I don't want leylandii or conifers, is there anything else that will quickly form a hedge?

[Fimbo]

Tia

We looked into this. I think privet grows fairly quickly although it's not as quick as conifers etc. I think we were told it grows about 2 feet a year.... (don't quote me on that) Also laurel makes a good headge but not quite so quick growing.

Thank you i/coffee. We moved into a new build last October and are starting a garden from scratch and I don't have a clue!

I will look into privet and laurel. We have a no frills garden centre near us, that is dirt cheap.

How about a fast growing holly variety - I know there are some just don't know any names sorry.

Do you want something that will fence kids in, or is it to block a view, or just to define boundary?

Laurel is quicker than privett I think, but harder to prune as you need to do it by hand rather than with a hedge trimmer.

I want it to block a view. I keep phoning gardening companies as we want to just lay some turf at the moment so the dc have somewhere to play come summer, but it's like trying to get blood out of a stone, they never return your calls.

Hmmm...thinking that any shrub is going to either take time to grow, or you'll have to buy more established plants and they always cost more...

Could you skip the hedging and grow something nice like honeysuckle or clematis up the offending items? Or we put up some of that willow screening stuff to cover our less than picturesque view -cheaper than fencing but does the job. Bamboo grows really quickly, as does eucaplyptus, and a camelia will go mental in a west facing sunny spot if you wanted to go for plant screening rather that formal hedge.

I heart you wingandprayer. Thank you, I know the cheapy garden centre sells bamboo and eucaplyptus. I was going to spend the weekend in the garden but its going to rain.

laurel is a nightmare to keep. You could try beech - we have a beech hedge that looks lovely and is green in the summer, rust colours in the winter. The hedge was planted with trees that were alrady 6ft6 for instant screening. They grow slower than laylandii, but look lovely.

Bamboo and eucalyptus are lovely.

I was going to suggest clematis too for the gaps. We used Mileaminute to cover a ghastly fence and leylandii hedge - worked a treat. We also planted some evergreen clematis inbetween, which took a bit longer, but is there all year round.

My pleasure! Another idea- ivy or boston creeper. Makes anything look pretty as long as it can't in any way come into contact with your house or your neighbours property and reek havoc. We've got big problems with neighbour's ivy invading our garden at the moment and wouldn't wish that on anyone. Think it will take napalm to get rid of the bloody stuff.

Thank you everyone!

I will ask DH for you when he gets home. He will be pleased to hear you don't want leylandii or conifer.

That would be great Mehgalegs - cheers.

agree i likebeech hedges a lot.especially the ones that go copper in the winter- pretty.
other options might be a mixed hedge of native trees like hawthorn and ash with a few cherrys, elder, blackthorn and willow interspersed.
my MIL has a great hedge she grew onabout 10 year to 7ft .it is Escallonia ?Donard Seedling? and flowers in shocking pink!

like this

I like that CF. The choices really are amazing.

many here

I love Escallonia. I really wish we had chosen it for our new hedge. We have privet at the front and a mixture of copper and green beech down the side. The Privet has really done well in 3 years and the beech is too but much slower.

I have to say though the mixture of beech is GORGEOUS. They are planted randomly and make a lovely effect when in leaf.

Somebody just mentioned fuchia on another thread, and if you don't mind it not being evergreen, then it can look gorgeous when grown as a hedge. Don't know where you'd buy them from though.

DH agrees with cremolafoam's beech hedge and native hedge ideas.

Make sure whatever you choose is well watered.

We planted two hedges at the same time, about 5 years ago, one beech and one box.

The beech hedge is now magnificent, and needs cutting at least twice a year to keep it at about 5ft high. The box hedge is still only about 1 ft high - I think I will be 86 before it's a reasonable size!

what about willow?

very easy to grow and I think it is easy to maintain too.

DH has just planted some around our garden, where there is just a field with a fence round it, very exposed atm, it is an experiment, we are not gardeners.

Willow is a water fiend. If you live in a drier area, it will parch any other plants near it.

I looked up some "fedges" on the net, it is neither a fence nor a hedge. though fedge sounds like one of those dodgy words one learns from mn'ers... reminds me of the word felching.. sorry to lower the tone, snurk.

fine for soggy sunny scotland then.