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yew hedging would be ideal but will take a bit longer than 2 years to bush out unless you got them at about 4ft but they are quite expensive
Common laurel, grows quickly, tolerates hard pruning, cheap, tolerates partial to moderate shade, grows in almost any soil, resistant to drought, disease, pests, etc. Only needs cut once a year. Also, looks nice.
The bamboo idea is a no go i had simular thoughts but as its on a main road in a small village i think it would just look too out of place. thanks for the link though usefull for future ref, laurel was my thought although spotted could be just the little something different im looking for! Thanks for the help guys!
The problem with Aucuba japonica or spotted laurel is that its not really a 'hedging plant'. It tends to only produce foliage on the tips of the stems, like rhododendrons, therefore when you trim it, it will look very bare for a while, although it will recover fine. Ive also noticed these shrubs seem to suffer from a lot of pests and diseases such as vine weevil grub and stem die back, therefore i wouldn't recommend it.
I've seen a lot of problems with Laurels over the last few years, such as shot-hole or leaf-drop making them look pretty awful. They do need careful and regular clipping by hand if you want them to stay "formal"; don't look too closely at a Laurel hadge that's been cut with hedgecutters, and if you don't cut them regularly you'll need to go in hard and they'll look bad for a full season.
You need to explain to the client that you can't buy small, cheap hedging plants, that will grow to a full-height bushy hedge in two years, yet not be fast-growing and need regular clipping!
If you want a once-a-year cliiping, yew is lovely when well cared for. You can easily buy it at a decent size but it will still take time to fill in, and cost a lot. Buying ready-grown yew by the metre is a great way to put in an established hedge instantly, but more expensive again.
One thing, please don't let them put in lonicera nitida, it's the bane of my life as I have loads of it to cut. It needs doing 3 or 4 times a year to look tidy, never looks great and really isn't a "cheap alternative to box hedging", as the people who plant it tell the client!
Red robin would interest me as i love the colour. pros and cons of photina?
Cant be pruned any later than September IMO as it stimulates new growth which can be damaged by frosts come winter. Also has a tendacy to drop its leaves in very cold temperatures and harsh winds (like last winter), effectivley making it deciduous. Needs full sun to produce dense, colourful foliage, also it seems to be eaten by many insects, not sure which though, probably caterpillars or leaf miners. However it does make a really nice informal hedge in the right conditions.
Craig Nester said:
Stunning image Chris, love it! Is that one of your projects?
what about these boys?
http://www.charltonbrook.co.uk/acatalog/instant-hedges.html
http://www.instanthedges.co.uk/our-products/hedging.html
Ditto Richard, what a lovely hedge. There is one local to me and every time I pass it I think its lovely.