What did the cost of the hedge work out as ? I want to replace wire fence of whatever the circumference of 15 acres with hedgerow. The Countryside Stewardship scheme subsidises this to £3/metre but I'm assuming it's still going to cost me quite a bit.
In message , G&M writes
5 years ago it was something like £50:00 for 80 plants.It was an exceptionally easy job to do, OK the ground was, as was mentioned before, already dug over but this was a bit of over kill. I planted some 80 12" high whips (sp?) of hawthorn at about 9" intervals in a straight line. If I had to do it again I would alternate them one forward and one back by 6" to make the base of the hedge thicker, although in my case this was not too important as it is backed up with a strong fence. The only encouragement they had was some bone meal and an occasional hose pipe for a few weeks. The first couple of years they made slow progress and now, 5 years on, they are kept down to 6' tall by cutting twice a year!
I would imagine that if you could find the right supplier then you should get a good price on the quantity you will need, depending on size. If you can wait a couple of years then start off smaller (cheaper). Your biggest cost will probably be labour in planting them unless you are doing it your self or can convince a local group of some sort to do it for you. Best of luck.
My garden supplier does bare root at about a pound a whip, less in 25+ quantities.
I plant about 8" apart on double staggered rows, about three to the foot or ten to the meter, so it works out at about £10 a meter. I am sure that bulk buyimng and less agressive planting could get that down to nearer £3.
Here in suffolk on wet clay, hawthorn is very slow to start, but unstoppable once rooted. Maple starts fast but is less of a hdege when done. Beech is slow growing and doesn't start well either, but hornbeam is much happier in teh soil, and grows fairly aggressively. I am no fan of dogwood, tho it grows.
Lots of other things make good hedges. I like yew best of all, but cheap it ain't although it grows faster than most people think. I plug holes with holly, japanese quince, bereberis, cotoneaster and a zillion other shrubs found cheap in the bargain section of the plant center :-)
The greater cost here, if you want the hedge to last, is weed, rabbit and deer guards. Costs far more than the plants.
There was a comment I saw somewhere in this thread about having a drain plug. I would really ask -what on the earth for and how are you going to find it anyhow ? Plus it must be an absolute bugger to implement. You've got a pond pump - just redirect it's outlet to somehere suitable and it will empty the pond far faster.
Been there and got the T shirt when one of the hoses came off of its own accord !!
Rob
In message , Rob Graham writes
I have pond plug AND overflow
Just like an oversized bath really
Piece of piss yesterday giving it a spring clean
[snip]
Sounds a bit pricey to me - our local hedging nursery charges £0.37 per plant for Hawthorn seedlings - quantity discounts apply.
There is normally no need to plant them so close - 35-50 cm apart will do perfectly well - lower end of range for a single row, upper end for a double row (staggered rows about 30cm apart).
Assuming the 15 acres is a square you're looking at about 1km of hedge.
4000 seedlings at £0.14 each = £560.Smaller plants generally get going quicker than bigger ones, but if you stepped up to transplants 60-90cm tall, they're £0.37 in quantities
1000+.For a bit of variety they do a native hedge mix for £0.50 in bulk quantity.
Tree spirals available for £0.17 each in quantities of 1000+
Neil
Just what I'm after. Only local nursery doesn't do hedge. But armed with this price I'll phone round. Thanks
Here's their website, if you're interested:-
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