I'm moving to a new house soon and thinking about replacing the Leylandii hedge in my garden with something that looks better. I could use some suggestions for attractive alternatives that would work well!
4 Answers
Honestly, you could go with anything! But seriously, what's the vibe you’re going for? My garden is overgrown and wild with lots of British natives, so I’d go for hawthorn and crab apple. But that style might not fit everyone!
Yew is a solid choice if you prefer conifers, although it's slow-growing and can be a bit pricey. Laurel is another option for a robust evergreen and it grows pretty vigorously. Beech tends to hold its leaves in winter, and if you're looking for something manageable, privet is where it's at!
You didn’t mention what features matter most to you, like whether you want it to be evergreen or attract wildlife, but I always suggest native hedging. A combination of hawthorn, hazel, beech, and wild cherry would be great, and buying bare roots in winter keeps costs down!
You might need a lot of beech to help with winter privacy since those are deciduous. I love my native hedge, but it can look a bit bare in the colder months.
I totally love the native idea too! But just a warning, I have a young kid, and yew isn’t the best for child-friendly gardens because of its toxicity.
I just got rid of a bunch of unruly hedges and I'm going for a mix of hornbeam, purple beech, and holly. I'm also adding some native plants like dog rose and hawthorn to the mix. Just a heads up, cherry laurel is super invasive and needs constant trimming if you choose it!
It's pretty formal now, but I want to make it a bit more eclectic with some native plants and maybe some apple trees.