Plant a native hedge if you want .....

Flowers, Trees, Lawns, Infrastructures, Maintenance & anything else!
Post Reply
fabindia
Legendary Laner
Posts: 2058
Joined: 03 Oct 2010, 20:23
Gender: Male
Location: North East

Plant a native hedge if you want .....

Post by fabindia »

Lots of blackberries and birds!

I planted my hedges nearly 20 years ago now. Money was tight then as I had a small family so I only bought small 8" to 12" hawthorn, field maple, dog rose, etc. people passing said it would never grow. But they were wrong and the hedges are nowNiall an thick and in great shape; a haven for small birds and for the past few weeks an endless supply of blackberries, right outside our back door.

It grieves me to see people on our estate grubbing out the old privet hedges and replacing them with timber fences that last for only a few years before they need reprinting and patching up. I really believe that a hedge that is cut just a couple of times a year is less hassle than a timber fence. If you have the room and the inclination, I say go for a proper hedge.
Michael
User avatar
lancashire lass
Legendary Laner
Posts: 6527
Joined: 28 Jun 2007, 15:17

Re: Plant a native hedge if you want .....

Post by lancashire lass »

I do love my garden with the trees and hedges which encourage birds to visit - it is so green and leafy and you'd think I lived on the edge of a woodland than in the middle of a housing estate. It really is lovely and calming (especially when the kids are at school and I happen to have the time off work during the day)

However, I'm afraid the novelty of trimming "just" twice a year has worn off - as you get older, it can start turning into a mammoth task that you put off in early spring and then miss the boat because the birds have moved in to nest }hairout{ Then having to wait until afterwards which really means early autumn because there are so many other things to do over summer ... ending up with branches that the hedge trimmer can't manage and you have to lop off on an annual basis, and then have to pile up somewhere until there is space in the garden waste collection. I'd find a fence rather sterile but there are many a time it would be preferable to trimming the hedges
User avatar
Chicken drumstick
Longlasting Laner
Posts: 537
Joined: 22 Sep 2013, 19:21

Re: Plant a native hedge if you want .....

Post by Chicken drumstick »

Cheap as chips to buy bare root hedgeing plants in autumn as well .

60 cm hawthorn and privet whips are about 50 p each bare root and far less trouble than a fence long term imho


If you have a long run of hedging i think this trade product is still available at your local Garden Center under a different name , it reduces growth rates....

http://www.sepro.com/cutlessg/
Post Reply