Fast growing ever green hedge?

[AllTheMiniEggs]

I have a beech hedge which I despise. It's only green about 5 months of the year. It's currently completely see through.

The leaves end up everywhere and it's a bugger to trim.

What could I replace it with? I was thinking laurel but how long would it take to grow to say, 5'?

Any other suggestions, I'm pretty overlooked so definitely need a hedge of some sort.

Laurel will grow fast and then keep growing and growing and growing

It's invasive, toxic and really very unpleasant!

Good old fashioned privet would fit the bill!

We planted a bay hedge, and it's lovely. Needed quite a lot of watering to get it started but now I never do anything except trim the top.

Or yew. I love a yew hedge, properly trimmed and maintained it is a thing of beauty

Portugese laurel is lovely and fast growing but easy to manage.

All laurels are toxic if leaves or berries are injected (caution with kids or pets) and can cause skin reactions when being cut, you need to wear thick gloves.

They're also invasives, as they have escaped from garden and are taking places in native hedgerows where they shouldn't be.

Plant native if you can, the wildlife will thank you. Personally a hornbeam hedge is my total favourite. Absolutely stunning, but it's deciduous. Goes brown in winter but well managed they keep those brown leaves and are really beautiful

Red Robin Photonia

A good native mix hedge will beat an evergreen hands down. You can lay it to make it good and strong, and it will be a haven for all sorts of wildlife too.

Had no idea about laurel being toxic!

Privet would be nice but I've got that in the back garden and it took years and years to get to a decent height.

Will look up the other suggestions, thanks.

Yew is slow growing but worth the wait. It's a bit faster if you water it regularly. Berries are toxic though. Yew can be cut back very hard and will regenerate where leylandii won't tolerate that.
I've yet to find a better evergreen hedge than privet though.
A chain link fence with densely planted ivy will give good privacy quickly.

@DottyPencil

I'd love a fence but deeds of house say no.

I do like my privet but was hoping for something that would grow a bit faster. Mine took years. I'm very overlooked unfortunately.

In the days when people collected butterflies, laurel leaves were what they put in the killing bottle.

when eaten, it produces prussic acid (hydrogen cyanide) in the stomach.

You could consider Osmanthus x burkwoodii, or Lonicera nitida. Both have small leaves which make for neat hedges - though not sure either would be tall enough. Be aware of the high hedges legislation if you’re going much over 2m

Lonicera Nitida. Grows very fast and looks neat. Can’t really go over 5’ though as it gets untidy.

https://www.architecturalplants.com/product/lonicera-nitida-elegans/#:~:text=Incredibly%20useful%20evergreen%20with%20tiny,growing%2C%20tough%20as%20old%20boots.

@MereDintofPandiculation

This is fascinating! I had no idea. I'll probably give that one a miss then 🤔

@Porridgeislife

This could be the winner!! I've got one of these in my garden already so know it will grow well, and it does grow fast! 5' will be plenty high enough too. Thank you!!

@AllTheMiniEggs I was first to suggest Lonicera nitida!

I noticed that, I'm guessing she became horrified over butterflies and death and decided she couldn't read anymore in case the post got worse.

Although I'm staring at her name and thinking yum 😬

Sorry @MereDintofPandiculation - I didn't know the Latin name, I've always called it box honeysuckle. It wasn't until I clicked on the link that I realised what it was!

You win the prize 🏆😂

Sounds like you are over pruning.☹️
Love beech for the fact that at the end of the season the foliage turns attractive copper colour and stays attached throughout the winter thereby giving visual impact and cover for wildlife.
If you prune too late in the season then there is insufficient time for new growth to form hence why it is bare.
Most foliage drops in the spring (indeed ours is shedding right now).

Just a thought.
If you plant a fast growing hedge, will you be able to maintain it at the required height & depth without it getting too thick and woody?

@Cotswoldbee

I only prune it twice a year so don't think I'm over pruning it. And I only really cut the top and tidy the sides. It's completely see through at the moment which makes it a bit useless as it offers no privacy. My garage is FULL of leaves for most of the year too. It's lovely and full when it's green but literally only for 5 months out of 12. I don't like it when it turns brown. It just depresses me when it starts to turn knowing winter is on its way. That's why I need an evergreen - I can happily live in denial 😬

I'll think I'll be able to keep on top of the pruning, and a box honeysuckle would be way easier to prune than my beech!

More than happy to share it with @Porridgeislife Box honeysuckle is an an unusually ccureate common name - it has leaves like a box, and is a honeysuckle, Lonicera. The name Lonicera is allegedly an anagram of the name (Caroline) of the wife of the taxonomist who described the genus.

I noticed that, I'm guessing she became horrified over butterflies and death and decided she couldn't read anymore in case the post got worse. Fair point. After two children and about 20 cats, I've lost any squeamishness I ever had.

@AllTheMiniEggs I fill my garden with spring bulbs, and some of them start putting up their noses in October. So I don't get depressed at leaf-fall because the garden is full of signs of the spring to come.

I also have the various winter flowering stalwarts - winter flowering cherry, Viburnum bodnantense, Cornus mas, Witch hazel, winter jasmine, Hellebores. Not Sarcococca because I don't like the smell.

My grisilinea hedge has grown fast.