What hedge to plant?

hillbloom

I want to close off a piece at the end of the garden where I throw the grass from the lawn. I want to put plant a hedge that doesn't grow very high, looks nice & is easy to maintain. I was thinking of LAUREL or GRISELINIA. Any suggestions appreciated.

UrbanFret

Portuguese laurel. Find it less maintenance than ordinary laurel.

standardg60

If you're open to suggestions why not plant something to benefit wildlife?
Like hawthorn or blackthorn.

99nsr125

hillbloom wrote: »

I want to close off a piece at the end of the garden where I throw the grass from the lawn. I want to put plant a hedge that doesn't grow very high, looks nice & is easy to maintain. I was thinking of LAUREL or GRISELINIA. Any suggestions appreciated.

Holly

Lumen

What height?

standardg60

standardg60 wrote: »

If you're open to suggestions why not plant something to benefit wildlife?
Like hawthorn or blackthorn.

Yes, maybe hawthorn/holly as blackthorn can sucker a lot. Griselinia and Cherry Laurel are, I think, a bane, awful to look.

99nsr125

99nsr125 wrote: »

Holly

I like holly because it's

Native
Evergreen
Can be shaped and clipped
Is almost maintenance free
Has the right amount of prickliness
Produces berries for birds
It's hardy
Safe if eaten by animals/children

https://www.best4hedging.co.uk/images/holly-hedge-plants-p39-4328_zoom.jpg

Downside is it takes that bit longer to fill out

_Brian

standardg60 wrote: »

If you're open to suggestions why not plant something to benefit wildlife?
Like hawthorn or blackthorn.

I would usually agree but to screen of something like dumped grass is say evergreen is the way to go.

Lumen

_Brian wrote: »

I would usually agree but to screen of something like dumped grass is say evergreen is the way to go.

But if you have a hedge then you can dump the grass under the hedge, but then....GAAAH!

jellybear

Privet hedges are nice. We have golden privet and it's grown very quickly in the year it's been planted

hillbloom

Thanks for all the replies. Griselinia and Laurel are my chosen options. Both seen to be easy to maintain & I need them to grow fairly fast. Would any boardie be able to steer me towards which to pick!!

standardg60

hillbloom wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies. Griselinia and Laurel are my chosen options. Both seen to be easy to maintain & I need them to grow fairly fast. Would any boardie be able to steer me towards which to pick!!

That's fair enough.

Griselinia for drier coastal windswept locations. The leaves are particularly resistant to drying out as they store a lot of moisture as anyone who's picked up a bag of clippings will attest.

Laurel for wetter colder inland areas.

rje66

hillbloom wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies. Griselinia and Laurel are my chosen options. Both seen to be easy to maintain & I need them to grow fairly fast. Would any boardie be able to steer me towards which to pick!!

Griselinia will be cheaper..

macraignil

hillbloom wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies. Griselinia and Laurel are my chosen options. Both seen to be easy to maintain & I need them to grow fairly fast. Would any boardie be able to steer me towards which to pick!!

Griselinia is not fully frost hardy and I know some people who had their hedges almost completely killed off when we had a couple of particularly cold winters a few years back. They probably would be OK for a coastal hedge with the moderating effect of the sea on temperatures but I'd steer clear of them if they are to be growing anywhere inland. The local authority here also issued directions with the girlfriend's planning permission that griselinia and leylandii were not to be planted in the garden. I read somewhere this is due to the griselinia having so little benefits for our local wildlife with any other hedge option being better.


Mature laurel produces some nice flowers early in the year as you can see at the start of this video clip.

blackbox

I like the bright green colour of griselinia and you should get away with two or three clippings per year.

josip

If you're set on gris/laurel you could try variegated gris.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/8124/Griselinia-littoralis-Variegata-(v)/Details