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Hedging

robchalmers24robchalmers24 Posts: 6
in The potting shed
I’m looking for a suitable evergreen hedge - it’s for the front border of a lawn  and is a relatively short run 380cm long x 60cm wide. It had a very poor hedge in which I’ve removed - it was kept at around 60-90cm.  The main issue is location:
1. It’s in the central belt in Scotland but not in an elevated position.

2. Last winter the car temperature outside beside the hedge went down to minus 10 overnight on several nights 

3. The hedge is at the side of a road but it’s only a road used by a small number of cars on the estate. It faces north but across the road is the side gable of a two story house so I’m guessing that this would provide some degree of protection from wind.

So in view of low winter temperatures the choice of evergreen hedge is a bit limited. Cherry Laurel (but it’s a bit of a thug); Portuguese Laurel ; and Ive seen a lovely Osmanthus heterophyllus in a garden but not in that area. The osmanthus really looks good but will it survive? Research suggests it would do as it can take temperatures down to minus 15.  Has anyone experience of Osmanthus heterophyllus in the conditions I described or am I wasting my money as the hedge won’t thrive? I don’t want beech or yew.

Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I wouldn't use the Osmanthus, but only because it would be more difficult to keep neat for your site. It would be fine though re hardiness. There's a few hedges of it round here. I'm on the south side of Glasgow, but elevated a bit. 
    Cherry laurel isn't great for your site either, because it gets big very easily. Portuguese laurel would be fine - it's much better behaved.
    You could also try Lonicera nitida - it's very tough and comes in golds and greens. There's also L. pileata. The only drawback of those is that they do grow quite quickly, so need fairly regular trimming. 
    Good old bog standard privet would also be fine. It can get a bit bare in the more severe winters, but it comes through. It's technically only semi evergreen, but the good moisture we get her means it grows well and is ideal at the side of roads. I'm round the corner from a small NT garden, and the footpath across the road from it is mainly wild privet. It survives anything and everything  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • robchalmers24robchalmers24 Posts: 6
    Thanks for the comments. The osmanthus I’ve seen has been cut into a pyramid shape which could work rather than a hedge. Portuguese laurel is fine. Someone else mentioned privet - maybe it’s gone out of fashion these days😀 but I’ll look at it also the lonicera. Decisions decisions!!
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    The important thing is to prep the site well, especially if there's a hedge that's been removed. It's false economy to skimp on that, and the immediate aftercare.
    If you're prepping/planting soon, it'll be cooler and damper anyway, so watering is easier - usually barely necessary!  :)

    The Osmanthus is often used as a topiary sort of specimen. Very nice for that.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 3,742
    What was the hedge you removed and was there anything obvious that you could see which resulted in the poor growth ? 
  • robchalmers24robchalmers24 Posts: 6
    There was some escallonia and the other bits are a mystery and they seem to have died  or not thrived like ours. Very poor roots when I pulled them out.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    There can often be problems with footings of roads/pavements etc, being nearby, which create poor drainage, or the opposite, or low quality growing mediums for plants, so it's always a good idea to get a decent border in, with enough depth of soil for the hedge. Plenty of organic matter added too - rotted manure etc. 
    It's perfectly possible to plant near roads, but that thorough prep will always pay off.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • robchalmers24robchalmers24 Posts: 6
    Agree that removing the old soil and improving the border would be sensible
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