The hollies I've known (and I've known many) usually grow at double that rate.
"... Holly hedges are an easy plant to take care of and can be planted in moist well-drained soil, regardless of whether its Ph is alkaline or acidic. It requires very little maintenance, just a trim during the summer, and healthy plants can be expected to grow approximately 15-30cms per year..." https://www.hopesgrovenurseries.co.uk/shop/hedging/holly-hedging/
I would never buy 8' plants ... they can take an age ... years, to become established and will require a huge amount of care, particularly watering, as well as staking against wind-rock ... remember that the roots have to support whatever is growing above the ground ... they can't do that while they're becoming established after planting. I would order the small bare root plants and erect a mesh windbreak fence behind them ... provided the ground is prepared and they're looked after relatively well they'll establishmuch quicker than bigger plants and will catch up within a very few years.
It's up to you of course ... but holly produces some of the finest hedges in the country.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Why not go for a mixed native hedge? They look great and are good for wildlife. The usual mixes are about 50% hawthorn plus holly, hazel, wild roses, blackthorn and a few others, including hornbeam.
Holly is slow in my experience and needs to be protected in the early years from the vigour of most of the others.
Based in Sussex, I garden to encourage as many birds to my garden as possible.
Why not go for a mixed native hedge? They look great and are good for wildlife. The usual mixes are about 50% hawthorn plus holly, hazel, wild roses, blackthorn and a few others, including hornbeam.
Holly is slow in my experience and needs to be protected in the early years from the vigour of most of the others.
The Hornbeam (with some mixed native species amongst it) was chosen for its leaf retention for privacy, even before the caravans and development on the boundary.
I have spent 4 years willing it to grow but despite my efforts it’s been extensively damaged by the neighbours horses and the contractor who dug beyond the boundary fence onto our land (damaging our fence and disturbing the hedges roots) when installing their riding arena.
I would like an all year 8’ + screen and a deciduous hedge would take a long time to become thick enough to provide privacy. Also when my old pony’s sight declined she sustained several eye injury’s from our thorny hedges, so I would rather not add more.
I also intend to mirror our other hedges along this boundary by planting willow, black poplar, alder and birch trees inside of it.
Hornbeam keeps it's foliage perfectly well over winter in my experience. However - if you have a problem with what's happening on the other side, your only real alternative is a fence behind it, of sufficient height to deter stock, and let the hornbeam recover [which it would] It seems from your earlier posts that you already have a fence of some kind there, so the easiest option is to just make it higher, and you could always plant ivy on it if you're really concerned about the level of privacy. I'm afraid 4 feet isn't high enough to deter anything much - even sheep. If you can't do that, the only alternatives are to plant hawthorn, or similar, in behind the hornbeam to act as the stock barrier, leaving the hornbeam to recover, or add another hedge in front of the existing one, and accept that the hornbeam's knackered, and leave it there as the sacrificial hedge. There are plenty of evergreen alternatives. The reason hawthorn is so widely used is because of it's good effect as a deterrent, as @Dovefromabove says.
Trying to create something 'instant' isn't feasible. Plants simply don't grow that quickly - even ivy.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I’m not expecting the hedge to be Stockproof, legally it is the neighbours responsibility to prevent their animals and contractors from damaging our property. To be neighbourly (at our expense) I installed a 4’ wire fence with a 2’ of electric fence above that, after several years the electric fence failed and they have watched the horses and contractor extensively damage the hedge, I am quite unhappy! and they agreed to compensate me, I suspect they maybe able to claim on their insurance.
I want to regain the privacy lost asap and that rules out planting whips.
There are lots of company’s offering instant 8’ plus hedges, surely they can’t all die?
Previously we relocated blackthorn suckers using a telehandler bucket and they survived, surely rootballed plants should have a high success rate?
The main difference between planting large specimens [bare root or potted] and smaller ones, is that larger ones are simply harder to establish. At this time of year, it's much easier because of the weather, but large plants can take longer to get their roots out and growing successfully, because they have a lot of top growth to support, while young plants/whips are quicker because they have less. That's why they often establish and catch up with larger plants in a short time, and it's the reason that large plants do better if cut back on planting, even though that seems counter productive. It also depends on conditions and climate as to how quickly an dhow well anything thrives - as with all plants of any kind. Planting a hedge in exposed conditions in a cold, wet area is quite different from planting in a milder, sheltered spot. Even without animals eating it, the former would need extra protection from windbreak material of some kind.
