Holly and hawthorn hedge

[YFS]

Hi

I want a mixed hedge, not much money at the moment, so I have seen a wild holly and a few other hedge type plants, and I am wondering if the variety is important.
Does it make any difference, could it be a tree holly.
I have seen a privet and hawthorn type too, not enough for a hedge, but still looking.

[Nicos]

Can you get hold of a female holly tree?
I'm not sure, but I think you also need a male one for the female one to produce berries.

[dogsbody]

Late autumn is the best time for hedging plants (bare roots etc), I don't think variety is too important but mine is hawthorn, hazel, field maple with a couple of pyracantha and holly plants thrown in. It has taken a few years to get to the point where it now has to be trimmed every year. One thing that often comes up when this is mentioned is have a look around your local area to see what is around as that shows what grows well in your area.

A hedge is far better than a fence as far as wildlife is concerned.

[Two_Sheds]

I think you also need a male one for the female one to produce berries.

Yes you do, or at least one in the vicinity.

I bought hollies to make a hedge in 2008: they are now nearly 2ft tall. They're notoriously slow growing, but lovely for birds to shelter in.

Hawthorn is a big old thing, with vicious thorns. I'm not sure it would be entirely suitable for a domestic hedge, unless you're a farmer wanting to enclose livestock.

At home I have a pyracantha (anti-cat) hedge clipped back against the fence panels. I cut bits off someone else's plant and they nearly all rooted. It grows fast but not out-of-control fast. Mine was 6ft tall in about 3 years

[hellybore]

I have the beginnings of a mixed hedge which I am growing from cuttings. You just need to snip about a foot length of pencil thickness cuttings from suitable shrubs - with permission of the owner of course! - and poke them two thirds of the way into the ground. Keep watered and they should root in a few months. It's a slow way to establish a hedge but CHEAP! Hawthorn is suitable for growing like this but not holly.

[Philthy]

I have an old'ish hawthorn hedge down one side. The birds love it; it provides them with food in autumn, and nesting in spring, with the thorny branches offering good protection from predators. And it's good security; the thorns puts off anybody / anything from trying to force their way through the hedge. Those are good enough reasons to keep it, but otherwise the hedge can be a hassle. Mine has intermittent density. Growth is very sparse at the bottom. Good top growth, but poor side growth. The thorns can be a nuisance. It is slow growing. In winter when it's leaves are gone it affords minimal privacy.

I'd say definately have some hawthorn, but as you say, have it as part of a mixed hedge, not a whole hedge.

Holly is another good choice for wildlife, plus you'll have year round screening, but as TS says, they take an age to reach a decent size.

My recommendation for a good allrounder would be beech; it loses it's leaves in autumn but they stay on the plant throughout the winter, so still provide a degree of privacy. It grows quickly, responds well to pruning, looks nice, doesn't require any care once established, and the birds and wildlife seem to appreciate it too.
Perhaps use this to establish a framework, but leave gaps to fill with other, slower growing species.

[Martin H]

Agree with Philthy, but if the ground is wet and heavy or it's a bit shady you could use Hornbeam instead of Beech. It looks similar and keeps its dead leaves on in winter but is more tolerant of those conditions.

[Glutton4...]

You're really getting to the end of the bare-root planting season now. Some years you'd have been OK, but spring has started early this year, so your success rate will be very low.

You'll be OK with container-grown plants, but bear in mind that you will need to guard against Waaaaabbits - they especially love Holly, and will scoff it overnight.

[Bill HH]

Going back to your original question, There is no such plant as tree holly, its just a holly that has turned into a tree, When you make a hedge you clip it to the desired size so it never gets to be a tree. hawthorn does tend to have gaps at the botton, the ideal is to let the plants grow upwards to four of five feet and then have it laid, Laying is very satisfying and not hard once you get the hang of it. Wish I had a quid for every yard I have laid.

[YFS]

Thanks for all those very good replies. I have got a holly, including some root, that was growing wild. Perhaps I might try to grow my hedge in buckets first. I already have a fence, it could last another year.
I may need to layer my holy, ha it has two branches going outwards. I dont want to cut it into shape, if it is slow growing. I will continue my hunt for a free hedge.

[veggiechicken]

Wish you lived nearer YFS. I've been pulling out holly and hawthorns seedings for months. You could have had hazel, ash and oak too, just for variety

[datz]

Don't think anyone has mentioned Hornbeam? We have a mixed hedge planted with Beech, hornbeam, blackthorn, hawthorn, privet, dogwood, guelder rose, plum cherry. It was a package deal from Planfor. ( UK and France)To which we added the hornbeam and beech.

[Two_Sheds]

I will continue my hunt for a free hedge.

Schools get sent free 20" hedging plants every year.
We have nowhere to plant ours, so the six that didn't die of drought are in pots in my back garden. I want rid, really ... if you were to pay postage (£6 ish?) you can have 'em

[YFS]

Schools get sent free 20" hedging plants every year.
We have nowhere to plant ours, so the six that didn't die of drought are in pots in my back garden. I want rid, really ... if you were to pay postage (£6 ish?) you can have 'em

What sort are they? I wouldnt want them to go to waste.

[Bill HH]

Schools get sent free 20" hedging plants every year.
We have nowhere to plant ours, so the six that didn't die of drought are in pots in my back garden. I want rid, really ... if you were to pay postage (£6 ish?) you can have 'em

That is interesting it seems a very unusual gift for a school, particulary one that has nowhere to put them.