Yew goes there?
Hedges provide privacy in all shapes and sizes, writes David Overend.
It’s surprising what people do to keep themselves to themselves and hide their homes and garden from the prying eyes of passersby and nosy neighbours. Hence the proliferation – some years back – of what became the ubiquitous Leylandii hedge. The subsequent size of this quick-growing evergreen proved to be a monumental mistake for many gardeners who discovered that what had, at first, been an attractive little green shrub, turned quickly into a big, green, overbearing mass.
Thankfully, we seem to have learned our lesson – Leylandii are best used as hedges where they have plenty of space and won’t upset those next door.
Now, people are more likely to plant that old favourite, beech, or perhaps the more attractive hornbeam. They still need pruning regularly, but they should never become as problematic as Leylandii.
And cherry laurel, Prunus laurocerasus, is another commonly-cultivated form of hedging. Given the right conditions and kept within bounds, it can soon grow into an effective border of hedge, a mass of rich, glossy evergreen foliage; very hardy, and relatively tolerant of pruning.
Some people have chosen hollies to mark their territorial boundaries –
Ilex aquifolium (especially the variety, ‘Argentea Marginata’) can be persuaded to become an impenetrable mass of yearround, spiky foliage. A mature specimen can reach a height of 12ft, but it’s best kept trimmed to a more manageable height.
Other sharp-leaved shrubs that can be planted to form boundaries include Berberis, Escallonia and Oleiria, but not everyone wants the job of trying to keep in check such potentially painful hedges. Box (Buxus) will make a lovely symmetrical hedge, although it’s normally grown to a height of inches rather than feet.
Taxus baccata (yew) is also a fine choice for hedging (and topiary). Given the right conditions – well-dug, moist but freedraining, fertile soil – it will grow quite quickly and is easy to trim to height and shape. The same applies to that old favourite, privet.
And then there are the people who grow mixed hedges where flowers, foliage and berries benefit the gardener and wildlife.
But whatever the choice, a hedge needs the best start in life – well-dug soil with all weeds removed and then beefed up with heaps of organic material, such as old compost or well-rotted manure. Give plants a slow-release fertilizer, firm them in well, and water thoroughly.