Having lunch at the local today, we looked at a hedge planted against the
bordering fence next door. This year it has put on at least 18" of growth
and Ray said "and people think it's slow growing....." ;-)

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

On Fri, 20 Jul 2007 19:06:57 +0100, Sacha wrote:

Having lunch at the local today, we looked at a hedge planted against the
bordering fence next door. This year it has put on at least 18" of growth
and Ray said "and people think it's slow growing....." ;-)

and next year a good 3ft easily when it finds its roots

On Jul 20, 7:06 pm, Sacha wrote:
Having lunch at the local today, we looked at a hedge planted against the
bordering fence next door. This year it has put on at least 18" of growth
and Ray said "and people think it's slow growing....." ;-)


Sacha, we had a gardener trim ours in June, it is a day's work. He is
coming back to do it again next week, I have never seen growth as fast
as this year. Usually it is only cut once a year in July but because
of all the rain we brought it forward to June, we shouldn't have
bothered and I would think at this rate it will need to be cut again
before the Winter, fortunately that will be the new owners' problem!

Judith

On 20/7/07 19:16, in article , "WaltA"
wrote:

On Fri, 20 Jul 2007 19:06:57 +0100, Sacha wrote:

Having lunch at the local today, we looked at a hedge planted against the
bordering fence next door. This year it has put on at least 18" of growth
and Ray said "and people think it's slow growing....." ;-)

and next year a good 3ft easily when it finds its roots


According to my personal knowall, it gets its feets down faster and puts on
growth more quickly than leylandii in the first 3 or 4 years. Obviously
leylandii attain enormous heights eventually but that's not desirable in
every location. Ray is a great advocate of laurel hedging and this seems to
show why.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

On 20/7/07 19:56, in article
,
" wrote:

On Jul 20, 7:06 pm, Sacha wrote:
Having lunch at the local today, we looked at a hedge planted against the
bordering fence next door. This year it has put on at least 18" of growth
and Ray said "and people think it's slow growing....." ;-)


Sacha, we had a gardener trim ours in June, it is a day's work. He is
coming back to do it again next week, I have never seen growth as fast
as this year. Usually it is only cut once a year in July but because
of all the rain we brought it forward to June, we shouldn't have
bothered and I would think at this rate it will need to be cut again
before the Winter, fortunately that will be the new owners' problem!

Judith

This has been a strange year for so many plants but it's certainly been wet
enough to get many going. But see my reply to WaltA about Ray's take on
laurel in a general sense. It's evergreen, it's fast, it makes a good
thick, attractive hedge - lots to be said for it.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

On Fri, 20 Jul 2007 22:49:34 +0100, Sacha
wrote:

On 20/7/07 19:16, in article , "WaltA"
wrote:

On Fri, 20 Jul 2007 19:06:57 +0100, Sacha wrote:

According to my personal knowall, it gets its feets down faster and puts on
growth more quickly than leylandii in the first 3 or 4 years.

Ive never done leylandii
( do I get a bluepeter badge ? )

Ive done lots of laurel simply by pushing bits into the ground, it
'takes' readily and puts on a little growth, but mostly seems to sit
there for a couple or 3 years thinking ! before it really gets a move
on, could be due to my heavy clay over limestone rocks.

I mesured some growth this morning, 2ft 3in. since I pruned some in
the spring !

On 21/7/07 12:14, in article , "WaltA"
wrote:

On Fri, 20 Jul 2007 22:49:34 +0100, Sacha
wrote:

On 20/7/07 19:16, in article , "WaltA"
wrote:

On Fri, 20 Jul 2007 19:06:57 +0100, Sacha wrote:

According to my personal knowall, it gets its feets down faster and puts on
growth more quickly than leylandii in the first 3 or 4 years.

Ive never done leylandii
( do I get a bluepeter badge ? )

Oh definitely - a gold one like JKR!

Ive done lots of laurel simply by pushing bits into the ground, it
'takes' readily and puts on a little growth, but mostly seems to sit
there for a couple or 3 years thinking ! before it really gets a move
on, could be due to my heavy clay over limestone rocks.

Ours are in compost in pots so their start in life is a little easier. ;-)

I mesured some growth this morning, 2ft 3in. since I pruned some in
the spring !

That's very good going! The other thing that's good and quick, too, is
Eucalyptus where suitable. Pinch out the tops after a year or so and they
bush out nicely and can be kept at the desired height.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

In message , Sacha
writes
This has been a strange year for so many plants but it's certainly been
wet enough to get many going. But see my reply to WaltA about Ray's
take on laurel in a general sense. It's evergreen, it's fast, it makes
a good thick, attractive hedge - lots to be said for it.

The recommendation is to cut it with secateurs or loppers in order not
to damage the leaves.... Ha! We're surrounded by 780 feet of it....

On the side that is ours, we keep it to 8 feet or so, and it's a nice
neat hedge.

On the side that is the neighbour's (thankfully to the East), he once
didn't top it for 10-12 years. It had shot up to well over our (high)
bedroom windows, to maybe near 25-30 feet.... It has now not been cut
again for 5 or so years, but we're on good terms with them and don't
like to say anything....
--
Klara, Gatwick basin

On 21/7/07 14:10, in article , "Klara"
wrote:

In message , Sacha
writes
This has been a strange year for so many plants but it's certainly been
wet enough to get many going. But see my reply to WaltA about Ray's
take on laurel in a general sense. It's evergreen, it's fast, it makes
a good thick, attractive hedge - lots to be said for it.

