Hedging ideas.

[karl66]

Without conifers, or bamboo what is a good idea for a hedge about 7ft high & 20ft wide? i was thinking laurel but dont know if this is suitable to go 7ft high. karl.

[kata]

I like Box buts very slow growing Karl,

Yew is nice. Blackthorn.

Loads of hedging here

http://www.hopesgrovenurseries.co.uk/Blackthorn

[MikeC]

Laurel will reach 7ft easily. There's a hedge near me that must be 5m high. Absolutely giant!

And by Laurel I assume you mean Prunus Laurocerasus.

Another fantastic looking hedge is Prunus Lusitanica. Looks very pleasing with its red stems and dangly shiny leaves to my eyes.

[MikeC]

A few other hedging plants to look at that make nice hedging:

http://www.best4hedging.co.uk/acatalog/ ... tAodPV48Rw
http://www.best4hedging.co.uk/acatalog/ ... dging.html


If you want a simple formal hedge, I can recommend

http://www.best4hedging.co.uk/acatalog/ ... dging.html

Although you'll need to keep it well trimmed.

[GoggleboxUK]

I planted laurel this year because it can be hacked to any size or shape without damaging the plant. It's also very easy to get it to spread, just cut off the top and the bottom grows more.

[karl66]

Thanks mike, the elaeagnusX ebbingei looks nice i already have one of these as a specimen shrub, but admit it would look nice as a hedge.karl.

[Delboy]

Photina Red robin is nice, my auntie has made a hedge alongside her drive.....lovely colour.

[karl66]

Photina Red robin is nice, my auntie has made a hedge alongside her drive.....lovely colour.

Thanks Del, ive got one of these as a one off shrubb, i could do a combi hedge with both. karl.

[Kristen]

How wide can the hedge be? Some these things, like Laurel, can be hard to keep "skinny". Laurel is better cut with secateurs, rather than a hedge cutter, because if the leaves are cut in half they go brown.

Do you want a smart clipped hedge (perhaps Thuja plicata atrovirens - good speed, but not the undesirable attributes of Leylandii), or something flowering or with other interests? such as Escallonia - although, personally, I think that tend to look untidy as a hedge.

Beech (or Hornbeam if you are on heavy soil) makes a nice clipped hedge. It keeps its leaves in Winter (after they go brown). Copper Beech also available - that has particularly nice Autumn colours at the Copper turns through various shades of yeelow to be consistently brown.

[kata]

Photina Red robin is nice,

[karl66]

The hedge can be about 2ft wide, maybe more as there are no real restrictions apart from my own fence behind it. I do fancy the red robin as a hedge its only drawback is initial cost, but compared to what i've spent on palms its not to bad. karl.

[Dim]

If you have a 6 foot fence to cover, look at star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) .... if you need to go higher, add a wooden or steel section to each fence post, and run wires through the added section to give the extra height

evergreen, smells very good in summer .... some say it is a bit tender, but I have planted loads in Cambridge and have never lost one .... (including the small ones I planted last year which survived the harsh winter) .... some of the leaves turn red during the cold

needs little or no maintenance .... takes a couple of seasons to get going, but then grows relatively fast and covers a wide area .... flowers from the bottom to the top profusely

one of my favourite creepers

[kata]

I like that Dim but,

I always feel that green and white don't go together...don't ask...

There are other plants that are green and white and never buy them. I want color to excite me like my Acers do, Canna, Dahlias etc oh, and Forest flames.

[Mr List]

does it not have any coloured varieties?

i like light colours for spring and hot colours for summer.

[Conifers]

The hedge can be about 2ft wide,

For a fairly narrow hedge like that, it's best to avoid coarse, open-branched large-foliage plants like Cherry-laurel and Photinia; go for something with small leaves and dense branching. Yew and Box are best of all, but plenty of other choices.