Hedge help please

heldel00

We have a lot of planting to do in the next 2 weeks. About 400 plants. Half acre site. Husband is dead set on laurel, I'm not so keen.
Site was very boggy but it has been drained well. We have low entrance walls and would like the hedge to grow behind the walls so it would need to be up for a bit if shaping and manicuring.
I would rather leylandi trees along the side and back of garden. We have the space for it and it would provide privacy from the neighbours. Am I mad?
Basically I'm looking for suggestions for a hardy boundary hedge that will go along the roadside (instead of your typical fence), can be trimmed and shaped to grow behind entrance walls?

lottpaul

I'd side with your husband on this one -- whether or not you go for laurel or privet or photinia or beech or any number of other shrubs/trees - all are easy enough to keep trimmed etc - but never leylandii! A half acre site might sound big enough but they really need a large parkland setting - if at all. (Personally I'd add them to the same category as knotweed and gunnera )
They will shade and dominate everything and really are not suitable for any standard garden.

Delphinium

Half acre site will be postage stamp size and dark in a few short years if you go for Leylandi. Can't think of a situation where they would be appropriate. That said laurel give a very boring boundary. Go native mix and enjoy flowers, berries, birds and bees, and maybe thorns to deter the thieves.

NIMAN

Delphinium wrote: »

Half acre site will be postage stamp size and dark in a few short years if you go for Leylandi. Can't think of a situation where they would be appropriate. That said laurel give a very boring boundary. Go native mix and enjoy flowers, berries, birds and bees, and maybe thorns to deter the thieves.

That was my logic when I started the WHAT TO DO WITH THIS DITCH thread. I think a bit of variety instead of a row of the same thing?

What sort of mix would you suggest?

Delphinium

Have a look around you and see what grows well. I like white and black thorn and alder and hazel. If you are in the countryside try to replicate exiting hedgerows. A bit of honeysuckle growing through it is a must for me. I hate griselinia and privet in the country garden but that is just me. Escallonia is lovely but not completely frost hardy. I suppose one should avoid ash now.

Lumen

LLeylandii are awful awful things. Aside from the monstrous size and maintenance cost they don't prune well. Avoid!

Western Red Cedar is often suggested as alternative.

Personally not mad keen on laurel, prefer something with a smaller leaf.

I found this useful...

http://www.gardenplansireland.com/forum/about204.html

heldel00

Thank you all for the help. Husband nearly choked when I read a few of your posts out to him. Apparently we have an acre!!! He feels it very important that I correct this!

Regardless of that fact, iv been googling and studying like a mad yoke all afternoon. Leylandi are a non runner.

I'll look more into the western cedar Lumen. Privet has been recommended for our front fence style hedge and behind entrance walls as it is easier tidied into some sort of shape.

Chuchote

Future Forests do a reasonably priced and nice native woodland species mixed hedge.

heldel00

So we planted 600 privet plants over the past two days.
Tried to keep roots as moist as we could but they dried up nearly as soon as I had them soaked. I'm very afraid now that the roots dried too much when they were in the bags overnight and could fail to grow? Are they tougher than I think?
I gave them a good watering today. If weather stays as dry as it is how often do you think I should be watering them?

Kirk Van Houten

New property and i have inherited a mature laurel hedge that was planted instead of a boundary wall. Planning on cutting it right back so that it no longer intrudes onto the footpath. Anyone able to offer advice on whether to do it stages or am I OK to cut back in one go.

I'm afraid of cutting back too much, losing all the leaves and being left with just thick wooden branches or killing it off.

cuculainn

We planted a mixed hedge from future forest. They tailored it based on our soil type and what we were looking for. Something natural and informal. We planted about 300. Found them good to deal with and helpful

phkk

heldel00 wrote: »

So we planted 600 privet plants over the past two days.
Tried to keep roots as moist as we could but they dried up nearly as soon as I had them soaked. I'm very afraid now that the roots dried too much when they were in the bags overnight and could fail to grow? Are they tougher than I think?
I gave them a good watering today. If weather stays as dry as it is how often do you think I should be watering them?

