Cotoneaster hedge
I'm replacing a Privet hedge with a Cotoneaster franchettii one. The online sites suggest one plant per 30cm. I have three in the back garden spaced 1m apart and the result is rather good. So, do I really need to space them 30cm apart? Cost is irrelevant, it's the quality of the resulting hedge that matters.
0
Posts
Not sure if this is the same type of cotoneaster as you're considering planting - but if it is - these are about 30 inches apart (75cm) which is about the right spacing for against my wall.
You may want to plant them a bit closer if you're wanting a thicker, free standing hedge, but having said that, this one thickens out a lot each season and I have to cut it back substantially - top and sides - to keep it possible to walk past and make sure the hedge doesn't grow over the window sills.
.
I think the recommendation of 30 cm apart is to obtain a thick hedge as quickly as possible. If more widely spaced it will take the plants longer to merge with each other. Perhaps a compromise of 60 cm spacing, a full metre does seem like very wide spacing.