Hedging

Wexford96

Hi.

I wantot plant a new hedge. It will be approximately 35 meters long. Most of my neighbors have eith laylandi or laurel hedging. Im not fond of either of these. What other options are available? I quite like those purple/wine colored hedges I often see n suburban Irish gardens. But green is good too.

Thanks.

looksee

Laurel would be a better bet than griselinia, but agreed, not great. The most likely purple leafed hedging I can think of would be Copper Beech, which is not evergreen but tends to hold its leaves over the winter so stays substantial.

The Continental Op

Whats the soil type and whats the exposure like. Being near the sea, windswept, clay soil etc all limit the best hedge for your location.

asdfg22

I would just go with the cheapest option whitethorn and put in plenty, cut then very low down, funny thing if done properly you end up with a hedge of branches without leaves in winter which has a nice winter/woody dormant look.

Ginger83

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058276471/hedging

Coral berry would be a strong hardy evergreen hedge with white flowers in spring and red berries in autumn.

Wexford96

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120019427#Comment_120019427

Thats interesting. I think Ive seen these and like the atmospheric winter picture you've portrayed.

Wexford96

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120019507#Comment_120019507

Ive had a look online at these. Berries in Autumn. Thanks for suggestion!

Mac_Lad71

I know you say you don't like laurel but Portuguese laurel is smaller than bay laurel and perfect for a suburban garden.

It is beautiful especially in winter with its evergreen leaves and red stems.

In summer it has white flowers and black berries which garden birds adore.

https://futureforests.ie/products/prunus-lusitanica-angustifolia

Wexford96

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120019302#Comment_120019302

Thanks for suggestion! Ive looked at these online and seem very expensive compared to others. Lovely plant.

Wexford96

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120020693#Comment_120020693

These look very nice and don't have that bland uniform look most laurel near me have. Seems inexpensive. Thank you!

denismc

Also the whitethorn hedge will attract a lot of small birds to your garden as it provides secure nesting sites for them.

macraignil

Another option for a purple hedge plant would be one of the purple leaved Berberis varieties. If you want one that is evergreen the Darwin's barberry might be worth considering and while the leaves are green instead of purple the nice bright flowers are blooming fairly frequently over the year and it also produces fruit for the birds. I also think Cotoneaster franchettii is worth considering.

Happy gardening!

jaffa20

Purple beech

Or, a mix of purple and green beech can look quite nice i think.