What type of hedge shall I plant and when?

Hi,
Im needing to plant a hedge for privacy reasons having just bought a house with a low iron railing border. I plan to grow a hedge - 6ft 6" max height apparently, so passing people cant see me and my family playing on the lawn and also to attract wildlife into the garden.

Id ideally like a mixed hedge possibly with some colour - leaves, seeds etc... throughout the seasons.

Im currently painting the railings against which i plan to plant said hedge. can i plant it this year? or am i best waiting till next year now?
any advice gratefully received.
greenthumbs...

 

The ones mentioned below are all evergreen so you'll have year round privacy.

Some suggestions :

Escallonia (either iveyi, rubra macrantha or one of the others)
Elaeagnus (ebbingei or pungens maculata)
Arbutus unedo (strawberry tree)
Viburnum tinus
Photinia (red robin)

There's also good old prunus laurocerasus rotundifolia (Cherry Laurel), which is probably the fastest growing of those mentioned.

These flower/produce berries at various times of the year so it's possible to have year round interest in a mixed hedge.

 

As John says autumn is a great time for planting a new hedge; the ground will still be warm and the plants can start rooting and establishing before the cold weather comes. The only thing is you will have to buy pot grown plants and they would be more expensive, bare root plants would be available a bit later in the year and towards next spring.

Planting a mixed hedge to attract wildlife is a great idea; you have two options you could stick to completely native stuff such as; hazel, holly, hawthorn, dog rose, blackthorn, oak, field maple, etc. Try this link for some ideas; RHS Native Hedging | Native Hedge Plants | Mixed Hedging

The other option is using ornamental plants that wildlife is attracted to, such as; Viburnum Tinus, Cotoneaster, Flowering Current, Laurel (portugeuse or cherry), privet, pyracantha, berberis etc..

Because you're planting along some railings you could also attach some nest boxes and roosting pockets securely to the fence and then as the hedge grows they will become part of the hedge and provide extra nesting opportunities for the birds.

Good Luck, sounds like an exciting project :thumb:

 

I would go for Privet, it`s semi evergreen, has sweetlt scented white flowers, is attractive to birds and bees, is esy to look after and is very hard wearing. Ideally, buy and plant bare root whips in October/November time, they will be a damn sight cheaper than pot grown plants.

 

thanks all of you for your suggestions.

I will look at all the different types suggested, then my wife will probrably ignore the list and choose what she wants! I know she mentioned holly yesterday.

I think we will go and take a few walks around our new estate and get some ideas from neighbours gardens and if were lucky, - if they are in the garden, get talking to a few to find out what plants/trees etc.. are being used in their hedge.

again many thanks and happy gardening.

greenthumbs...

 

Holly grows at a rate of about 6 inches a year, so you should have a decent hedge in about 10 years.:D