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Hedge help (revisited)

Rob LockwoodRob Lockwood Posts: 380
edited July 2022 in Plants
My previous post seems to have hit the wrong notes, so I'm trying again with a hopefully better-worded one.
My hedge is privet, which grows too fast for what I need.  What options are there for a replacement which will grow only to 5ft/1.5m?  Evergreen.  Needs to cover a length of 9-12ft.  Doesn't need to be maintenance free, just less maintenance than the privet (which, apart from Leylandii, is probably anything).
Happy to buy more mature plants if that gets me to 5ft height quickly.  Doesn't have to be any more than a simple screen to stop neighbours looking in, and probably doesn't have to be as full/opaque as privet (happy for it to be slightly see-through as long as it mainly screens).
Youu'll see below that it sits atop a 5ft-6ft wall dropping down into the street, if that makes any difference (ignore the scratty cotoneaster).
Thanks for any help!  And thanks to those who've already answered - it may be that a trelis/fence will be the best option, but worth asking whether there's a hedge solution.  Berberis?



Posts

  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    Possibly Escallonia ?
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    I grow Berberis darwinii, it can take very hard pruning but it's thorns are a problem. Not all berberis are evergreen if that is what you want. Escallonia works well as a hedge but it will take time to get to the height you want and it has a spreading habit.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    I replied on the other thread - privet doesn't take a great deal of looking after and has the great advantages of being tolerant of a wide range of conditions and of being cut back hard if necessary. I think digging it out (carefully to avoid damaging the wall or compromising the structure) and getting new shrubs established will be a lot more work than cutting the privet a couple of times a year.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • Rob LockwoodRob Lockwood Posts: 380
    Thanks all!
  • StephenSouthwestStephenSouthwest Posts: 635
    I'm thinking Yew as a slower growing evergreen
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    If you are prepared to remove the privet, an alternative worth considering is Western Red Cedar, Thuja plicata, an evergreen conifer (not like the thug Leylandii!), which forms a dense green screen and needs cutting only once a year.  You'll need to reinvigorate your soil with organic matter such as garden compost, farmyard manure or soil conditioner and keep your plants well watered while they get established.  There are several online suppliers who stock different sized plants.  I'd wait until September to plant but you could remove the privet in the meantime and get the soil prepared.
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • Rob LockwoodRob Lockwood Posts: 380
    Thanks both - will take a look.
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