New Hedge Questions

info 445

Am finally about to replace my massive Leylandii hedge with a different species.  

I'm a novice gardener and am unsure about a few things...

Should I opt for stump grinding?
Am assuming need to get the stumps out if I plan to plant another hedge?  The trunks are thick 50 cm wide in places there are 15 or so trees over the 25-meter hedge.  I imagine removal by hand is going to be nearly impossible, should I get them ground out, or could I plant around the stumps removing roots with a reciprocating saw? 

Which new species should I look at?
We would like a 2 to 3 meter hedge providing privacy all year round.  We have a dog, so the plants should be pet-friendly.  Ideally, we would like it to grow quickly to regain our privacy.  As it runs alongside a path would like to keep cut back to the boundary line.  

Shrinking Violet

Others will have better ideas for your specific requirements.  I have just planted a hedge in my front garden - totally different requirements from your plans, but I found the company Hedges Direct Ltd very helpful, and their website is a mine of useful information.
My queries and slight problem with the delivery were instantly sorted, and I have no complaints about them - subject, of course, to the planting performing as well as I hope!  (And they have a comprehensive guarantee, anyway).
Hope this helps.

info 445

Thanks Shrinking Violet I will take a look.

treehugger80

i've found western hemlock a good hedging plant, fairly quick growing and easy to maintain, and evergreen.

not only will you have to remove the stumps, you'll have to improve the soil as the leylandii will have sucked every gram of nutrients and goodness from the soil to grow the that size.

Fairygirl

You'll really need to take the stumps out @info 445, unless you can somehow raise the area round them enough for planting. By that I mean, making a simple raised bed so that you can add topsoil/manure to give you a decent medium to plant whips into. It really comes down to your budget and time.
I'm afraid nothing will grow 'quickly', but the better you can prep the ground, the better chance the whips will have of thriving. It is possible to have a good, thick hedge within a few years though.
I put a hornbeam hedge in, in a previous garden,to replace a hideous, broken down fence, and it was very difficult in places due to a couple of mature trees right at the boundary hedge. I spent a fair bit of time getting the ground right, and they all took. The ones on either side of the trees were slower to get going, but they did grow well. I used Hopes Grove nursery for my hedging, and have used them for this garden as well. We're approaching 'bare root' season, and it makes a hedge much more viable financially, and it's also easier to plant 1 or 2 year old whips, and get them established well.

The type of hedge you pick also depends on what time you have for maintenance, the look you want, and the local climate. If you like to let your dog out into the garden, it might be worth putting a simple fence in first  [posts and chicken wire would do] until the hedge develops enough.