New hedge

[Tashyboy]

Am looking at getting rid of a few conifers i have in the front garden. They have outgrown there need and quite frankly am getting old. The birds don't like nesting in there so ave been on the rhs site aka the Royal horticultural society. There in lies a major problem. I don't speak Latin. Whats a shrubius dickius syphilus. I want a flippin hedge not a new language. A “Portuguese laurel” aka dominicinus bolockeficus keeps coming up. Am not goin to the algarve for them. Red robins aka pullingus legicus. The more i look the more the conifers are staying. 😖
Its doin me head in.

 

[Foxholer]

I'll have a pint of that too please!

Conifers are great for 'instant' hedges, but should only be considered 'temporary'! The suck water like greedy kids and should be phased out asap! Go to your local garden centre and find someone who canm advise - in plain language - what to replace them with and how to do so most effectively!

 

[Bunkermagnet]

Red Robins as they are commonly known make good hedges. Easy to grow, easy to keep under control and at this time of year a great read folliage.
I have put 2 hedge runs of these in my front garden, and they don't look too bad

 

[Tashyboy]

Plain english and red robins look and sound fave. Want them to go to 6-7 ft max. Would that be ok BM. 👍

 

[Bunkermagnet]

Plain english and red robins look and sound fave. Want them to go to 6-7 ft max. Would that be ok BM. 👍

Easily. Ive let mine grow to about that same height.
They are great at any height below that as well, and make nice stand alone shrubs.

 

[Tashyboy]

Easily. Ive let mine grow to about that same height.
They are great at any height below that as well, and make nice stand alone shrubs.

Cheers BM ma man. Looks like you have saved me a course in Latin.

 

[Old Skier]

Cheers BM ma man. Looks like you have saved me a course in Latin.

Be aware that there are three different red robins that grow to different heights, make sure you get the one you require.

 

[Tashyboy]

Be aware that there are three different red robins that grow to different heights, make sure you get the one you require.

googling the 6ft red robin.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

We have 2 historic conifer hedges. I've got one down to about 6ft, the other is 10ft. I hate the damn things. The 10ft ones in particular haunt me. I'd like to do what you are doing, hedges are much better and more manageable, but it will have to wait a little longer, other issues will take the money before this.

Post what you go for and how it progresses, it is interesting for me.

 

[Golfmmad]

This is my Laurel hedge and is easy to maintain. Let it grow to the height you want and then keep it trimmed at that height.

 

[Golfmmad]

Sorry but the pic came out a bit large, dunno what I've done there!

 

[Slab]

Tashy the latin names used to give me the heebius jeebius but I needed to get used to them for stock ordering/reordering purposes etc We need the latin names so that every plant type has one unique name that will correctly identify it anywhere in the world regardless of how many 'pet' or common names its given in different countries

Take your red robin and translate it into a few dozen languages for a couple of hundred years and suddenly no one knows what plant it is from one place to the next and that's forgetting about the different variants that are also called red robin but are actually not the same plant as the one you really wanted
i.e you buy your red robin and only discover 4 years later that you got a variety that wont grow big enough to serve as a hedge, but by using its latin name there's no mistake

Its basically a surname/forename system similar to what we use for our real-world names... only better because it describes the primary appearance or features of a plant. How do you tell the difference between all the folk called John Smith especially when you even can't tell a John Smith from a David Jones

But a bit like you being the only Tashyboy on the forum, you've inadvertently used a similar system to latin to name yourself,

Tashy & Boy; the presence of a moustache combined with boyishly handsome features, and means at a forum meet everyone will know who you are just by looking at you

 

[Tashyboy]

Tashy the latin names used to give me the heebius jeebius but I needed to get used to them for stock ordering/reordering purposes etc We need the latin names so that every plant type has one unique name that will correctly identify it anywhere in the world regardless of how many 'pet' or common names its given in different countries

Take your red robin and translate it into a few dozen languages for a couple of hundred years and suddenly no one knows what plant it is from one place to the next and that's forgetting about the different variants that are also called red robin but are actually not the same plant as the one you really wanted
i.e you buy your red robin and only discover 4 years later that you got a variety that wont grow big enough to serve as a hedge, but by using its latin name there's no mistake

Its basically a surname/forename system similar to what we use for our real-world names... only better because it describes the primary appearance or features of a plant. How do you tell the difference between all the folk called John Smith especially when you even can't tell a John Smith from a David Jones

But a bit like you being the only Tashyboy on the forum, you've inadvertently used a similar system to latin to name yourself,

Tashy & Boy; the presence of a moustache combined with boyishly handsome features, and means at a forum meet everyone will know who you are just by looking at you

I need to change my forum name to something that better describes me.
Fat *** wont be far off. 👍

 

[Tashyboy]

Tashy the latin names used to give me the heebius jeebius but I needed to get used to them for stock ordering/reordering purposes etc We need the latin names so that every plant type has one unique name that will correctly identify it anywhere in the world regardless of how many 'pet' or common names its given in different countries

Take your red robin and translate it into a few dozen languages for a couple of hundred years and suddenly no one knows what plant it is from one place to the next and that's forgetting about the different variants that are also called red robin but are actually not the same plant as the one you really wanted
i.e you buy your red robin and only discover 4 years later that you got a variety that wont grow big enough to serve as a hedge, but by using its latin name there's no mistake

Its basically a surname/forename system similar to what we use for our real-world names... only better because it describes the primary appearance or features of a plant. How do you tell the difference between all the folk called John Smith especially when you even can't tell a John Smith from a David Jones

But a bit like you being the only Tashyboy on the forum, you've inadvertently used a similar system to latin to name yourself,

Tashy & Boy; the presence of a moustache combined with boyishly handsome features, and means at a forum meet everyone will know who you are just by looking at you

Gotta look for the latin name for red robin. 😁

 

[patricks148]

We have a load of Bay in our garden and i gradually replaced a large privet hedge with this. its not that fast growing but once it gets to about 4ft it really thickens out.

The privet was very very large and required the top cutting back every year which i needed a scolding platform as it was so big. the old hedge did house lots of birds, mainly blackbirds, counted twenty nests when i cut it down.

 

[Deleted member 21258]

Red Robin can be a bit thin looking for a hedge but does have great looking red new growth leaves.

You could also consider English laurel, very fast growing, has big leaves, pretty dense, but when cut with hedge trimmers doesn't look great as the big leaves get cut in half.

Personally I would say one of the two below :-

Portugal Laurel is a great plant for a hedge in a garden, dense, nice looking etc and can be cut back to old wood and it will regrow if it over grows unlike conifers

Possibly consider Yew, looks the mits when trimmed and can be cut back to old wood and it will regrow if it over grows

Hopefully that helps and enjoy digging out the conifers

 

[Slab]

Gotta look for the latin name for red robin. 😁

Photinia × fraseri

 

[Crazyface]

Sorry but the pic came out a bit large, dunno what I've done there!

Yeah right. you just wanted to show off your fab lawn. PS when can you come and sort mine out.

 

[Crazyface]

On another conifer note. Next door has a bluddy monster that throws shade across my garden all afternoon. Can I do anything? I was going to sneak in and tip a load of salt in to the roots, but wasn't brave enough.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

Red Robin can be a bit thin looking for a hedge but does have great looking red new growth leaves.
:

I found that they thicken out quite nicely if you trim them all over once or twice a year, rather than just letting them grow height wise untouched until they are at the height you’re looking for.