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Neighbour removing trees, need a plan to replace

tokens.00granuletokens.00granule Posts: 3
in Problem solving
Morning all,

we’ve just moved into our new house and our neighbour has mentioned that he is felling the trees that on his side of the boundary line. This will leave us quite exposed and I was hoping to very quickly replace with some pre-grown 2m hedging on my side. Being an absolute novice I’m worried about installing the hedge - will the existing soil be suitable? And how much of the existing roots do I need to remove? How much work will it be to remove these roots to allow the hedge to be installed?

Any advice would be appreciated, I’ll post a pic up in a moment. The trees in question are all of them!

Dave
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  • tokens.00granuletokens.00granule Posts: 3

  • tokens.00granuletokens.00granule Posts: 3

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    A shame you're instantly going to lose your privacy, but if the trees aren't on your side, there isn't much you can do. Are you sure they're definitely on their side?
    However, if so, yes - the soil will be very poor, so you'd need to spend a bit of time getting it in better order, to give any planting a good chance.
    Unfortunately, a ready grown hedge will not only be very expensive, it'll also be very difficult establish well. Large specimens always are, regardless of the type. It's much easier to get smaller whips, and do a staggered row, planted more closely. We're still in bare root season, so that makes it even easier and cheaper. 
    How much root will be there will depend on whether the neighbour removes the stumps or not. Conifers are quite shallow rooted, but even so, it will affect your planting if they're left in. If they're left in situ, you'd ned to either build a raised bed for the new hedge or bring it much further into your property.
    Have you asked if they're going to replace the trees with anything else?
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    edited February 2022
    Trying to look on the positive side, hopefully it will at least improve the view from your upstairs window :) . 
    It may be worth having a word with the guys during the removal to see how they propose to move the stumps etc. It's possible that they may leave the stumps ,or grind them out .

    I should imagine the soil will be pretty impoverished and as with all planting, preparation is the key.
    If you're planning on replacing with conifers, my recommendation would be for Thuja plicata conifers, not the dreaded Leylandii. 
  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,355
    edited February 2022
    I would not use an 'instant hedge' for all the reasons given by @Fairygirl. I would use whips of whatever the rest of your hedge is (beech or hornbeam?) so that you have a continuous boundary hedge. You'll need to do some work to improve the soil first though and (depending where you are) we're coming towards the end of the bareroot planting season, so you might be more successful doing prep work over the summer with a view to planting in autumn.

    Alternatively you could use something like hawthorn which is a useful native hedging and good for wildlife. It's very forgiving of neglect, pretty tough, quick to establish and can grow quite high if you want the height in that corner.

    A stand of 3 or 5 silver birches across that corner of your lawn might look quite nice as well. You could get those in now as they'll be well within your garden and not affected by removal of the trees.

    If it's any consolation, I think you can end up with something which looks much nicer than those dreary conifers. 🙂
    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • UffUff Posts: 3,199
    I'm of the same opinion as Annied, look on the positive side. It will get rid of the shade in your garden if they come down and they aren't particularly nice to look at. 
    SW SCOTLAND but born in Derbyshire
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I would go for something deciduous ... it'll define the boundary, filter the wind, but not totally obscure what looks like a view to die for ........  @Topbird has it spot on 👍

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Yes - I'd use beech or hornbeam too, especially as that's what appears to be there already.
    I'm slightly biased though - hornbeam is my favourite hedge  :)
    It also depends on whether something is needed to filter the wind. That can be a major factor.

    A handful of specimen trees would be perfect though - whatever the choices, and situation, are.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    edited February 2022
    Being nosy, l'd like to see a photo when the trees have gone @tokens.00granule 😊
  • Dinnerplatedahlias🌸Dinnerplatedahlias🌸 Posts: 99
    Agree with the above. There’s going to be a lot of roots to remove to get the soil decent to replant in.
    We had to remove two large conifers from our border and the roots were like a matt around them but we got there. 
    Given the scale of yours it may be a job for a digger
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