Hedge advice please.

Sconsey

Hi,

Could anyone give me some advice for a hedge please:
I have a low wall running along my house for about 90 ft, I would like to plant a hedge the length of this, with the idea that in a few years it will provide more privacy for my garden (I do not have any direct neighbors, the wall runs alongside a road).

I am looking for a hedge that will be maintained at a height of about 5 or 6 ft once it has grown to that height, and ideally a fairly hardy variety. The sunlight available varies, it will spend a lot of the day in shadow, especially in the winter. The area is fairly well sheltered from high winds.

I am also wondering if I should get a landscaper to do the job, I have no experience of planting and I would probably make a mess of it myself.

Any advice, comments would be appreciated. What costs to expect?

Thanks.

Audioslaven

Hi,

I have Portuguese laurel and they are pretty hardy and don't grow as fast as others so the maintenance should be low.

Its pretty straight forward to plant these. Plant them about 1.5/2 foot apart and keep them straight. Dig the ground up well around them and feed them plenty of water for the first two years

Red Hare

I have a Portuguese Laurel hedge and I would recommend it- it looks great, - it grows well in shade also. It only needs to be clipped every second year. Its very easy to clip. I keep it about 7 foot in height and about 3 foot in depth.

I also have a Privet hedge. its about 7 foot heigh and 4 foot wide . It needs to be clipped twice a year - its very dense to clip - hard going compared to the Portuguese Laurel.


I dont know what would cost but the portuguese laurel was expensive compared to the privet - the laurel were much bigger plants when I bought them. I would recommend the laurel if you can afford it because its easier to maintain at a certain height. But you said your hedge needs to be 90 feet so maybe a cheaper option is better. My hedges are quite short in comparison - I live in Dublin 7.

I also have a Pyracantha hedge - i nearly forgot to mention this. it very thorny ! It needs to be cut once a year - I keep it about 6 foot in height and two foot in depth. Its easy to keep as a hedge and it gives lovely flowers in spring and has red/ orange/ yellow berries in winter.

If I had a long hedge like yours in the counrtyside I would mix different plants rather than have one type. I would use Whitethorn, fuschia, beech - like an Irish hedgerow..

Finally - its hard physical work but otherwise easy to plant a hedge - dig a trench -keep it straight - plant at regular intervals ( the intervals depend on what plant and how big the plant is when you buy it -ask the nursery/ garden centre about the spacing)