They should be fine, don't worry but I'd water them as much as you can, on a daily basis if possible for first year until autumn. Thereafter it's fine to leave it to natural rainfall but I'd want to give them the best possible start so water as much as possible

heldel00

Aaaarrrrgggghhhh I was dreading hearing that. Need to invest in a very very long hose so. It took me 2 hours to do it today when I was ferrying watering cans over and back.
My dad is panicking me too that we planted too late in the season? What do ya think?

Chuchote

Kirk Van Houten wrote: »

New property and i have inherited a mature laurel hedge that was planted instead of a boundary wall. Planning on cutting it right back so that it no longer intrudes onto the footpath. Anyone able to offer advice on whether to do it stages or am I OK to cut back in one go.

I'm afraid of cutting back too much, losing all the leaves and being left with just thick wooden branches or killing it off.

Gradually would be good for another reason: birds are nesting now.

heldel00 wrote: »

Aaaarrrrgggghhhh I was dreading hearing that. Need to invest in a very very long hose so. It took me 2 hours to do it today when I was ferrying watering cans over and back.
My dad is panicking me too that we planted too late in the season? What do ya think?

Maybe get a long trickle hose that you can leave in the ground, so you don't have to walk around with a hose?

elperello

heldel00 wrote: »

Aaaarrrrgggghhhh I was dreading hearing that. Need to invest in a very very long hose so. It took me 2 hours to do it today when I was ferrying watering cans over and back.
My dad is panicking me too that we planted too late in the season? What do ya think?

Your dad is right.
It's been a very dry Winter (driest since 1937 according to some reports).The ground is very dry and no sign of wet weather. Now that you have them in get the long hose and keep watering.

mikeymouse

Did you get a doz or so extra to plant elsewhere as replacements in
case a few fail ?

elperello

Kirk Van Houten wrote: »

New property and i have inherited a mature laurel hedge that was planted instead of a boundary wall. Planning on cutting it right back so that it no longer intrudes onto the footpath. Anyone able to offer advice on whether to do it stages or am I OK to cut back in one go.

I'm afraid of cutting back too much, losing all the leaves and being left with just thick wooden branches or killing it off.

Leave it until the Winter and cut back about 25% then and see how you get on.

Scouser93

heldel00 wrote: »

We have a lot of planting to do in the next 2 weeks. About 400 plants. Half acre site. Husband is dead set on laurel, I'm not so keen.
Site was very boggy but it has been drained well. We have low entrance walls and would like the hedge to grow behind the walls so it would need to be up for a bit if shaping and manicuring.
I would rather leylandi trees along the side and back of garden. We have the space for it and it would provide privacy from the neighbours. Am I mad?
Basically I'm looking for suggestions for a hardy boundary hedge that will go along the roadside (instead of your typical fence), can be trimmed and shaped to grow behind entrance walls?

Do not plant Leyland's. Unless your going to be able to keep on top of it every year, Nothing but hardship. Trust me 😆

phkk

heldel00 wrote: »

Aaaarrrrgggghhhh I was dreading hearing that. Need to invest in a very very long hose so. It took me 2 hours to do it today when I was ferrying watering cans over and back.
My dad is panicking me too that we planted too late in the season? What do ya think?

I'd invest in a couple of hoses, buy a joiner and start watering. It'll be the best investment this year. I watered mine daily for first year, took about an hour for me. A neighbour of mine bought hosesand drilled holes in them and just turned on tap in the evening for a while. Whatever suits

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Panic not. While it had been dry through the winter, soil moisture is fine at present for most of the country and growing conditions are good. But water as often as you can. A trickle hose or even a sprinkler that you can move every twenty minutes or so through day. Don't waterlog them either though!

heldel00

Thanks folks. A long hose and plenty of patience is what I require so. Good idea about planting a few extra as well. We have more coming on Monday so we'll do that.

Chuchote

In a way it's a pity you went for privet. The mixed native fruiting hedge from Future Forests would have brought flocks of birds to feed and nest.

NIMAN

Chuchote wrote: »

In a way it's a pity you went for privet. The mixed native fruiting hedge from Future Forests would have brought flocks of birds to feed and nest.

What type of hedge did you get?

Like the sound of it.

Chuchote

Me? No room for a hedge, just a small garden with walls. A few hazel trees, an oak in a pot, a red-flowered hawthorn, a laburnum, a couple of hollies, a myrtle, a flowering hedge plant the name of which I can't remember right now that was trained as a tree before my time, a couple of trees whose names I don't know.