Hedging ideas please

[Forgoodnesssakejustletme]

Our front garden is around 11 metres long and I would like to put a hedge in between us and our neighbours - love the neighbours, just every man and his dog walks straight across our lawn to get either to or from theirs and right in front of our lounge window. What would be a good cheapish way of achieving a boundary?

How about hawthorn and / or blackthorn? Low maintenance, suit different soils, quite spiky so could for deterring people cutting through, and best of all, great for wildlife!

Agree with the above - if it's mainly to stop people walking and not year round privacy etc I'd say hawthorn - you buy them cheaply as bare roots in the next few weeks and they grow quickly.

I've used hedgesdirect.co.uk a few times and they've always been good

Do you need to screen sightlines off, or just prevent access?

If just access, you could plant a beautiful row of roses, that would be nice and thorny and just high enough to prevent people hopping over. But that might be antisocial depending on dc age, proximity of cars...

Or something like blackcurrants, just because I love them. Grow high enough to not be able to jump them but not too solid and blocky.

Or put 8n a nice mixed shrub border.

@CatsLikeBoxes Oh good idea. If I was going to do a mix, would you alternate 1 by 1 or do you reckon do 3 then 3 iyswim?

I guess I might alternate them because they flower at different times - but I'm no expert, it's just when I was considering creating a hedge that's what I thought I'd choose

I would advise against hawthorn, it's punctured pram, bicycle and car tyres here! We took it all out and put beech hedging all around the entire property and it's now thick and healthy, 10ft high.

Put in a mixed native hedge, you can buy bareroot just about now which is the cheapest way. Mix them up randomly and you will have a lovely hedge in a few years.

I have a mix of hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel, field maple, rosa rugosa and bird cherry.

In hindsight I would prefer it without the rosa rugosa as its pretty and the hips are lovely but its a beast to manage.

Just be aware that its deciduous, so see through in winter. But its great for the birds.