Hedging Help - Recommendations

dobad

Hi all, we are on an open elevated site and are looking to put in some hedging, we have a large area to cover which is maybe 102 metres. We were in a nursery and they advised us that portuguese laurel would be a lovely hedge and would grow very quickly for us, but since then we have being elsewhere looking at the same and have been told it definitely isn't a quick growing hedge!
Can anybody give me recommendations or advice as to what would be good shelter and grow well......

macraignil

I would have thought laurel was a quick growing hedge.

I would prefer myself to have mixed planting in a hedge to give more colour and the extra security of not relying too much on just one plant variety succeeding, You should look at existing hedges near your house to see what does well in your area.

Hawthorne does well in a hedge and oleria, photinia red robin and privet could be worth considering.

mountainy man

Do you want your hedge to be evergreen/deciduous? formal/rustic?

What general area of the country are you in?

Is your soil acid/alkaline? soggy/well drained?

dobad

Thanks, we're in the Midlands and its very good soil.....Well drained etc.
I know a lot of neighbours have beech / laurel / leylandi. I like the red robin look, does that need huge work as in minding or does it just grow away etc, also Is it suitable for the hard frost?

dobad

I seen this as beech thought it looked great, can any of you tell me is this a mix of beech trees or how often would you mix them

looksee

Lol, that's a terrible pic! From what I can see it is a spring pic of a beech hedge that still has a lot of the old leaves on and new leaves coming through.

dobad

:eek: Sorry it was a dreadful pic. Cant get it smaller or better to upload! Thanks though, maybe this link might work to show it better
https://www.best4hedging.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Capture11.png

looksee

Ah yes, that is an autumn hedge where the leaves are turning brown, but some are still green. Its all the same green beech.

bigbrotherfan

dobad wrote: »

Thanks, we're in the Midlands and its very good soil.....Well drained etc.
I know a lot of neighbours have beech / laurel / leylandi. I like the red robin look, does that need huge work as in minding or does it just grow away etc, also Is it suitable for the hard frost?

I wouldn't recommend Leylandi. Very fast growing but it takes up a lot of space and requires maintenance.

macraignil

dobad wrote: »

Thanks, we're in the Midlands and its very good soil.....Well drained etc.
I know a lot of neighbours have beech / laurel / leylandi. I like the red robin look, does that need huge work as in minding or does it just grow away etc, also Is it suitable for the hard frost?

I have had no problem with photinia red robin from frost damage.

Some of the plants I got were a bit too tall and got a bit of wind damage, but I did plant them in a very exposed spot with support that was not strong enough. If anything the red robin is probably a bit slower growing than laurel and so might be easier to control with trimming. The ones I have planted are still not very big so I have allowed them just grow away. If you are looking to make a compact formal hedge you probably need to start trimming soon after planting to get the even shape and size. I think I read you should then still trim the hedge twice a year to keep it to the right height and size.