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Is it too early to plant a photina hedge ?

KLKL Posts: 112
in Plants
Hi , I want to remove my existing deciduous front garden hedge and plant an evergreen one so that once it’s grown a bit I have some all year round screening but I’m not sure if it’s the right time of year to do so ? My problem is that I’m home for a month then away again for 7 weeks at the end of September or I would have waited till later.

Posts

  • K67K67 Posts: 2,507
    No reason why you can't get started. You will need to improve the soil a bit, mulch well after planting.
    Keeping it well watered might be a problem if we have dry weather in October, not very likely but can you get someone to water well, not just a spray of th hose for a minute or two,  once a week.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 52,045
    If you want an evergreen hedge, there are better choices than Photinia IMO.
    They can be hit and miss in terms of foliage durability, and they have to have good conditions.
    We get many queries on the forum about them dropping foliage and being generally fussy. They need moisture, but also well draining soil, and a sheltered position.
      
    Most of the ones I see here look dreadful, especially if they're in any exposure at all. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • KLKL Posts: 112
    edited August 2020
    It’s certainly not going to be sheltered, it will be a very open spot. What other evergreen hedges would you recommend ?

    Also I’m looking for around 1.75m in height to start with but I see 15 litre pot @1.50/1.75 then 35 litre pot at 1.40/1.60. I would have thought the bigger the pot the taller the shrub would be, can you explain to me how this works please. 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 52,045
    Yew, Holly, Eleagnus will grow reliably almost anywhere, Escallonia if it's a drier site. 
    Worth taking a look at some of the specialist suppliers though. We're not far from bare root season too, so you could save a fair bit of money if you did it then, especially if it's a big amount you need. That would also tie in with your return from being away for 7 weeks.  :)

    I've used this company a few times, and they've always been reliable  :)
    https://www.hopesgrovenurseries.co.uk/
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • KLKL Posts: 112
    edited August 2020
    Thanks for that I’ll go and have a look. I don’t need a huge amount it’s an L shape of 5m x 1m. Is bare root cheaper ? 

    I was initially thinking on photinia as I would like something with a bit of colour rather than the standard green hedge.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 52,045
    Much cheaper than pot grown, but the season is from about November to March, because the plants are grown outside in a field, then removed and sent out.  :)

    Ideally, you would have your prep done ready for them, but you can also just heel in bare root hedging - which just means putting it somewhere with some soil over the roots - a trench in the ground, or pots etc. The whips are dormant, so they just need keeping moist until planted  :)
    Looking at those sites can sometimes give a better idea of what's available, and plenty of advice on amounts needed etc. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • KLKL Posts: 112
    That sounds perfect November to March as I can leave it until I’m back from my next trip and save some money 😂 but more importantly frees up time do some other work that needs to be done. I’m going to remove the existing hedge next week as it’s a mess so will have plenty Tim ego prep the ground for the new hedge. Thanks for your advice
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