Blackthorn reproduces very easily, which is why it can also be a nuisance - not all hedging plants are like that.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
@hce2014, I think Fairygirl and the others have given you very sound advice.
Might I suggest you could think about keeping the majority of the existing hornbeam hedge and perhaps just replacing the shorter nibbled ones with different species? You would probably only need evergreen ones in front of the structures you want to block. This would be less expensive (although it sounds as though finance isn't an issue), less trouble and you'd keep the majority of the hedge at the height you want which would be quicker.
Featheredge fence behind existing- will be expensive (soaring timber prices) difficult to install, vulnerable to both the wind and the neighbours horses damaging it.
Extend wire fence to 8’ and either
plant 8’ evergreen rootball hedge - also expensive and will be difficult to establish.
I'd completely rule out 1, 3 and 4, which leaves you with the 8 ft high wire. Not sure if that is even doable, wouldn't it be likely to sag at that height? How much space have you got to play with? Have you thought about other structures inside your garden to block the view of the caravans etc, such as summerhouse, pergolas, colonnades?
Posts
"... Holly hedges are an easy plant to take care of and can be planted in moist well-drained soil, regardless of whether its Ph is alkaline or acidic. It requires very little maintenance, just a trim during the summer, and healthy plants can be expected to grow approximately 15-30cms per year..."
https://www.hopesgrovenurseries.co.uk/shop/hedging/holly-hedging/
I would never buy 8' plants ... they can take an age ... years, to become established and will require a huge amount of care, particularly watering, as well as staking against wind-rock ... remember that the roots have to support whatever is growing above the ground ... they can't do that while they're becoming established after planting.
I would order the small bare root plants and erect a mesh windbreak fence behind them ... provided the ground is prepared and they're looked after relatively well they'll establishmuch quicker than bigger plants and will catch up within a very few years.
It's up to you of course
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Holly is slow in my experience and needs to be protected in the early years from the vigour of most of the others.
It seems from your earlier posts that you already have a fence of some kind there, so the easiest option is to just make it higher, and you could always plant ivy on it if you're really concerned about the level of privacy. I'm afraid 4 feet isn't high enough to deter anything much - even sheep.
If you can't do that, the only alternatives are to plant hawthorn, or similar, in behind the hornbeam to act as the stock barrier, leaving the hornbeam to recover, or add another hedge in front of the existing one, and accept that the hornbeam's knackered, and leave it there as the sacrificial hedge. There are plenty of evergreen alternatives.
The reason hawthorn is so widely used is because of it's good effect as a deterrent, as @Dovefromabove says.
Trying to create something 'instant' isn't feasible. Plants simply don't grow that quickly - even ivy.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
That's why they often establish and catch up with larger plants in a short time, and it's the reason that large plants do better if cut back on planting, even though that seems counter productive.
It also depends on conditions and climate as to how quickly an dhow well anything thrives - as with all plants of any kind. Planting a hedge in exposed conditions in a cold, wet area is quite different from planting in a milder, sheltered spot. Even without animals eating it, the former would need extra protection from windbreak material of some kind.
Blackthorn reproduces very easily, which is why it can also be a nuisance - not all hedging plants are like that.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Might I suggest you could think about keeping the majority of the existing hornbeam hedge and perhaps just replacing the shorter nibbled ones with different species? You would probably only need evergreen ones in front of the structures you want to block. This would be less expensive (although it sounds as though finance isn't an issue), less trouble and you'd keep the majority of the hedge at the height you want which would be quicker.
So my options appear to be
Featheredge fence behind existing- will be expensive (soaring timber prices) difficult to install, vulnerable to both the wind and the neighbours horses damaging it.
Extend wire fence to 8’ and either
plant 8’ evergreen rootball hedge - also expensive and will be difficult to establish.
8’ Fedge - will take years to establish.