Hedging

[LynnC]

I'm hoping someone out there will be able to help me.

Every year my hedge dies during winter and looses all its leaves, which doesnt give us much privacy in back garden, however, spring summer time it grows absolutely fine and infact can get a bit out of control. We didnt cut it last year (to the delights of our neighbours ) in the hope it would thicken up and hopefully retain some leaves. This didnt work either. Only this year after cutting it, it seems more twiggy and less leaft than previous years so not cutting last year seems to have completely backfired on us.

I have no gardening knowledge and apart from ripping whole thing out which I really dont want to nor cant afford to - is there anything I can do?

First of all, what species do you have growing in your hedge i.e. holly / birch / hawthorn / blackthorn? We had ours professionally laid a winter or two ago (I think it was Feb or early March) when it was about 5 growing seasons old (am I boring you yet? ) and it is great. It's really thick from the base up and although it offers very little privacy in the winter, it is great for the rest of the year. We just trim the tops and sides about June when the birds have finished nesting in it. Does that help at all?

Whoops. I meant beech, not birch!

Oh absolutely no idea what species it is - just common garden hedge, sorry I'm absolutely useless. I would love to be able to get new hedging but not an option financially at the moment. More hoping for feed or anything to stop/help against any desease it could possibly have. I dont understand why it does it? I know obviously it will stop growing over winter but mine actually goes bare to the twigs.

ha..ha...thanks and laughing at your mistake but I wouldnt know the difference. Maybe I should make a point of finding out about these things now I have a garden

bump - anyone any ideas?

LynnC it really sounds like a deciduous hedge to me. It is difficult to help without knowing the species. Could you take a photo on a digital camera and load it onto member's profiles?

Never tried before, I'm at work just now so will try load one in tomorrow - thanks anyway.

Sorry, LynnC, I wasn't able to come back to this yesterday. I'd thought of you putting a photo on the members profile, too, I have to admit. If the species you have would take it, I'd recommend laying it at the end of the winter. Do you know any farmers you could ask for the contact details of anyone in your area that would do this? If not, you could ring your most local agricultural college and ask them. Ours cost about £60 iirc. It was a reasonably long section for a garden hedge, around 8 to 10 metres and it was a double hedge (i.e. we'd planted it two plants deep.) The chap who did it for us was recommended by a friend. I did do a bit of hedging in college, I have to admit, but it isn't that easy to do properly unless you have been trained. You could get a book from the library and buy the tools and wood posts and have a go yourself, of course. If you are pretty DIYish, you might find it's okay. Does that help at all?

Thanks ivor and bozza - Ivor I dont understand what you mean by laying it? I'm in city so no local farmers unfortunately but good idea to even check the library.

I forgot to take a photo last night but looking through photos on my computer I have picture of dd with hideous hedge in background but cant manage to upload to member profiles. I will keep trying and post back if I manage. Thanks again.