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Tree / Conifer Suggestions

alan933alan933 Posts: 6
in Plants
Hi Folks

Does such a thing exist - looking for a fast growing (preferably slim style) conifer which wouldn't grow more than 10ft?

Maybe asking too much?

We had to remove a very tall old hedge and now have lost a lot of privacy. 

Hoping to replace it with something which would grow fast but not get too high.

Thanks in advance
Alan

Posts

  • Stephanie29Stephanie29 Posts: 17
    Maybe that is too much ... Fast growing plants don't tend to stop suddenly when they reach 3m. They will go all the way to the sky and you have to keep them in check, like cherry laurel.
    I am a fan of shrubs or small trees that provide some benefit to wildlife, flowers and berries, like guelder rose (viburnum opulus), hawthorn and rowan. It depends on how much space you have, whether you like it formal or not and so on.

    You could also consider to use a pergola or trellis with lovely scented quick-growing honeysuckle near your seating area, until your chosen hedge has grown tall and thick enough.
  • CeresCeres Posts: 2,296
    You could look at Thuja as a possibility. It's a nice conifer and makes a good hedge but you will have to keep it trimmed.
  • alan933alan933 Posts: 6
    Thanks for the advice.

    Maybe another idea would be, are there any conifers that have a maximum growing height of around 8ft (even of they grew slowly), or do they all keep on growing?

    I'm also thinking longer term, as I get older not having to deal with lots of hedge cutting.

    Thanks
    Alan
    :)
  • Stephanie29Stephanie29 Posts: 17
    Not all grow skyhigh. Some have even creeping habits. Here is a nice article with a few dwarf conifers: https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/articles/graham-rice/shrubs-and-climbers/10-agm-small-conifers

  • Stephanie29Stephanie29 Posts: 17
    I should have thought of this earlier: Grevillea rosmarinifolia. It looks like a conifer with leaves like needles, but it is a flowering shrub and produces red flowers in February.
    Here is the RHS plant information:

    I bought it at a market from a local nursery near Romsey in Hampshire. It is hardy down to minus 10, so it's perfect here in the south. Grows to 2,5 m
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