What to plant in a new country hedge?

Just bought a farm house along with two extra pieces of land on either side of the driveway from the adjoining fields and need to plant some hedges. On the right side will likely just go with some form of typical native country hedge with 50% hawthorn and mix of other native deciduous hedging plants such as field maple, hazel, etc. Right side is a bit more tricky.

It is country setting to want the hedge to be informal and native looking but also want to screen off two houses in the distance within a few years. Typical country hedge will do the job in the summer but guess will be able to see straight through it in the winter. Easy solution is typical fast growing evergreen like laurel but think it would look out of place and as 50m long would look a bit monotonous. Thinking about native hedge interspersed with some evergreen shrubs and a few trees.

Anybody got any experience of something similar?

 

Hi Sparlings

Welcome to the forum.

That's a long hedge and I'd be inclined to go with what you've already suggested for the right side. When it's established and beefed up a bit, I don't think it'll be as "see-through" in winter as you fear.

Alternatively, you could plant a beech hedge which, of course, holds its leaves during the winter. If you plant a double row of beech in your hedge, it makes an effective screen, summer or winter, and even sounds interesting as the wind rustles the dry leaves.

 

Flinty - thanks for the reply and the welcome. I could be a regular visitor with lots of dumb questions as got a much bigger garden than used to and will experiment with lots of new things.

Yes quite a long hedge and hence my desire to get it right (although the other more straightforward side is even longer). I had thought about beech although think it might stick out against the surroundings and draw attention rather than blend in. Your comments about a double planted decidious hedge still providing good screening in winter are reassuring. Wondering how it might look with some evergreens blended in. Worried it might look a bit odd. I guess I will have to wait for the leaves to fall off and scour the area to find something similar that I can copy.

 

Imo, stick with beech or hornbeam.

Mixed varietys are great for feild / wild life hedges but look poor if cut regularly as the growth rates are different.

 

Hi Sparlings,and Welocme to the forum.I would go with both Pro and Flintys advice and go for perhaps a beech hedge,either the copper beech which we have or the purple one.We have the beech one as a windbreak and screen along our side fence in the front garden as we are exposed on that side and the wind hits the garden with quiet a force.

We planted ours as one year old whips and nearly seven years on they have grown to 5ft tall and do look good as a green screen in the spring and summer and a coper colour with the leaves in the winter.As the new green leaves come through in the spring they push the copper leaves out of the way.

We got ours from the local garden centre in bundles of a dozen whips,but for the amount you need you will be better off looking at the classified pages of Gardening Magazines where some of the suppliers advertise or Google for them.

Whatever you go for don't forget to water them in well for the first year or so until they have settled in.

 

Thanks for the replies.

Pro Gard - you hit on my dilemna the surrounding area is indeed fields with mixed hedges and the area I want to hedge is carved out of a field but it is running up my driveway so want the screening. I am happy not cutting it regularly and letting it look natural (indeed that is my preference so as to blend in) but at the same time want some kind of screening in winter.

Kandy Floss - out of interest do you know if you need to trim beech in the summer in order for the leaves to stay on? I vaguely remember something like that but could be wrong. (You can tell I am lazy :o - at least when it comes to cutting hedges - and want to keep my gardening time for something more interesting!)

Roll on winter so I can see some examples.....

 

Hi sparling and welcome I would go along with your original theme hawthorn interspersed with holly,blackthorn,field maple,dog rose,sweet briar throw inthe odd beech if you like, it's more interesting and wildlife friendly.

 

Thanks Walnut. How much of visual screen do you think that would give in winter?

 

For future reference if anyone is interested I've been checking around on the internet at various hedge suppliers to see what mixes they offer. Many companies offer some kind of native mixed hedge with 50% blackthorn/hawthorn as a base but most are all deciduous. However, hedgingtopiary.co.uk offer something similar but interestingly with 10% holly, 10% beech and 5% hornbeam so effectively in winter 25% of the hedge is a solid screen. This seems like a good compromise. I won't buy from them mind you as they only sell plants in pots working out at £40/metre for double row planting but might well try for something with bareroot plants bought elsewhere.

 

Hi Sparlings

I cut my beech hedge in June and in September. I don't know if this is what keeps the leaves on in winter but something does! You can't cut it too early because of the nesting season but trimming twice in a summer keeps it nice and dense. It also stops it being too straggly during the winter and early spring.

With long hedges like you've got, you're going to need some heavy duty kit for trimming .....

 

Thanks Wiseoldowl - but I think you're missing 5% though! I think I will go with something similar but less hawthorn perhaps 50% and 25% of holly/beech/hornbeam although will see what other hedges look like locally when the leaves drop.

EDIT - just re-read your post and I see your maths is not as bad as I suspected!

 

Thanks Flinty. I checked elsewhere and one of suppliers of beach confirmed that leaves likely to fall off unless trimmed.

You're right one hell of a trimming job. Bought the place from a farmer who has 300 acres in surrounding area and he has informally promised to cut them for me with hit kit. Said it will take 10-15 mins to cut the 120 metre hedge on the other side. Bit quicker than with a Black and Decker!