Yet Another Cycling Forum
Random Musings => Miscellany => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: essexian on 09 April, 2019, 01:09:44 pm
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Blimey, I am confused so of course I come here as I know someone will have the knowledge to help!
We currently have ten or so large trees in the back garden screening us from the houses behind. These are in quite a state now as frankly they had not been looked after before we came here and to be honest, we hadn't really bothered with them. After speaking to a Tree bloke, we have been advised to cut them down and put something new in their place. Hence, my post.
I don't want to bother with trees again (I think they are Leylandii) as they are a right pain to have someone in yearly to trim them back, so I would like to put a hedge in instead, something which I can trim myself. So, my wishes are that the plants grow to no more than 5m, grow some 30cm to 60cm per year and are either evergreen or keep their leaves (dead or otherwise) over the winter. I must also be able to get them from the supplier standing already 2 to 2.5m high.
Oh... and they must be wildlife and pet friendly.
Finally, any ideas how to get tree stumps out of the ground... I had thought about hiring a mini digger. Would that work?
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Thuja occidetalis
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I like Thuja too but it might get ‘remind’ you of leylandii.
Stumps: Can’t the same guy to grub them out for you?
Evergreen suggestion would be laurel. Deciduous would be beech (£) or hornbeam which both to a degree hold onto their dead leaves over the winter to give you some screening.
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I'd be tempted just to plant the new hedge between the stumps. If they are Leylandii they won't sprout again.
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I'd be tempted just to plant the new hedge between the stumps. If they are Leylandii they won't sprout again.
There is some wisdom in this suggestion.
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Laurel is the obvious suggestion, except that it's not particularly wildlife friendly (though not wildlife unfriendly either). Encouraging wildlife really means a native species, and I can't think of anything native which will grow as quickly as you want. A completely off-the-wall idea would be bamboo, which would be totally maintainance-free as long as you choose a non-spreading one.
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I'd go with a mixed hedge of things like holly, beech, hawthorn, pyracantha, hornbeam. All flower at different times, lose leave differenty and give wider wildlife attraction than a single species. None should be too invasive either
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Planting between old stumps does come with risks, although the original post does not appear to acknowledge any. I.e honey fungus etc.
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Get your local tree guy to use a stump grinder.
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My suggestion would be lonicera nitida. It is a golden coloured evergreen with small leaves that can be trimmed and shaped easily.
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Hornbeam and whitebeam, plus hawthorn.
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Yew grows faster than most people think, although it's not especially pet or child friendly.
If you have a wood-burning stove, leylandii is a surprisingly decent firewood. Not good on an open fire, as it may spit.
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If you have a wood-burning stove, leylandii is a surprisingly decent firewood. Not good on an open fire, as it may spit.
We burnt a good proportion of next doors Leylandii on our open fire, after about 8 months seasoning. It was fine.
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Please plant hawthorn as, a, great robber deterrent, and b, great for insects esp honey bees.
I've put in 180 between us and the vacant plot next door on the basis of, a, great for my bees, and b, if the eventual new neighbours are horrors I let it grow. :)
PH
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Cheers all, I think I will go with a mixed selected as suggested.
The current thinking is that we will have the work done in late August/September so all nesting etc has been completed. Is that a good idea in that will the new trees have time to bed in before winter?
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If buying the plants as bare rooted plants I would wait until autumn/winter, otherwise you will be watering them regularly
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Cheers all, I think I will go with a mixed selected as suggested.
The current thinking is that we will have the work done in late August/September so all nesting etc has been completed. Is that a good idea in that will the new trees have time to bed in before winter?
Have a chat with a decent tree nursery, they’ll advise. As to the post re bare root plants, you’ll only be able to buy them when it’s suitable to plant them, if you use a decent nursery. And why not plant them yourself?
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You could find a local(ish) hedge layer via https://www.hedgelaying.org.uk/
They will do a quality job of planting the whips and pleaching/staking and you'll have a hedge you can be very proud of in a few years which will be bursting with life.
Laurel is the tree of the devil, God rot it. Literally discharges poison into the soil to kill off its competition. Ghastly stuff.