This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
2-3m privacy hedge - evergreen, non toxic alternative to cherry laurel and beech?
mail79514
Posts: 8
Hello! We have recently moved into a property and looking to get some hedging for privacy up as quickly as possible as our garden is rather overlooked by a neighbour's property. Have had various suggestions but still scratching our heads! Suggestions very welcome.
Ideal requirements:
- Evergreen
- Non-toxic as we have a young child that puts everything in her mouth. No pets. If we can't find a non-toxic I think we may end up going for a laurel.
- Something that will comfortably grow to 3m. 2.4m would be the minimum to get us more privacy than we have now.
- Can be purchased/planted at around 2m already grown?! So we don't have to wait too long for it to grow up? This is the trickiest ask I think. Or, failing that, something that will grow very quickly from a lower height.
- Fast growth rate, 30-60cm a year
- Hardy (we are novice gardeners!)
- Affordable... max budget £750 (though do have some flexibility) though we would love to spend far less and could with something like beech.
Garden is south facing (hedge will be at the far south end, behind a fence). We'd really like some more privacy by next summer if possible but certainly by Summer 2025 (fingers crossed!). The approximate area we want hedged is 6m width by 3m height. We are in Wiltshire, soil is chalk formation. We may move house again in 5-7 years so we don't want something that will take that long to grow, if that makes sense, otherwise it's not worth doing...!
We have looked at:
Cherry laurel, portuguese laurel - concerned about toxicity as we have a young child. Also concerned it is a bit aggressive/invasive?!
Beech, hornbeam - tempting (we like that it is native) but we don't really like the brown leaves in winter look personally, we would much prefer something evergreen.
Yew, Privet - again, toxicity is a negative.
Photinia Red Robin - I do like it, although would prefer something just green and not red
Griselinia littoralis - I like this but can't find it at a tall enough height to purchase that wouldn't seemingly take ages to grow. Help?!
Elaeagnus (Oleaster), Elaeagnus pungens - again I really like the look of these but seem not to be as widely sold/would take a long time to grow.
Laurus Nobilis, Bay Laurel - think it wouldn't grow high enough?
Bamboo - we think this will feel too out of place on our estate, maybe a but unwieldy too
Pleached trees - could be an option but expensive!
Think we might be asking for the impossible but thanks so much for any ideas or anything I've missed/misunderstood! We started off at Cherry/Portuguese laurel, then got put off from research, but now I feel like we are circling back to it!
Ideal requirements:
- Evergreen
- Non-toxic as we have a young child that puts everything in her mouth. No pets. If we can't find a non-toxic I think we may end up going for a laurel.
- Something that will comfortably grow to 3m. 2.4m would be the minimum to get us more privacy than we have now.
- Can be purchased/planted at around 2m already grown?! So we don't have to wait too long for it to grow up? This is the trickiest ask I think. Or, failing that, something that will grow very quickly from a lower height.
- Fast growth rate, 30-60cm a year
- Hardy (we are novice gardeners!)
- Affordable... max budget £750 (though do have some flexibility) though we would love to spend far less and could with something like beech.
Garden is south facing (hedge will be at the far south end, behind a fence). We'd really like some more privacy by next summer if possible but certainly by Summer 2025 (fingers crossed!). The approximate area we want hedged is 6m width by 3m height. We are in Wiltshire, soil is chalk formation. We may move house again in 5-7 years so we don't want something that will take that long to grow, if that makes sense, otherwise it's not worth doing...!
We have looked at:
Cherry laurel, portuguese laurel - concerned about toxicity as we have a young child. Also concerned it is a bit aggressive/invasive?!
Beech, hornbeam - tempting (we like that it is native) but we don't really like the brown leaves in winter look personally, we would much prefer something evergreen.
Yew, Privet - again, toxicity is a negative.
Photinia Red Robin - I do like it, although would prefer something just green and not red
Griselinia littoralis - I like this but can't find it at a tall enough height to purchase that wouldn't seemingly take ages to grow. Help?!
Elaeagnus (Oleaster), Elaeagnus pungens - again I really like the look of these but seem not to be as widely sold/would take a long time to grow.
Laurus Nobilis, Bay Laurel - think it wouldn't grow high enough?
Bamboo - we think this will feel too out of place on our estate, maybe a but unwieldy too
Pleached trees - could be an option but expensive!
Think we might be asking for the impossible but thanks so much for any ideas or anything I've missed/misunderstood! We started off at Cherry/Portuguese laurel, then got put off from research, but now I feel like we are circling back to it!
0
Posts
Leylandii would of course suit your growth needs down to the ground but whoever buys your house in the future probably wouldnt thank you.
Buying large plants is never a good idea as they're harder to establish, especially if you're not experienced.
Eleagnus is a very good hedge, but yes - it will take a few years to establish and grow to about 6 feet, and that also depends on your conditions and climate. All hedge suppliers sell it. At this time of year you can buy bare root hedging of all types, which is much cheaper, and establishes quickly. We can give you suggestions of good suppliers. Privet is also ideal, but needs more trimming.
If you're worried about a child putting stuff in their mouth, then I'm afraid you'll worry about everything. There are plenty of dangerous chemicals in your kitchen. Young children do need to be supervised when outside, just as they need it around kitchen items that can be dangerous.
If it's going behind a fence, I'm not really sure why you need a hedge, but there are height limits on them anyway - so if you let it grow to 3metres, you may find yourself in bother. 2m is the usual height limit. If you need that sort of height for privacy, it's better to construct a simple pergola with climbers on it, rather than put in a hedge.
Whatever, you plant, the ground needs to be well prepped as that will help establish any hedging plant. Anything you buy will take around 6 months to a year to establish properly, even with ideal conditions, before it starts growing. Keeping it well watered and mulched in the first year is the main factor, so next spring/summer is key.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Just to add to what has already been said ...
You will need to leave a gap between the hedge and the fence so that you can maintain your side of the fence when needed. So the hedge will end up taking up quite a bit of your garden.
Another idea would be to look at a trellis topper for the fence.
Something like this company does (just for illustrative purposes as I've never bought from them)
https://www.jacksons-fencing.co.uk/fence-top-trellis
But, you will need permission from your neighbours if the fence isn't yours. Also you may want to check the height restrictions issue.
I think the idea of a pergola with climbers is the way to go.
Work out where you will want to sit, and create a nice and private area.
A couple of trees such as crab apple or amelanchier in the garden would also break up you view to the neighbours.
This may well be the cheapest option, and would give you the quickest solution, especially if this is not your "forever home".
Good luck with it all.
Bee x
A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
Thank you for your comments so far including @GardenerSuze on the other thread (apologies for that duplication, my fault). @ontopofthehill yes, correct, same person 😂 Thanks for your replies.
I am going to reply to individual comments later when my daughter is asleep but I thought I would add a picture and a bit more info.
This is a mock-up with pleached trees (which aren’t there currently, just bare fence). Showing the heights. We are willing to risk possible complaints re height but the only person who will really be affected is the apartment neighbour whose living room we can see in to so think they would appreciate the privacy too as they currently have their curtains closed most the time. It is our fence and behind it is a car park (no one’s garden) so we can access both sides of the fence. There are no other houses close enough to be bothered. We do plan to keep it maintained. Just feel a bit exposed at the moment so keen for some screening.
It is a south facing garden but because of the fence the hedge will be north facing really I suppose! Soil is chalky.
At the moment we feel some pleached trees may be our best option that won’t overwhelm our garden… I’m just trying to find an alternative to laurel really that is evergreen. Will reply more later.
Thoughts on Bay Laurel or Photinia Red Robin pleached? Would this be an option?