Border Trees/hedge

lornesainsbury · February 2019

Hi All,

I am stuck knowing what to put down the border between mine and my neighbours house.
The border is on the front of the property and will need to adhere to certain requirements. I am open to any ideas but this has been my idea so far:

I would like something that will grow no more than 1.5m, need very little maintenance as the neighbour will also see it, ideally be an evergreen and not spoken.

I have thought about a hedge of some sort possibly a box hedge? I have also thought about planting small trees such as Bay trees which might look quite nice, I do not need privacy so the gaps between them would not matter.

I am very stuck though and have precious little experience in this field, so would love to hear your ideas.

Many Thanks
Lorne

JennyJ · February 2019

Presumably that's "not spiky" (pesky autocorrect) - that rules out holly and pyracantha.

If you're prepared to clip regularly, a privet or laurel hedge might work. Bay trees aren't completely hardy and also don't stay small unless you keep them clipped. Photinia "Red Robin" is nice too and can be grown as a hedge.

For a more informal effect, a row of different shrubs might work - you could choose ones with different colours/shapes of leaves - photinia, eleagnus etc. You could include some easy deciduous flowering shrubs such as spirea, weigela, forsythia etc. It really depends on what kind of look/style you would like.

Most things won't grow quickly to 1.5 m and then stop - you would need to prune, or choose things with 1.5 m ultimate height and be prepared for them to take several years to get there.

Fairygirl · February 2019

Hi Lorne - can you give us an idea about your site? Aspect [ie which direction the houses face] and the area/size of the border. Also what the soil is like and your general climate - windy, sheltered, wet, dry etc.
That'll help with suggestions. There will be plenty of ideas, but it helps if we have a few pointers before we offer them

The two you're thinking of might not be so great - box can be prone to blight in many areas now, and it takes a wee while to get to a good size. Bay trees aren't always hardy, and would be expensive if you intend buying them as standards too.

lornesainsbury · February 2019

Jenny: Haha yes you are correct that was supposed to be Spiky!

Thank you both for your help.

Fairygirl: Ok here goes. We are South East facing which is fairly sheltered. We get all weathers so it's hard to pinpoint but I'd say on the dryer side.
The area will be about 7 meters long but only about 3' wide. I hope that helps

Fairygirl · February 2019

That's grand Lorne - lots will be fine, as Jenny has indicated.
Think I was busy editing while Jenny posted! ;
A simple hedge would possibly be best, and privet is great, but it does best with a decent amount of moisture. Very straightforward though. Ditto Laurel, but it can get huge, so be prepared to prune regularly and not let it 'escape'. You could also consider Beech and Hornbeam, which, although not evergreen, retain their foliage over winter if kept belowten feet or so. Both are easy hedging plants. Photinia might do very well in your site. It looks lousy round here because it's generally too wet and cold for it, as it likes a better climate and free draining soil.
Eleagnus will also do well, and need little maintenance. There are various varieties which are easily obtained, although they will get big eventually. Jenny's right though - anything growing reasonably quickly to that height will need a bit of pruning and trimming to keep it there. Nice shrubs, and will cope with most climates and sites.
I agree with Jenny that a mix of shrubs, including deciduous ones, is a nice choice, and will create a more informal look. They can also be underplanted with spring bulbs to give a boost at this time of year . Daffs in particular would be ideal, and need very little attention.
The Spireas, Weigelas etc are all ideal for the site, and I'd add Potentilla to that list. All easy shrubs and hard to kill

Border Trees/hedge

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