because my neighbour has the usual green type and it looked nice and dense. Not wanting to do battle with his trees, which look odd appearing over his tatty fence, I planted my own to get an even look from top to bottom. I knew I was in for a treat with these trees but I've discovered more and more that these trees are almost like the spawn of Satan. :dh: :D I've been led to believe the type I have are slightly slower growing and grow thicker. So on that basis, it sounds quite good.
I am now concerned to hear they suck the hell out of the ground. I will have a rockery pretty close to some of them but the trees won't be blocking the light from them, so I'm hoping I have no concern there.

Back to the hedge for the front garden, please continue with ideas.
Thanks again.

 

Shudder! Memories of Northern Irish childhood. Brand new, white bungalows built smack bang in the middle of the countryside surrounded by a boundary planting of these monsters. Very in keeping with the landscape.

Sorry, rant over....

 

well most rockery type plants prefer a less fertile soil anyway as in the wild they would be growing in very shallow soil or in cracks in rocks so i would of though that it would be fine!

 

Hi Brind
Another option,a great favourite of mine Golden Private.
It will easily grow 2 mts. and you can shape it as you like,proberbly wants trimming 3 times a year depending how tidy you want it.

 

wow I wish all privet hedges looked like that! most of the ones round here are over grown dead looking things :(

 

Golden yew would fit the bill although slow growing or Golden privet as roders mentions

Personally if you want flowers id concur with David and go for escalonia, fast growing, atractive, evergreen and atracts bees.

 

"Griselinia littoralis ... hedgesdirect.co.uk ..."

Blimey, doesn't seem to be a cheap plant, looks smart though ... I had a scout around looking for some bare-root plants, which should be cheaper (ideally should be planted during November for best results). Didn't find any, but this lot are a bit cheaper unless you want very tall plants to start with

http://store.ashridgetrees.co.uk/Griselinia-littoralis-New-Zealand-Privet?sc=2

 

Try a bottlebrush hedge,