anyone got laurel hedging?

[steveo3002]

half of old wooden fence has suffered in the winds

im loathed to keep digging up wooden fences and treating them yearly , and was thinking a laurel hedge might make a suitable alternative

anyone got one ? bit worried it might grow a bit too much and be a pain to keep under control

 

[Shox Dr]

I dont know about Laurel, just careful what you plant, nextdoor planted a beach hedge. At least that what I thought it was, damn thing holds it leaves until it buds, so you have continual dead leaves been blown about from Sept to May.
So while it doesnt require painting, it continuous work clearing leaves

 

[steveo3002]

just dont know what the best choice is

wall would be maint free and strong , but expensive

wooden panels are just crap and im getting too old to keep replacing posts /painting panels

 

[awemawson]

We have rather too much Laurel.

It makes a very good evergreen dense hedge, BUT the leaves are poisonous to livestock, and we have sheep. This is not just theory, we've lost lambs to it in the past.

I've just had our gardener cut about a metre off the top of a fifty foot length, and to keep the leaves from blowing into the field with the sheep, it's all tarped down, awaiting the next decent day for a bonfire, which will have to start with a pile of pallets to get it going.

In a domestic situation it's probably fine. At our last place we had an 80 foot run at the front of the house that had grown far too tall and straggly. I had it cut down to about a foot, so just stump, and it re-grew into a decent hedge in a couple of years.

 

[CompoSimmonite]

I've got a Laurel hedge. I live on a corner and obviously planning law stopped me having a high fence however no such rules about hedges. It's been in for over 20 years and only gets cut once or twice a year. Quite dense so provides privacy. Few other neighbours also have Laurel hedges and none of us are constantly having to maintain. Leaves don't shed as it stays green all year round so you only have to collect them after cutting

 

[Perry Owens]

I have about 50 yds of laurel hedge as the builders of this estate used it extensively because of its' fast growing properties.It is a nice evergreen plant and doesn't need a lot of pruning, but if you let it get out of hand you will need a chainsaw instead of a hedge trimmer. For new hedge plant about 2ft apart and use English Laurel not Cherry Laurel. Cherry laurel has a high cyanide content and you get a strong smell of almonds when cutting it.

 

[zx9]

nextdoor planted a beach hedge. At least that what I thought it was, damn thing holds it leaves until it buds, so you have continual dead leaves been blown about from Sept to May.

That is beech, one of our nextdoor neighbours, a German banker, spends hours every year picking off the old leaves from their beech hedge, whilst complaining all the time that 'there is something wrong with the trees', she won't be told that is how they are.

 

[pedrobedro]

That is beech, one of our nextdoor neighbours, a German banker, spends hours every year picking off the old leaves from their beech hedge, whilst complaining all the time that 'there is something wrong with the trees', she won't be told that is how they are.

Beech hedge is nice and keeps it's dead leaves to provide a windbreak and privacy. Laurel is evergreen and when I was gardening on the schools there were more Beech than Laurel hedges. The hedge provides good habitat and the leaves are not poisonous so you get more birds nesting and things will grow in the hedgebottom. We found Laurel tends to go bare and spindly at the bottom if it is not trimmed regularly.

 

[mart]

Steveo3002 I can understand your desire for something low maintenance. Anything that grows is going to need attention of one sort or another, in varying degrees depending what it is.

While wooden fences need some element of maintenance, I think they are the lesser work of the two options.

Have you considered them white concrete bases & posts with recesses to slide the wooden panels in? The timber won't be touching wet soil etc. You could even slide the panels out to treat the other side when you need to. The only thing to ensure is that the local thieves don't t come around and slide the panels out if you live in that sort of area. There are ways to secure the panels.

If you don't want to treat the panels yourself, get a couple of young teens in the 6 week hols who would be glad of some extra spending money.

 

[jordan1]

Personally I don't like to see trees & hedges removed unnecessarily, wild life habitat and all that

 

[cumbriasteve]

I wasted time every year trimming a hedge and disposing of the cuttings, I replaced it with wooden panels and concrete posts, knowing a solid fence takes a lot of wind pressure I made sure the posts were concreted in probably nearly a metre deep.

I put a gravel board at the bottom to make it easier when cutting the grass and keep the panels up from the wet, even though the panels were treated I gave them another couple of coats with the spray gun and it has been up now for 12 years and we are high up so the winds can be hellish, still solid and no rot, a bit of a task but more than worth it in the long run.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

The only thing to ensure is that the local thieves don't t come around and slide the panels out if you live in that sort of area. There are ways to secure the panels.

 

[cumbriasteve]

I suspect he will not be doing that again

 

[mart]

The fence that Cumbriasteve has used is the type I was referring to. The gravel boards are essential really, to prevent the base of the fence from rotting. I also think it finishes the job off nicely.

 

[Ton-up]

My Boss has them around his 1 acre garden and he insists that the gardeners cut the sides with secateurs. When you use hedge cutters they leave the cut leaf edge brown and unsightly apparently!
They are cut regularly to about 7ft high and have been in about 10 years. The trunks are up to about 6" and they suck all the moisture from our crap Essex clay soil.
So be careful!

 

[mart]

On the trunk issue, it may be the case regardless of what is planted. While the tops, sides and ends are trimmed once or twice per year, the trunks do keep increasing in diameter of course. It`s inevitable really when you think about it. Another issue is that the roots continue to grow & expand underneath the lawn etc, even though the hedge is pruned regularly.

 

[oddbob]

Had a couple of laurel bushes in the front garden years ago, which regularly attracted the fella from the local funeral directors who used to cut it back for us ...and pay for the privilege!

 

[steveo3002]

concrete posts are making alot of sense to me at the moment, id be working alone though are they the sort of weight i can walk along myself with the aid of a little trolley etc?

another thing , when ive done posts before ive always ended up with a huge hole after digging out the last stump, whats the best way to get that filled as it would take a mountain of postcrete , should i attempt to repack the earth around the edges first to neaten it up if you get me?

 

[HughF]

Concrete posts, galvanised chainlink with high tensile wires

 

[Wendelspanswick]

Concrete posts, galvanised chainlink with high tensile wires

You forgot the searchlight tower every 50m mounted with a heavy machine gun post and the 'Verboten' signs!