Fri May 10, 2019 2:07 pm
#1692697
I know, this isn’t GQT - but I know enough of you here know what you’re talking about.
Over the past few years our neighbourhood privet hedges have suffered from a fungal infection. Added to that, the couple of long hot dry spells we’ve had the past 2 or 3 years, I have patches of dead hedge - worst is the bottom of the property where it’s open season for sticky fingered scrotes to jump over.
I fancy filling those dead spaces with “mixed” hedge. Less pretty to look at, but hopefully hardier - and also act as a barrier to the ever present scrotes who are hitting 2-3 houses per night around the village etc.
I have (non flowering) Hawthorn, which I’ve started softwood cuttings from, and not far away there is flowering Hawthorn where I’ll take a few snips and propagate those also.
I fancy adding Blackthorn, but I have no gardening experience with that.
Anything else I should consider?
Aim is to have a sturdy barrier that animals (esp. humans) won’t enjoy going through, offers a bio diverse habitat for bugs and birds etc, and can be kept by pruning into something that resembles a hedge(row).
I don’t mind taking cuttings, letting those grow for a few years etc.
Ideally I’ll end up with a good mix of Hawthorn, Blackthorn and “other stuff” that’ll be a nice home for local wildlife, bees etc, but manageable to the point I can keep it down enough to be a screen.
*should be noted i am putting in fencing to secure my place where the hedge has died off - but it’s always been my ambition to back fill that with something local and sustainable.
Over the past few years our neighbourhood privet hedges have suffered from a fungal infection. Added to that, the couple of long hot dry spells we’ve had the past 2 or 3 years, I have patches of dead hedge - worst is the bottom of the property where it’s open season for sticky fingered scrotes to jump over.
I fancy filling those dead spaces with “mixed” hedge. Less pretty to look at, but hopefully hardier - and also act as a barrier to the ever present scrotes who are hitting 2-3 houses per night around the village etc.
I have (non flowering) Hawthorn, which I’ve started softwood cuttings from, and not far away there is flowering Hawthorn where I’ll take a few snips and propagate those also.
I fancy adding Blackthorn, but I have no gardening experience with that.
Anything else I should consider?
Aim is to have a sturdy barrier that animals (esp. humans) won’t enjoy going through, offers a bio diverse habitat for bugs and birds etc, and can be kept by pruning into something that resembles a hedge(row).
I don’t mind taking cuttings, letting those grow for a few years etc.
Ideally I’ll end up with a good mix of Hawthorn, Blackthorn and “other stuff” that’ll be a nice home for local wildlife, bees etc, but manageable to the point I can keep it down enough to be a screen.
*should be noted i am putting in fencing to secure my place where the hedge has died off - but it’s always been my ambition to back fill that with something local and sustainable.