|
|
Post by prodigal gardener on Jan 27, 2009 19:15:33 GMT
As some of you will know we have a *lovely* hedge up one side of our garden - its vile and I hate it  We simply cant afford to replace it, and I dont want to upset all the dickie birds that live in it. So . . . I am wondering if it can be massacred whoops I mean lovingly trimmed  to get it in order. Its too high, too wide and altogether too damn ugly It blocks the light from my green house and creates too much shade on the lawn in summer. The bloody thing is horrible, but it has to stay so any ideas on making it bearable please  |
|
|
|
Post by Jasmine on Jan 27, 2009 19:35:24 GMT
We have a laurel hedge (that was growing into the garden and taking up so much space) and a couple of years ago our hedge cutter cut it back very hard. He did warn us that it would look 'lovingly trimmed' but it was encroaching on the garden. It still looks a little bald but the 'trim' has not stopped it from putting on new growth (quite slowly though) and it will recover completely I suppose - then it will need another good trim/massacre. I don't mind the way it looks - it means I can get at some of the thicker branches to hang bird boxes etc... and I have thought about planting some clematises through it.
|
|
|
|
Post by prodigal gardener on Jan 27, 2009 19:42:12 GMT
I thought about that last year, but it gets no sun and I dont think other things would be happy growing through it - I really dislike it intensely (could you tell !) but I am loathe to get rid of it altogether as we do have lots of bird nesting in it, and I suspect there is other wildlife living under it (from all the rustling that goes on at times) Its just too big and its getting on my nerves. Is now a good time to hack it back or would it be better to wait until it warms up a bit. ??
|
|
|
|
Post by Jasmine on Jan 27, 2009 19:48:36 GMT
Not at all KL! ;D
Our hedge guy always does the hedges about now so this is the time of year he would have done the laurel. I wouldn't worry too much about the appearance - our hedge did look as though it had had a very good cutting back but it was so nice to get the space back - it was slowly but surely narrowing the gap down the side of the house! (I am sure there are climbers that won't mind the shade - think there are clems that don't mind being north facing). But, we didn't plant anything in the end - just left it - and I've never looked at it and wished we hadn't done it!
|
|
|
|
Post by Amo on Jan 28, 2009 5:30:33 GMT
We gained 2 foot back of our drive when I took the neighbours laurel back to the trunks. It looks good now but it did take a couple of years!!
|
|
|
|
Post by oldmoleskins on Jan 28, 2009 8:41:47 GMT
Ditto, Jas, Amo - a while back I cut some huge and straggly ones down to a collection of 2' stumps, and within a couple of years they had bushed out into much more interesting globes of greenery, the wildlife will soon rediscover them KL.
Now's a good time as any regrowth will be slow at this time of year, so there's a very good chance frosts (which may prune it all over again) will be over by the time the new shoots emerge.
OM.
|
|
|
|
Post by Chuckles on Jan 28, 2009 9:19:52 GMT
Go for it KL ;D you'll be surprised how much space you will gain and as it's high, the light as well. My sister had one at the top of her garden, and we hacked it back. Some of the trunks were a good 5" in diameter, it looked a bit odd to start with but what doesn't when you've given it a good hair cut, it did bounce back and she now keeps it in shape  Anyone got a chain saw ;D |
|
|
|
Post by andy on Jan 28, 2009 13:06:12 GMT
Laurels are one of the shrubs that you can cut has hard back as you like. I hve some huge 20 foot x 20 foot specimens at work and i reduced them to a 5 foot high stump. A couple of years down the line and they look superb.
Go for it.
|
|
|
|
Post by Jasmine on Jan 30, 2009 7:49:28 GMT
 Sorry it's taken a few days to get a photo KL - it has either been dark by the time I've got home or raining! This is the hedge 2 years on, it has just had a bit of a trim as well! You can still see branches but the leaves are coming back well. |
|
|
|
Post by Jasmine on Jan 30, 2009 8:26:16 GMT
 OH walked in while I was posting the first picture and said it was a bit dark - or words to that effect! So, here is a better one! |
|
|
|
Post by Chuckles on Jan 31, 2009 19:14:22 GMT
That looks the business Jasmine ;D KL get those pruners and saw out ;D
|
|
|
|
Post by prodigal gardener on Feb 3, 2009 18:41:34 GMT
Jasmine - thank you so much - its great to be able to see that it could look half decent! I must show Karl and hopefully claim back some of the garden !!!!!!!!!!  |
|
|
|
Post by oldmoleskins on Feb 11, 2009 8:59:42 GMT
Dunno if it's 'mission accomplished' on the persuasion front, KL - but pottering about in my laurel hedge it struck me OH may not have seen a full grown one. Great twisted trunks the size of your thigh (well, not your thigh, obviously I haven't seen your thigh) and 30 foot tall. It's really not the sort of plant to let out of control anywhere near where you need to move about or want light...
