If you were to go for 150m of boundary hedging as opposed to fences etc what would you go for and why?

And what would a rough cost and timescale be to get up to say 2-3m in height?

Posted By: VictorianecoIf you were to go for 150m of boundary hedging as opposed to fences etc what would you go for and why?

Second what Will said. There are lots of suppliers on the web or in the small ads in gardening magazines. You buy 100s of mixed plants with bare roots, so you'll want 600 or so I'd guess. Ask the supplier or a groundsperson.

As to what species etc, a lot depends on circumstances. There's a strong move towards using native species wherever possible. We got a mix to match our existing hedges - hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel, beech, field maple etc. I added some wild roses for a bit more colour; there's a lot in the fields around here. Plant as normal in a double row. Probably took about five years to get to be a solid hedge of 2-3 m from small when planted.

Just looked at that hedging site! For 150m I could buy for £600 plus planting costs/time

Not bad, certainly cheaper than a fence!!

Posted By: VictorianecoNot bad, certainly cheaper than a fence!!

Certainly just about to have 60m stock fence replaced £11 per running metre. Probably cheapest fencing one can do.

It's good for ecology to let bramble/blackthorn spread a few metres into the edges of fields, so the farms are getting a higher payment (under ELM?) for allowing that, maybe why they stopped flailing the hedge?

As well as continuous strips of habitat for birds/hedgehogs/etc to travel along, the brambles are supposed to allow saplings of larger trees to grow up through without getting browsed off, is how they naturally regenerate themselves.

We stopped cutting some bramble patches when we moved in 4 years ago and I just noticed this spring how many young birch/oak/maple/beech are coming up through them, previously we only had very old trees with no succession of young trees coming to replace them, because the young saplings had all got nibbled.

If you look at photos from 100 years ago, there were a lot more thickets about, it's only with more recent mechanised industrial farming that thickets are seen as 'untidy' and get grubbed out.

Even in a prim suburb, you can get a lot more wildlife by letting the grass grow 6" high and the hedges get 6' wide, seems on trend this year so people are ok with it.

Also depending on the location they can be very low maintenance for the first few years at least. I have planted about 300m over the last 8 years in fits and starts, nothing needs doing yet. The bit that is doing best is now large enough to be laid. https://www.hedgelaying.org.uk/

Also at the last place I have cut/trimmed one side (The horses kept the inside and the top trimmed!) of 150m with petrol hedgetrimmers for a few years after we laid it, but then did start getting a bloke with flails to do it.

There is here, but we assumed it was down to our "management" over the last 9 years, which includes planting 2,500 trees and hedging plants and then not doing a great deal (lots of wild areas)

Still looking pretty desperate
https://www.rspb.org.uk/about-the-rspb/about-us/media-centre/press-releases/bgbw-results-23/

Posted By: fostertomhave you noticed a sudden increase this year in particular?

I wouldn't say so.
The biggest recent change here is due to one neighbour renting the land off our elderly neighbour, meaning that an adjoining field has been sprayed off dead, ploughed, limed, and reseeded with silage grass; after having no improvements the whole time we have been here. It was lightly grazed before and full of wildflowers, but is now a monoculture - like more and more of the fields around us.

Posted By: VictorianecoIf you were to go for 150m of boundary hedging as opposed to fences etc what would you go for and why?

And what would a rough cost and timescale be to get up to say 2-3m in height?

I used Griselinia. For 150 metres you would need about 450 plants. I paid £3 per plant from a local grower so that would be a whopping £1350 for your needs! I needed only about 30 meters worth. In theory they grow about 1/3rd meter per year - mine did take about 3 years to reach 1 meter but I keep them trimmed at that height now. They could easily grow to 2 metres or more - I know because my neighbour opposite has such a hedge.

Posted By: Victorianecowhat would you go for and why?

Native mixed hedging bought as bareroot whips from November to March - ideally planted in Nov/Dec so they have the winter for the soil to settle around the roots and to root a bit before the dryer weather.

Hawthorn
Blackthorn
Hazel
Beech
Hornbeam
Rowan
Gorse
Holly (comes in pots not bareroot)
Buckthorn
Oak
Elder (does tend to die off and leave gaps eventually)
Alder

anything native with fruits or seeds is good for wildlfife.

some prefer certain soil types e.g. the ground here is heavy clay and can be very wet.

If you want an instant hedge you could go for a willow fedge. I can provide you wth all the willow you need for this (if you are prepared to come and cut it yourself), but it's not native.

That looks good Dominic, I guess you have to select the variety carefully, some can quickly outrun you, and once established you cant get rid of them.
I guess a good set of shears is a priority except it makes them grow faster.

Just be aware that if you have anything thorny in the hedge youll be picking up punctures in bikes/wheelbarrows for the life of the hedge. I've lost count of the number of thorns Ive pulled out of barrow tyres!

If you want to keep things in or out (dogs especially) put up a post and wire fence first, then plant the hedge. They will always get through a hedge.

Blackthorn, hawthorn is a good mix and can be cut with a hedge trimmer. Tends to go a bit thin over winter.

Beech is another good option.

Laurel is a fantastic solid hedge but needs regular cutting and should not be cut with a hedge trimmer as cut leaves are a route for disease to get in. I have a 10M long 2m high Laurel hedge and it takes a few hours to cut and that is just the top and side. The far side it is against a wooden fence. It needs cutting probably 3-4 times a year.

For blackthorn/hawthorn/beech remember you need to trim it when young and small. Take out the tops and the tops of the side shoots/branches as that forces it to bush out. Don't do that and you end up with a very thin hedge with nothing at the bottom.

Also feeding the hedge cannot be underestimated - a good handful of Growmore every year as you try to establish it will make a huge difference.

Posted By: owlmanThat looks good Dominic,

Sorry that isn't our fedge, shamelessly pinched that image off the internet. We do have one but it isn't as neat as this (ours has been in for several years now) I would guess that image is the first year after planting. Ours is much more lumpy and knotty now which does actually look cool as well, it's very much an ongoing work that is regularly looked after by the OH.