Hedging
Plants:
Ligustrum
ovalifolium (privet)
Privet is a semi-evergreen hedging plant which can reach a maximum of
3metres in height. Privet usually needs to be clipped two to three times
a year during the growing season, which makes it a little labour intensive.
A main advantage is that privet is particularly hardy and copes well
with windy conditions, which makes it a good plant for coastal areas.
Crataegus
monogyna (hawthorn)
Hawthorn is particularly useful as a hedging plant in exposed gardens
or those in coastal areas. It responds well when it needs to be ‘renovated’
(cut back hard), but as it requires pruning/clipping twice a year (in
summer and in the autumn) it might be considered too time-consuming
for many gardeners. Reaching a height of up to 3metres hawthorn makes
an attractive, but deciduous, formal hedge.
Taxus baccata (yew)
Yew hedging is almost the epitome of formal gardening. Being fully hardy,
evergreen, tolerant of many situations (including both acid and alkaline
soil conditions) and slow-growing, T. baccata is an ideal plant
for use in a low maintenance garden. A main disadvantage is that all
parts of yew are toxic (with the exception of the flesh of the berries,
although the seeds within them are toxic), so it may not be suitable
for use where there are likely to be small children present. As an aside,
a compound (by the trade name of ‘Taxol’) originally found
in yew is now being used in the treatment of ovarian and breast cancer.
Lonicera nitida
Although related to the honeysuckle, L. nitida is a hardy,
evergreen, bush of a shrub. ‘Poor Man’s Box’ is a
common name for it, given because it is similar to box (although not
as neat) but grows faster and is generally cheaper to buy and quicker
to establish. A disadvantage is that while it is hardy, it is not best
suited to very exposed conditions.
X Cupressocyparis leylandii
The Leyland cypress is a vigorous (sometimes too much so!) conifer which
is hardy as well as fast growing. Although the speedy growth may be
an advantage when first establishing a hedge, it quickly becomes a double-edged
sword as regular clipping is required to keep the hedge in shape. Suitable
only for very large gardens.
Euonymus japonicus
An evergreen shrub or small tree, E. japonicus performs well
in any garden soil, and a major advantage is that they do not require
any pruning (although should you wish to cut them back it should be
done in March). A slight disadvantage is that the fruit (which are pale
pink) are rarely produced when grown in the UK, which might make one
consider a more aesthetically pleasing subject for a hedge.
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