Getting rid of giant hedge

[lamby12]

We have a nice ish garden, lots of potential but we've really not reached it yet. Funny shape, lots of weird paths, steps, rockeries and nooks and crannies. At first I liked its character but it's a lot of work and really doesn't give any function at the moment, it's just a dump we fight with every year and vow to get it sorted by the next.

Over the last few years we've had a baby and an extension; both of which have taken their toll on the garden (lack of time and money).

We want to really use the garden rather than being slaves to it, all we do is fight back massive hedges and bushes and never have any time to create areas we can actually use or plant a few nice pots etc.

The main culprit is the whole garden is lined with giant conifers, approx 30-35 metres worth and 2.5metres high. At least a metre deep. Takes us weeks each year to cut it back and still looks a pigs ear. Quotes over £300 to have it trimmed for us and we really can't spend that on a hedge, we've a long list of other house and garden stuff to do as we save money. However, we're thinking of bumping the hedge up the priority list but to get it all ripped out, including the bushes that sprawl out of it, and put a fence up. We'll gain a metre of garden all the way round and less maintenance.

Does anyone have any experience of this and was it a success or a mistake? I'm worried about losing character and greenery from the garden. It's not a square and still lots else going on so it won't be like a box, just wondering if anyone has done such a drastic move? And any ideas on cost?

Thanks!

If there is a fence there already perhaps consider trellis and then grower climbers up? We had evergreen clematis in some parts.

My box hedge is a pain. I'd go for a native species like beech.

And just to add I'm a environmental professional and nature lover, and wouldn't keep a conifer hedge in my garden.

I also wouldn’t have a conifer hedge.

A friend of mine put one in for privacy as she was trying to sell and people kept saying lack of privacy was the issue when explaining why they didn’t buy. She put one in and out sold days later, but I recall thinking that’s going to a proper bugger for someone in a few years time.

Top tip - do not replace your conifers for hawthorn hedge. It is a fecking nightmare ....
Totally agree with that! The spines will go straight through footballs, wheels, including car tyres and (from personal experience) garden crocs. We had conifers all along one side and mixed hedging including hawthorn the other and we took it all out for beech hedging.

@Bluntness100

With absolutely nothing left to wildlife, nature or to help alleviate surface water flooding

Yes, becayse hers was the only garden left in the world.

Yes but it's unfortunately happening in a lot of places and people wonder why flooding gets worse. It has to go somewhere and if you direct it down the drains as quick as poss by removing grass and plants it just makes it all a whole lot worse.

@PhilCornwall1 surely maintains a hard surface isn't over and above mowing the grass every once in a while or letting it go wildflower. I get that you don't want to spend ages on it but there are still ways to encourage nature with a low maintenance style so the excuse doesn't quite sit.

Minnie888 She doesn’t need an excuse. She can do what she wants with her garden and @PhilCornwall1 has said she has chronic pain and can’t maintain it. Yes having a wildlife friendly garden is nice but not if it is at the detriment of the house owners and maybe she just doesn’t want wildflower garden.

I cannot stand conifer hedges. They are all over 80s estates, where people put them in and are unable to maintain them to a suitable height. If you have a proper look at them, they shade houses which causes lack of sunlight in, and most of them are hacked at, with brown hedges etc. They are very 80s.

We got rid of 10 x 30ft conifers and it was as if the whole area could breathe again. Neighbours were all thrilled, not just for light/warmth, but also the conifers sucked all the nutrients out of their gardens too. I planted native shrubs for scent, put in hedgehog highway in the fence and also have a wildflower corner.

I don’t like beech because the leaves get everywhere and take ages to break down.

Other friends who have ripped out conifers have gone for hedges with mock orange, buddlea for butterflies, Portuguese Laurel and hydrangea.

Also, approach the neighbours to say that you’re thinking of having it removed but aren’t sure because of the cost. They might help out with the costs as it will add value to their house not to have a high hedge there

@Dustyhedge

Minnie888 She doesn’t need an excuse. She can do what she wants with her garden and *@PhilCornwall1* has said she has chronic pain and can’t maintain it. Yes having a wildlife friendly garden is nice but not if it is at the detriment of the house owners and maybe she just doesn’t want wildflower garden.

The point is it doesn't have to be at the detriment of the homeowner like I said below. Gravel and slabs also require maintenance

yes, you can't remove it this summer.

you should make sure that the root is removed as well.
cover the area where the hedge was with manure (horse stables near you?) and then you can start to plant up next year.

'border on a roll' is great for instant effect.
in winter bare root shrubs/trees are sold. those are much cheaper than in pots.

removing the hedge might reveal more work (and £££) to the fence.

Be mindful that conifers take up a lot of water. If you remove them where is this water going to go? I've heard of houses subsiding after tree removal due to this.

@Notavegan

And just to add I'm a environmental professional and nature lover, and wouldn't keep a conifer hedge in my garden.

We have had goldcrests nesting in the overgrown leylandii next to us.

Would you extend you ban to yew?

No, yes is fine. I hate leylandii and am welcome to my opinion, thank you.

The neighbour at the end of my garden removed some overgrown leylandii a few years ago; we got about 8ft of our garden back!

Leylandii just grows too big and too fast for most gardens. It needs a lot of work to keep it in control, which you either have to do yourself or pay a small fortune for others to do it. I think a lot of people would hate to live next to a Leylandii hedge.

It’s almost unbelievable from today’s viewpoint to remember the enthusiasm with which the Gardener’s Question Time team were recommending lleylandii when the hybrid was first bred

Leylandii is the stuff of nightmares for most small gardens.

Yew is fine, it is slow growing.

Hedges provide windbreaks and are more robust than fences for surviving storms.

Disposing of your conifer hedge: would you bonfire it or burn it indoors or offer it curbside to passerbys as kindling?

@lljkk

Hedges provide windbreaks and are more robust than fences for surviving storms.

Disposing of your conifer hedge: would you bonfire it or burn it indoors or offer it curbside to passerbys as kindling?

It’s clear she’s looking to pay someone to remove it. Most tree surgeons will take it away, unless you specifically ask them not to.

I got a company in who ripped out the hedge, ground the stumps and took it all away. Money well spent. I would do it asap and get the benefit this summer.

Having a low maintenance garden is to the detriment of other households when flooding increases. Too many people do it, not just people with mobility issues.

@Fyzz

I got a company in who ripped out the hedge, ground the stumps and took it all away. Money well spent. I would do it asap and get the benefit this summer.

you shouldn't remove a hedge now. it's illegal to disturb nesting birds.

We've just taken out about 7m of big conifers. We were quoted £500 to remove them which isn't too bad but we decided to do it ourselves. It was pretty easy with a chainsaw. Cut the lot down in a couple of hours. Removing the stumps has been a lot more problematic. We used a winch on the smaller ones but the bigger ones weren't budging so we've cut them below ground level and that will do. There were a couple that were rotten that came out really easily. If you've got time I would cut them and put something on to kill the roots and then winch them out.

The space we have gained is huge! They were so deep. We're putting a patio there which is such a bonus as it was just dead space.