Recommend [me] a hedge...

[rich p]

I beg to differ about Lonicera nitida - must be trimmed hard and often, or it's the ugliest straggliest thing known to humans.

..and you've met @Marmion !!!

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Is that directed at me 3bm?

Nope, nothing personal unless it's rocky or rich p.

 

[summerdays]

I beg to differ about Lonicera nitida - must be trimmed hard and often, or it's the ugliest straggliest thing known to humans.

I agree, I had it growing as a hedge at the last house, needed to be trimmed regularly and tended to spread by roots underground, when I left it was about 8 ft high. Though my parents keep it as a neat 1 ft hedge so trim it far more regularly.

 

[ayceejay]

That has not been my experience with Lonicera but then I am in a cooler climate than you but you have raised the question of both climate and personal taste.

 

[Archie_tect]

We only trim our beech hedges once at the end of summer... the copper beech varieties are lovely... we've planted honeysuckle [vine varieties] for the fantastic scent in late summer evenings...

Agree with Mort that Yew is the best long term hedge.

Hate privet and wouldn't ever have it again.

We have two varieties of viburnum, a pink flowering very slow growing one with purple/ dark green leaves which is ancient but flowers twice a year and a horrible rapid growing bright green leafed one with white flowers which I haste... viburnum only flower on last year's growth so not good as you'd have to trim as a hedge at least once every year.

 

[Archie_tect]

I recommend hedging your beds at every opportunity.

You can't beat a rambling honeysuckle ... it pops up in the most unexpected places...

 

[Dave 123]

http://www.davidaustinroses.co.uk/english/Advanced.asp?PageId=1896

If you'd like a showy, flowery hedge.

If you want a mixed hedge why not plant a British native mixed hedge, a bit of beech, oak, holly, dogwood, viburnum, rose etc. grow it for a few years, then lay it and thicken it up.

Now is the time to get bare root hedging which will be the cheapest way of doing it. Plant in a double or treble staggered row about a foot apart, for quicker, thicker results.

A David Austin hedge will cost more than a carbon bike!

 

[I like Skol]

At the risk of making myself grossly unpopular, how about conifer? I have used them at my last two homes and they grow quickly, are evergreen and with just 2 trimmings a year are very tidy and almost geometrically boxy. I allow mine to grow to about 6ft to allow some privacy in the front garden and they are excellent at screening you from any activity going on on the other side.

Conifers (and I think mine may be Leylandii) don't have to be 40ft monsters if you don't let them. I planted them over 10yrs ago at about 18" apart.

 

[accountantpete]

Pyracantha. Prickly to deter unwanted entry and you get a display like this

 

[guitarpete247]

When I was a kid there was only privet on our estate (coal board houses). Those trying to go up in the world had varigated. We had bog standard dark green.

 

[guitarpete247]

Our next door neighbours ex-boyfriend, who had just started up as a
landscape gardener, decided to trim a neighbours hedge. He did this without permission from the neighbour.

She came round shouting about the mess he was making, so he had to stop. It's now in the hands of the legal eagles. He was chopping it to let some light into her garden for her birthday when she was at work. There is a claim of £2,500 which he has refused to pay. The hedge has been left as it was. Photo taken in summer 2013 so hedge is now a ridiculous height and blocking any afternoon sun from our garden.
Not long after she dumped him and we've never seen him since.

Don't go for Leylandii unless you are willing to keep it in check. Or know anyone called Richard who has access to a chainsaw.

 

[slowmotion]

Trouble with yew is that its berries are poisonous, if there's any chance of children or animals being tempted to eat them.

There was a yew tree in the graveyard of the church I was forced to go to when I was a kid. We all ate the berries but never the pip. They tasted very sweet. None of us came to any harm but we only had a few each Sunday.

 

[slowmotion]

The seed is extremely poisonous, so your anecdote is not very helpful really.

I suppose that gracious observation confirms why I'm not dead.

Thank you.

 

[slowmotion]

@Spinney, regard your hedge as a blank canvas for your creativity.

 

[Gravity Aided]

Hibiscus Syriacus, or Rose of Sharon, perhaps?

http://www.garden.org/plantguide/?q=show&id=2102