Help me choose a hedge.

[iwantanoompaloompa]

Laurel of privet.

I worry privet is horribly dull but does laurel always look messy?

[KatyMac]

Copper beech?

Woven willow?

[iwantanoompaloompa]

Ooh

Points in their favour. I really need something to block out headlights in winter (there's a road opposite our house) so it needs to be evergreen and would like it to grow fairly fast.

[captainmummy]

I bought hornbeam for the bottom of my garden because its fairly quick-growing and doesn't mind wet, and it's a Native shrub. It's not evergreen tho, it does keep it's brown leaves in winter.

You could do a 'tapestry' effect, with lots of different hedging and maybe a few briar-roses interspersed to deter burglars!

[minipie]

Pittosporum. Lovely crinked leaves, comes in lots of colours eg silvery grey/green, red, variegated as well as standard green. It's evergreen and grows easily (I assume, since it's in loads of front gardens near me).

[virgil]

Privet won't grow nearly as quickly as laurel. How long is the hedge and what size plants are you thinking of? We have literally just planted a hedge. Reckon it should get to the height we need in about... Five years!!!

[iwantanoompaloompa]

I love pittosporum. Had one in our last house but never thought about it for a hedge.

It's about 5m across I reckon, and then there's nothing on either side of the lawn either so may plant some different shrubs there too.

Maybe rhododendron or hydrangea.

I think I'm veering towards laurel.

[RandomMess]

Cherry Laurel flowers apparantly.

i will get around to planting some eventually! Also you plant it Nov/Dec time or very early spring.

[virgil]

Yes if you are going for bare root plants which is by far the cheapest option then you need to buy them and plant them ASAP otherwise you'll miss the season

[Rhubarbgarden]

Camellia? You get the added bonus of pretty flowers. Or yew is not as slow growing as people think and is very classy.

Are you in the south? For something really unusual, Hebe parviflora is a lovely option but doesn't like very cold winters. That said, mine have survived the last two without batting an eyelid despite being newly planted. It grows like the clappers too.

[Rhubarbgarden]

Ooh ooh another unusual option could be Acacia pravissima. Fast growing, yellow flowers in spring. I like it best as a full on tree, but it works well as a hedge. Again, it's not one for the frozen wastes of the north though, sadly.

Some less fancy-pants suggestions that will grow anywhere but are slightly more interesting than privet or laurel:
Viburnum tinus and Portuguese laurel.

[Pannacotta]

Another vote for Viburnum tinus or Portuguese laurel, both smarter than standard privet or laurel.
Both tough, easy to grow and quite dense, esp the Viburnum.