Restoring untidy/lifeless hedging area

Novice here. Would appreciate some advice. I need to rejuvenate my garden (it has been used as a builders’ yard for the past couple of years and is looking terrible!).

I’ve never been a ‘proper gardener’, but I want to do as much of the work as I can myself, to save on costs.

First job is to sort out the boundary area between us and neighbour. As the attached images show, the area is a real mess, with lots of gaps in the hedging/foliage, and some of it looking unkempt and lifeless (although parts of it are still quite thick).

I’d like to get as much coverage as possible in this area for privacy reasons, and as quickly as possible – fill in all the gaps with lots of big green stuff!

What would be the best way to go about it? In particular, what would be the best things to plant to give me nice thick coverage between us and the neighbour, and as quickly as possible?

 

First of all remove all the rubbish, then remove the ivy and brambles. That will let you see the state of the fence.
Then remove anything obviously dead.
Then stand back and see whats left and what you might want to keep and what to take out.
Post some more pictures on here so people can see the space and what is actually there. Also if possible location, what the soil is like clay, sand or just soil and how much sun various bits get.
Note big plants are expensive and need big holes and looking after for the first few years.

 

Is it privet? If so, it should come back well from a good pruning. A good bit lower and narrower than you want the "finished" size to be. You want to cut back the long woody branches to make them bush out from low down. It tends to produce a mass of new shoots from just below where it's cut, so if you want the base to fill out you need to cut at least the front part down low.

Definitely get as much ivy out as you can by the roots, it will grow back if you just cut it down to the ground (unless you like it and want it on the fence). If you can't get the roots out you could cut it to the ground then keep treating the new growth with brushwood killer as it appears, and it will eventually give up. Same for the sycamore(?) tree- bottom left in the pic whose filename begins A3. You don't want that in a smallish garden.

I think maybe I see some jasmine in there too - that will also come back from a hard prune.

 

I'd agree - you need to clear the whole area, then take stock of what's viable, and that will depend on whether you even want any of what's left.
The fence looks like it needs serious repairing, or replacing, but you'd need to determine who it belongs to first. I'd guess it's the neighbour that owns it - judging by that first pic. That means you can't do anything to it without their permission. Perhaps you could share the cost of a new fence?
If that isn't feasible, it would be better to either construct a new one of your own inside it, or just clear and prep the area and plant a new hedge. The only problem with just doing the latter is - if the existing fence then falls down, the neighbour may blame your hedge for that. It certainly doesn't look in good condition at all. The advantage of your own fence also means you don't have the problem of maintaining the other side of the hedge if the current one falls down, as your fence will help keep any planting more contained. You can also do whatever you want with the fence re painting, adding trellis etc.
If you can do some/all of that before about October, you can take advantage of the bare root season, and that means a far cheaper way to get a new hedge. Most suppliers do a whole variety of hedging and shrubs, so you can have a variety rather than one type if you want.
Bear in mind that nothing is 'instant' as such. Buying large specimens isn't the answer because they need more care, and anything that grows quickly, doesn't conveniently stop at the height you want.

 

Check on your house Title Deeds to see which boundaries go with your house before doing anything to fences. There is a general rule of thumb but I cannot remember what it is. You may need to ask a solicitor to do it for you to be certain.

 

Are you sure there's a hedge there? If there isn't the established ivy may be the most rapid way of creating a nice evergreen hedge, you'd have to give it something to climb. I would clear away the rubbish, and all the weeds, but leave the ivy until you can see what you've got.

 

An electric B&Q saw might be needed.

 

A hand operated saw is equally effective and you don't need an electric cable to make it go.

 

Not if you buy a battery one that take seconds not hours to cut through dense thicket.

 

Its coming around to bare root hedging season; perhaps it may be best to start again, in which case get on and prepare the boundary so as to be ready to plant your selection in November.
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