OM.
|
|
|
|
Post by prodigal gardener on Feb 16, 2009 18:31:32 GMT
Quick update on this horrible thing. Karl spent a few hours outside yesterday cutting the hedge. Its now about 4 feet high and looks so much better. Its still too wide and he has promised that he will cut it back as soon as he can. Its usually dark when he gets in from work so its looking like a weekend job. He also cut all of it away from my greenhouse. My greenhouse has light inside it now ;D trouble is we also discovered that it wants painting and that we forgot to ever paint the back of it whoops! Theres always a cloud in every silver lining  I will try to take a picture so that we can compare the before and after!! |
|
|
|
Post by Jasmine on Feb 16, 2009 19:30:57 GMT
Can't wait to see the hedge KL! |
|
|
|
Post by prodigal gardener on Feb 17, 2009 18:15:45 GMT
Well Jasmine, Karl has been unexpectedly off work today and he has cut back 3 of the laurel plants, its took him ALL DAY and we have a huge pile of branches to get rid of think it might be a while until its all done, but if its daylight when I get home tomorrow I will take a pic. It looks a mess, but its better than it was ;D Right, where's me plant catalogues - whats good in the shade. . . . . . . ;D ;D ;D |
|
|
|
Post by Jasmine on Feb 17, 2009 18:26:44 GMT
Have you got back quite a bit of your garden KL?
|
|
|
|
Post by prodigal gardener on Feb 21, 2009 15:08:58 GMT
Quick update on the hedge saga! Karl promised me he would do it this weekend - he is at work right now so he is not my favourite person at the moment (he was supposed to be home by dinner ) I have taken a couple of pictures to be going on with and I think it will look great once its done. . . . . . . . Karl did manage to cut a bit of it back the other day this is how it looks now  This is the new height  This is from August last year and it wasnt cut at all after this was taken until last week so you can imagine how huge it was  I know it will look a bit of a mess for a while but at least we will be top side of it again instead of it overshadowing the whole garden ;D Now then any suggestions for what I can grow through it just to soften the stumps a bit !! |
|
|
|
Post by Jasmine on Feb 21, 2009 16:21:54 GMT
What a difference KL! I thought about growing clems that didn't mind being in the shade because our side of the laurel hedge is north facing - which way does your hedge face?
|
|
|
|
Post by prodigal gardener on Feb 21, 2009 17:44:57 GMT
;D you ought to see it now!! Most of it is laying on the grass. When Karl prunes he really PRUNES!!  I will take a picture tomorrow so you can see it. Our side of the hedge gets no sun all day and just a little in the evening right at the bottom by the greenhouse (because someone built a bloody great big garage at the top of the garden!) so anything that grows through it will have to be able to cope without a deal of sunlight. Mind you we wont have to worry about triming it for about 10 years there aint a leaf on our side now!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;D Goodness know what the neighbours will say, but then again they dislike it almost as much as we do. Suppose I'd better go and make a coffee for the worker  |
|
|
|
Post by prodigal gardener on Feb 23, 2009 17:45:10 GMT
|
|
We simply cant afford to replace it, and I dont want to upset all the dickie birds that live in it. So . . . I am wondering if it can be 
to get it in order. Its too high, too wide and altogether too damn ugly 
I will try to take a picture so that we can compare the before and after!!
I will take a picture tomorrow so you can see it. Our side of the hedge gets no sun all day and just a little in the evening right at the bottom by the greenhouse (because someone built a bloody great big garage at the top of the garden!) so anything that grows through it will have to be able to cope without a deal of sunlight. Mind you we wont have to worry about triming it for about 10 years there aint a leaf on our side now!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;D Goodness know what the neighbours will say, but then again they dislike it almost as much as we do. Suppose I'd better go and make a coffee for the worker 