Advice on what sort of hedging for front garden please

[xfilesandicecream]

Hello, I was hoping that someone may have some advice on what sort of hedging would be best for a front garden please?

It is quite a long amount of space, maybe 8m?, and would be replacing a fence which has sadly blown down.

We are looking for privacy and something easy to plant (I have no idea when it comes to gardening, though my husband is a bit better thankfully!). Preferably the cheaper the better

I think (I'm useless!) that the garden is south facing.

I was looking at hornbeam hedging, but have no idea if this is any good or not?

Any advice would be really appreciated!

Thank you so much!

Actually ignore me, it's apparently 20m, and I clearly cannot estimate!

We put in a 40 metre Hornbeam hedge last autumn. They were bare root plants - basically sticks! They were planted in a double row. We put a weep hose down the middle and have mulched with grass clippings. We have only lost a handful of plants. They are now approaching a metre tall. We opted for Hornbeam as opposed to Beech because it tolerates damp better and our planting site was a former ditch.
At the same time we put in a 10 metre Yew hedge, a 20 metre Blackthorn Hedge and a 40 metre mixed native hedge - all are doing well, but have required irrigating and will probably will need it for the next couple of years.
Looking at a couple of more hedges and will be thinking about Lonicera (Honeysuckle) which is fast growing but tops out at a couple of metres.

I have a griselinia hedge which I love

Photinia? Red Robin. It's an evergreen too

We are putting privet in because it matches the neighbourhood, is fairly quick, needs cutting twice a year but you can cut right back.

If there was a hedge there before get some well rotted manure to improve the soil.

Is it very windy where you are? As if you google hedges for exposed sites you’ll get an idea of what works. That is some hedges are better for coastal areas.

I’ve planted a mixed hedge before now which was great for wildlife.

Main thing is water it lots in the first couple of years.

Common laurel. It is evergreen, grows in nearly all conditions, is quite fast growing and cheap. We got our 2-3ft plants from B and M last autumn (I think they were £12 each) and they have grown and filled out beautifully with hardly any attention.

Laurel is the cheapest by far.

Are you looking for evergreen or deciduous, one that is wildlife friendly or simply a physical barrier, urban or rural, eventual height and width?

I am delighted to hear that you are wishing to replace a fence with a hedge - fences are ghastly, high maintenance in comparison to a hedge, have no wildlife benefit, hideous to look at and seem to cause numerous neighbour disputes.

If you are able to plant a mixed hedge of native species it ideally needs to include hawthorn, hazel, wild pear, wild privet, viburnum and spindle to be as wildlife friendly as possible. And only cut it once a year from August onwards - cutting hedges from March to July should, in my view, be unlawful because of nesting birds. It is high time for legislation in this respect.

Avoid laurel if possible, it is fast growing, agreed, but has nominal wildlife value, is gloomy, depressing, reminiscent of the hedges around Victorian cemeteries and creates too much shade, rain shadow and starves the soil of moisture and nutrient.

If it is a 20 metre run you could also consider including a couple of trees to grow as 'standards'.

There are many specialist tree and hedge nurseries who can advise and put together 'packages' of suitable species and, given the number of plants you would need for 20metres, would also be considerably cheaper than garden centres or the likes of B&Q etc.

And, yes, as others have said, regular watering for the first two or three years until it is well established - a seep or soaker hose would save hours of hand watering given the length of hedge you wish to plant.

To help with root establishment, bonemeal in the planting holes or dust the plant rootballs with mycorrhizal fungi.

If you plant during the dormant season (November - March) you would be able to purchase bare root transplants from the specialist nurseries; considerably cheaper than pot grown specimens

Anything mature is going to cost thousands op, I’m not sure of your budget, and my mature I mean about four or five foot high,

Anything else and you’ll be growing it for about three or four years.

Laurel is the cheapest and fastest growing.

Agree with Hedges. Native mixed hedging provides a sturdy barrier and plenty of interest. You can also include Blackthorne (sloes), field maple (yellow leaves in autumn), holly and grow honeysuckle through it - smells lovely and good for moths / butterflies.

If you need a firm barrier, when double planting sink sturdy (not chicken wire) metal wire type fencing between the plants. The plants will cover them as they grow and you’ll have a dog / child / chicken proof hedge.

It would not cost thousands - as I said, specialist hedging nurseries can supply you with bare root transplants in varying sizes from 18" up to 48" or more during the dormant season at very reasonable prices - the more you buy the cheaper each individual one is. It is not for me to recommend any particular supplier, but, over the years, I have planted hundreds, if not thousands, of yards of hedge round the boundary of my woodland and gardens and it is not excessively expensive. Cheaper in any event than replacing hideous fencing.

Once planted, provided they get plenty of air, light and moisture, they will establish and grow very quickly.

Please avoid laurel - it has no wildlife value

Second @AuntyFungal's suggestions for other species to add to the mix, plus, yes, honeysuckle and maybe one or two wild roses

I agree with laurel , we currently have privet and it’s a complete pain so are changing it for a laurel one .

Agree with the mixed hedging plans but do not include holly - it takes over, seeds everywhere and really hurts when you clear away the clippings!

Hello all, I just wanted to say a big thank you to you all for your advice!

We had a remeasure today and it turns out that it is 13.1m of hedging we need, so that is going to be a bit cheaper at least!

We have two green bushes there already (I have no idea what they are, I'm rubbish), so we are going to incorporate them into the new hedges as I think they're a bit big to move and I like the privacy they give.

I've seen a few nurseries on ebay and have found some nearby and will hopefully visit this weekend. I have my heart set on hornbeam for some reason, but I think realistically Privet or Laurel (and it sounds like they grow fairly quickly?) would look better with the pre-existing hedges. Have never gardened before so hoping I can manage this!

Many thanks again for all of your help