help with hedges and shrubs

14 years ago

Hi,Im new to the forum and also a first time home buyer.I need some help because Im a little overwhemled and lost on what direction I need to go with my yard.I live in an old brick tudor home and I really like the look of the english garden.To start Im wondering what a good hedge would be to put up along my driveway to give me privacy but Im wondering what I can use thats green all year all but fits into the english garden look.Thanks sorry for the long post.

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Comments (10)

missingtheobvious
14 years ago
Hi, jtruax3. Don't worry, that's not a long post!

How high a hedge do you want?

How wide can it be? (How much room is there between your driveway and the property line?)

How long a hedge do you need?

Are you going for the sheared look or the natural look?

Do you know what zone you're in? If not, you can input your zip code at this site and tell us (there are 3 zones in N IL, and it might matter):
http://www.garden.org/zipzone/index.php

"old brick Tudor home" -- *mto dies of envy*
jtruax3
Original Author
14 years ago
I would like them to be 7-8 ft. I have about 3 ft width from my drive to property line.As far as the look goes Id like the sheared look but Im against the natural look either.I guess my main worry is something that will be nice and tight and give my good privacy all year round.If I have to compromise that for a great looking hedge then so be it but Id love to find a hedge that can look square and sheared but green all year. Is that possible?
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tibs
14 years ago
I keep harping on this, but if you plant shrubs along the drive (like I did), do you have some place to pile the snow? I think Northern Illinois gets more snow than I get in SE Ohio. Three feet is not very wide. Is your drive just a car width wide? Room enough to open the car doors?
jtruax3
Original Author
14 years ago
No my drive is pretty big but the guy who plows it pushs the snow against the fence or all the way down the drive.Its a good point to think about tho.The drive is 4 cars wide and close to 3 cars deep before the curve but the length on the side of the drive is where I want to plant hedges because theres a duplex next to me and I hate that there back windows face our whole driveway and dining room windows.
zaphod42
14 years ago
What about privet? Can't get more formal English in style than a shaped privet hedge. Different varieties get different widths and heights.
jtruax3
Original Author
14 years ago
Im also in zone 5A. Do privets stay green all year? What about Laurel hedges?
tibs
14 years ago
Privets do not stay green all year, but they still act as a visual barriar. without constant pruning, shearing and shaping they are going to get wider than three feet and as tall as you want them. If you want a sheared look, plan on shearing at least three times a seaon, more depending on the rain fall and how neat and tidy you want them. That could be every three weeks. How long of an area is it? Could be a lot of work. Arborvite stay green all year, and there are some that stay very narrow. Do you get a lot of snow fall? We had more this year than in decades, and a lot of the arborvtae were very bowed over and did not snap back. I have mine tied up and am hoping for the best. The privat, however, immediately sprang back to vertical. What about a trellis and vine?
jtruax3
Original Author
14 years ago
I thought about the arborvitaes but Im worried about having too many of them because I have a bunch in the backyard.What do you guys think? the length of the part of my drive that Im doing is 63 feet.
zaphod42
14 years ago
A couple more options would be 'Sky Pencil' Holly and 'Skyrocket' Juniper. Check out this link for a little more discussion:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/midatl/msg04091458907.html

Neither are as structured as the formal hedges you were thinking of originally, but both are narrow and have good height. Holly would edge more towards the traditional English look than the Juniper.
zaphod42
14 years ago
Privet ideas:

The nursery I'm working with has two different privet varieties that get to 8' high. They are 'Regel' and 'Cheyenne' Privet; both are hardy to Zone 4.