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Hedge Ideas

Ideas please ! We have an old cherry (we think) hedge running across the front garden, behind the grass verge. We live in a rural location on a VERY quiet lane (grass running up the middle). We want to take out this hedge and replace it with something else. The new hedge needs to be about 4/5 feet high and just over 100 feet long, non prickly, easy to maintain and, hopefully, have some attractive foliage etc and look 'right' in it's location. Any suggestions please. We are having the old hedge removed sometime in the next few weeks and so hope to get bare root plants in the late autumn. Thank you

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  • If you want a traditional type hedge Copper Beech would blend in well with the surroundings, not the fastest growing hedge available, but from the posting privacy isn't an issue and patience will be rewarded by lovely foliage.

  • Sine67Sine67 Posts: 1

    What about a flower hegde - Lavender and Fuchsia can both be incorporated into a hedge.

  • AirwavesAirwaves Posts: 82

    Copper beech would indeed be a good choice, another possibility would be lonicera nitida. Maintainence is easy, the hedge is evergreen, or golden depending on the variety chosen, and is attractive all year. Unfortunately the leaves of holly have prickles but that I think makes a lovely hedge

  • smflymansmflyman Posts: 32

    How about a mixed hedge? Geen and copper beech, laurel, a prickle-less holly look-alike, Irish yew and  hedging honeysuckle. Get variation in colour, texture and leaf shape.

  • Yep, I'd say beech or hornbeam would be the way to go. Or a mixture to get a tapestry effect - very pretty.You could also mix in some hazel. In an ideal world, you'd mix in some hawthorn too, but if you don't want thorns... If you want to keep it formally clipped and tight, you'd be best with yew or lonicera nitida (golden or dark green, or mixed). Yew takes forever, but the shrubby honeysuckles are fast but don't want to get massive either, I've got a mixed hornbeam/beech that I also grow some of the smaller climbing honeysuckles through for colour. Have a look at traditional hedging techniques to get some ideas on best way to plant.

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,139

    In a previous very rural garden I planted a mixed native hedge, hazel, hawthorn, elder, beech and spindle, with wild honeysuckles woven through it.  It was wonderful, with catkins and may blossom in the spring,  elder flowers then honeysuckle through the summer, and haws, elderberries and hazel nuts in the autumn, together with the gorgeous red autumn leaves of the spindle and the copper ones of the beech.image  We gave it a good trim every 12 months or so, but occasionally missed a year (new babies take up a lot of time) and it didn't become too overgrown.


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • How about a tapestry hedge for colour, variety and wildlife? A mix of your choice of deciduous, evergreen, flowering and fruiting varieties would be terrific and move with the seasons. Shame you don't want thorns as hawthorn, blackthorn and Holly can be spectacular. But photina, guelder rose, beech (green and copper), elder, yew, amelanchier would all fit the bill.
  • I would suggest Cotinus (the smoke bush).  We have a rather mixed hedge with some Laurel and Cotinus which then continues with a long yew hedge along the far side of our garden.  The Cotinus looks very pretty when the red leaves catch the sun and it does of course have flowers as an added bonus.

  • Hi Daisy Cottage  - after having tried all sorts for my front garden on a corner I chose Laurel.  Too impatient for bare root so bought pot grown from a reputable local nursery.  Had a few problems with an ant nest but now that is sorted it has come on beautifully.  Grown about a foot in this wet summer and is easy to maintain.  I will keep it at about 4-5 feet and it is like 'deadheading' to prune - just take out wayward stems.  Beautiful green colour, nice shaped leaves and very shiny (look like they have been varnished!). I love it. 

     

  • frensclanfrensclan Posts: 119

    I have been looking at the very same thing and have found a site that offers a wide range of hedging and am plumping for lonicera nidida as I want a low short affair but in my old cottage in a similar position I planted a mixed beech at the front and  native mix at the back  that worked very well for wildlife. They have such a mix and it might be worth taking a look . I will try to put in the link!! http://www.hedgenursery.co.uk/ Of course there are many nurserys offering such a mix and I got my old one from a local source,

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