Hedges for privacy

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Hedges for privacy
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dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46211
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Apr 03, 18 5:55 pm Post subject:
if it is called "the long wood" it isnt a hedge

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Tue Apr 03, 18 7:12 pm Post subject:
I was thinking 'shelter belt'

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46211
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Apr 03, 18 9:27 pm Post subject:
that sounds nice.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15967

Posted: Wed Apr 04, 18 7:00 am Post subject:

If you are in the National Forest, there might be some help available. There are certainly grants for tree planting, but not sure if what you have in mind would qualify. You could try looking on the Forestry Commission website. If it linked one hedge or wood with another to form a wildlife corridor, there is more chance of a grant than if it is just a stand alone hedge.

To have something that is rotatiional, what about something like hazel or chestnut if it will grow? Hazel has a rotation from 7 years upward, but can be left a lot longer if you want, and chestnut about 20 years. They are open during the winter, but break up any view. You could add gorse or an evergreen shrub on the 'outside' to stop people throwing rubbish over and block the bottom view. Things like Norway spruce grow so they are open at the bottom and may fall the wrong way if planted too close together and not thinned.

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Thu Apr 05, 18 12:24 pm Post subject:

Last time I looked (and it was awhile ago) forestry grants were only available for more than three hectares, which this land isn’t. I didn’t check hedging. The Freewoods scheme is, because of the National Foroest (this always makes laugh, because there aren’t really many trees!)

The plan is to have a native hedge on the boundary (probably mainly Hazel) and to have a hideous, quick growing evergreen shelter belt about 4m in, kept to about 4m tall (must check if hedging equipment can trim that tall). I will probably then plant something nicer for a longer term screen inside the evergreen. Holly, or bay perhaps, depending on space. That will mean that a tractor mounted trimmer can get in to cut the evergreen, the neighbours will not be unduly shaded and my precious privacy will be assured. Once the permanent evergreens are tall enough, the conifers can come out.

I’d love some sweet chestnut. A local friend has tried to grow it and failed, I think it might be our clay. We have a lot of clay! I’ll be improving the land at the new place, though so it might be worth chancing it.

Nicky cigreen

Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 9881
Location: Devon, uk

Posted: Thu Apr 05, 18 4:26 pm Post subject:
you could consider beech hedging? If clipped correctly they keep their leaves, until the new growth comes through.. as an alternative to or mixed in with evergreens.

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Thu Apr 05, 18 5:23 pm Post subject:

dpack wrote:

just a thought but would a cash crop of evergreen trees make for a screen, a broad strip could provide a rolling cash crop/fuel/timber as well as giving the required privacy with no "hedge" issues involved...

I was going to suggest something similar.
Or if not, I'd favour laurel over conifer as an evergreen hedge, though that can have issues with livestock.
Or holly, if it was not my job to trim it.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15967

Posted: Fri Apr 06, 18 7:01 am Post subject:

Beech is a good alternative to an evergreen Nicky. The road my parents lived in had those either side and they looked good as well as being leaf covered all year. They have to be kept clipped every year to ensure that the outside is only a year or two old though.

I don't know how wide your land is WW, but if you are having 3 hedges, one inside the other, you are probably talking of a minimum of 20-30 feet width, possibly more if you need to get a mechanical hedge cutter up each side of the main hedge.

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Sat Apr 07, 18 12:22 am Post subject:

That won’t be a problem, it’s a five acre field, in a rough rectangle, and this is the short side. There’s plenty of space.

I like beech, so there will certainly be some somewhere. I’m no fan of laurel, though, and it does have livestock issues. It’s bad enough trying to fence things in, let alone fencing them out of things they oughtn't eat as well! Pruning will be a tractor job, I reckon.

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