Privet or box?

Discussion in 'General Gardening Discussion' started by Garyc, May 2, 2013.

  1. Garyc

    Garyc Apprentice Gardener

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    Hi,

    We are wanting to plant a 2ft high hedge to "dress" where the house meets the ground, so it'll be about 4 ft away from house.

    We'd like it to be box or privet - a small leaf robust evergreen. We want to do 2 sides of the house but one of them is on the north of the house.

    Which one is going to survive best on the north side? Which should I go for?

    Thanks

    Gary
     
  2. Loofah

    Loofah Admin Staff Member

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    Both will survive but a couple of things to consider - Box blight appears to be on the increase and privet can get leggy if not well tended.
    Have you considered lonicera nitida?
     
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    • pete

      pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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      Agree with Loofah, but I have a hedge of lonicera nitida, and it needs clipping about four times a year just to keep it in bounds.
      I'd go for box if you only want 2ft high.
       
    • Kristen

      Kristen Under gardener

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      Blight would be my worry with Box ... you can plant Japanese Box instead to avoid that (Ilex crenata - its actually a holly, but looks like box). Both are slow though ... and expensive (plant spacing will only be about 6", maybe 9", and they are probably £3 each - don't buy tiny plants, you'll wait forever ...)

      When you plant it I recommend: you make sure you a) plant it dead straight and b) you get the plant spacing spot-on. Because the plants are so close together you will see any slight mis-alignment for years to come and it will bug you (well ... it would me!!)

      I think Privet is rather vigorous for a 2' high

      You might get away with Yew, although I think it would be happier waist high. It will only needs cutting once a year.
       
    • shiney

      shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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      I agree with the others. You have an awkward choice. Box is a slow grower and expensive. Privet is fast and cheap and would be the best option if you were to have it a little bit higher.

      Either way, having it alongside the wall (if I'm understanding you correctly) would restrict it's growth, particularly on the north side.

      If it really is to be alongside the wall then you could grow other things instead. Such as Euonymous (it's just as good as a free standing hedge or shrub and can also be trained to climb a wall).

      http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plants/plant_finder/plant_pages/11270.shtml

      This is quite easy to keep as a hedge ( you need to pick the right variety but there are loads of them) and they come in different colours. The most common, and easiest, are the variegated ones that can be green and gold or green and silver. They don't take too long to get established, grow fairly fast but don't need too much trimming.
       
    • Garyc

      Garyc Apprentice Gardener

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      Thank you for the thoughts. The hedge we were hoping to be 18" wide, 2 to 3 ft high. It will be planted 3ft 9" away from the wall to leave a clear passage between house and hedge for trimming. Does this change anything?

      I love box but am slightly wary as I have lost a few in perfectly decent borders where nothing else died. Not sure what the signs of box blight are.

      Am lurching towards privet I think but ill take a look at the lonicera. Yew is a good suggestion. I like it.
       
    • pamsdish

      pamsdish Total Gardener

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      Have you considered cotoneaster, fast growing, clipable and a food source for wildlife.:thumbsup:
       
    • shiney

      shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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      Here are a couple of photos of some of the Euonymous in our garden. It's very easy to look after.

      This photo is of the gold variety and about 2ft' 6" high. We used to keep it clipped in a fairly sharp shape at 2ft high. Now we leave it a bit wilder as Mrs Shiney uses it a lot in flower arrangements. The one in the distance is only the width of the one in the foreground. There are some other gold coloured plants behind it.



      P1160437.JPG


      This is a silver version that is over 6ft high but less than 6" deep. We use it as a screen and it leans against, and grows through, a trellis. It didn't need any training on the trellis but just used it as a support and, if we could get the trellis out, it would now be freestanding. It only gets trimmed once a year, in the autumn, and is covered in small white flowers in late spring which the honey bees absolutely adore. The gold version we trim twice a year so doesn't get a chance to flower.
      P1160461.JPG

      This grows in a 6" wide bed in the patio.
       
    • Garyc

      Garyc Apprentice Gardener

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      That looks really good. 6" really? Wow. Went on open gardens tour yesterday and unfortunately my mind is made up now. It has to be yew. I know it'll bankrupt me and I'll be dead long before it reaches size but its the look I want. We have free draining soil and are prepared to go up 3 ft high so I think it should be ok. Just need to find some expensive antiques at a car boot now for 50p!
       
    • Kristen

      Kristen Under gardener

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      How long did that take to grow Shiney?

      There are some nice "buttresses" at East Ruston Old Vicarage. I assumed they were Variegated Box so discounted them on the grounds that they would take a lifetime to grow (or a Lottery Win!!) but they may be Euonymous, either way depending on speed I might be up from some Euonymous features :)

      IMG_4291_Buttress.jpg

      IMG_4292_Buttress.jpg
       
    • shiney

      shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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      Kristen, they don't look like Euonymous.

      I'm not sure of the speed of growth. I know that the golden one, that was trimmed regularly, use to grow between 12" and 24" a year. That was once it got established. So you would need to give it a couple of years to get established. Mrs Shiney says she might actually trim it before Open Day. If she does I'll ask her if they're suitable as cuttings and, if so, we'll keep them for you.

      We've had the silver one for about 30 years so I don't know how long it took to get to 6ft :scratch:. It shouldn't have a growth rate that differs much from the gold. You can have a good look at it when you get here.
       
    • Kristen

      Kristen Under gardener

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      Indeed, leaf looks smaller I think? But after your posts I think Euonymous would make a suitable "buttress", only faster :) its something I hadn't considered before, as I'd only considered Box and thought "Too slow for me"!

      That's very kind, thanks.
       
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