Advice required for hedging plants avoiding frost damage

boarduser01

Hi we like so many have lost plants due to the snow/ice/frost conditions we have all just had.

I am looking for new plants to act as hedging,

would like it to :

reach max height 5 or 6 ft
spread not more than 1 meter
and not so not need pruning annually.

Unfortunately ground is not great (+++ stones)


We had 25 plants space 0.5 meters apart and lost 3 last year to frost and have lost all the others this year. So need to replace long line of hedging plants. A slow growing conifer is about the only plant that has survived.
But we need faster growing to act as visual barrier in a few years.

So I would be grateful for advice for this novice gardener to know what to plant that might have a chance of survival.

Thank you.

mountainy man

Hi , don't know if you want an evergreen hedge or not, a beech hedge is great a bit slow to get going but as hardy as hell and only needs a clip once a year and holds onto its coppery leaves all winter its great for a bit of a change with the seasons as opposed to a green wall of conifers. holly would be a good evergreen alterative although very slow growing but an advantage for less clipping , you could alternate green with variagated ones , berries for birdies:), hope this helps. Out of intrest what had you planted? was it griselinia?(cant spell:rolleyes:)

boarduser01

I don't know the name of the plants we had planted (whoops, shows how bad a gardener I really am!!!) It was a bush that had verigated leaves and was a slow grower, we were told a foot every 3 years, but would stop at about 5ft tall. Well, they are not going to be replaced with the same variety that is for sure.

Beech sounds good, I was trying to avoid looking out on a wall of conifers, I do like a bit of variety in colour. We planted a (very small!) holly bush further along the fenceline, and it has grown about 1cm in 3 years..... a little too slow for my hedging.

Would you know of any fast-growing bush/trees that are self-limiting in height and spread???? maybe something to plant inbetween the slower growing plants to start with?:)