The recommendation is to cut it with secateurs or loppers in order not
to damage the leaves.... Ha! We're surrounded by 780 feet of it....

On the side that is ours, we keep it to 8 feet or so, and it's a nice
neat hedge.

On the side that is the neighbour's (thankfully to the East), he once
didn't top it for 10-12 years. It had shot up to well over our (high)
bedroom windows, to maybe near 25-30 feet.... It has now not been cut
again for 5 or so years, but we're on good terms with them and don't
like to say anything....

Not even, "could WE take a bit off the top of your hedge so that we can look
out of the bedroom"?

But if anyone here thinks they've got a hedge to trim, look at this one!
http://tinyurl.com/3y3b7y


--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

In article ,
Sacha writes:
| On 21/7/07 14:10, in article , "Klara"
| wrote:
|
| On the side that is the neighbour's (thankfully to the East), he once
| didn't top it for 10-12 years. It had shot up to well over our (high)
| bedroom windows, to maybe near 25-30 feet.... It has now not been cut
| again for 5 or so years, but we're on good terms with them and don't
| like to say anything....
|
| Not even, "could WE take a bit off the top of your hedge so that we can look
| out of the bedroom"?

Or even, if it is your hedge, "Do you mind if we come round and trim
your side of our hedge?"

We did that when our next door neighbours were an elderly couple.
They were actually very happy for me to include much of their
Himalayan Giant in that ....


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In message , Nick Maclaren
writes

In article ,
Sacha writes:
| On 21/7/07 14:10, in article , "Klara"
| wrote:
|
| On the side that is the neighbour's (thankfully to the East), he once
| didn't top it for 10-12 years. It had shot up to well over our (high)
| bedroom windows, to maybe near 25-30 feet.... It has now not been cut
| again for 5 or so years, but we're on good terms with them and don't
| like to say anything....
|
| Not even, "could WE take a bit off the top of your hedge so that we can look
| out of the bedroom"?

Or even, if it is your hedge, "Do you mind if we come round and trim
your side of our hedge?"

We did that when our next door neighbours were an elderly couple.
They were actually very happy for me to include much of their
Himalayan Giant in that ....


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Unfortunately he is not only younger than we are, but he also has two
men working for him, in part in his garden, so any such suggestion from
the elderly neighbours might come across as a bit ... umm ...
embarrassing?


--
Klara, Gatwick basin

On 21/7/07 16:22, in article , "Klara"
wrote:

In message , Nick Maclaren
writes

In article ,
Sacha writes:
| On 21/7/07 14:10, in article ,
"Klara"
| wrote:
|
| On the side that is the neighbour's (thankfully to the East), he once
| didn't top it for 10-12 years. It had shot up to well over our (high)
| bedroom windows, to maybe near 25-30 feet.... It has now not been cut
| again for 5 or so years, but we're on good terms with them and don't
| like to say anything....
|
| Not even, "could WE take a bit off the top of your hedge so that we can
look
| out of the bedroom"?

Or even, if it is your hedge, "Do you mind if we come round and trim
your side of our hedge?"

We did that when our next door neighbours were an elderly couple.
They were actually very happy for me to include much of their
Himalayan Giant in that ....


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Unfortunately he is not only younger than we are, but he also has two
men working for him, in part in his garden, so any such suggestion from
the elderly neighbours might come across as a bit ... umm ...
embarrassing?


Reasonable, I'd say. If I had two men working in my garden and they didn't
keep the hedge cut to accommodate my nice neighbours, I'd be glad to have it
pointed out to me. ;-) In all seriousness, if he's young and busy and has
just asked them to keep the garden tidy, he's probably not even aware of the
problem and they're not bothering to get out ladders and do what they should
be doing, if he doesn't notice!
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

In message , Sacha
writes
On 21/7/07 16:22, in article , "Klara"
wrote:

In message , Nick Maclaren
writes

In article ,
Sacha writes:
| On 21/7/07 14:10, in article ,
"Klara"
| wrote:
|
| On the side that is the neighbour's (thankfully to the East), he once
| didn't top it for 10-12 years. It had shot up to well over our (high)
| bedroom windows, to maybe near 25-30 feet.... It has now not been cut
| again for 5 or so years, but we're on good terms with them and don't
| like to say anything....
|
| Not even, "could WE take a bit off the top of your hedge so that we can
look
| out of the bedroom"?

Or even, if it is your hedge, "Do you mind if we come round and trim
your side of our hedge?"

We did that when our next door neighbours were an elderly couple.
They were actually very happy for me to include much of their
Himalayan Giant in that ....


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Unfortunately he is not only younger than we are, but he also has two
men working for him, in part in his garden, so any such suggestion from
the elderly neighbours might come across as a bit ... umm ...
embarrassing?


Reasonable, I'd say. If I had two men working in my garden and they didn't
keep the hedge cut to accommodate my nice neighbours, I'd be glad to have it
pointed out to me. ;-) In all seriousness, if he's young and busy and has
just asked them to keep the garden tidy, he's probably not even aware of the
problem and they're not bothering to get out ladders and do what they should
be doing, if he doesn't notice!

I think you're right: chances are, he hasn't noticed (the hedge isn't as
near to him as it is to us). At this point our side needs a trim too -
we'll get that done and then we'll tackle him about the height. It is
surprising in any case: he has shrubberies and flowerbeds on his side,
and they are much shadier than they need to be....

thanks for the Dutch courage...

--
Klara, Gatwick basin

On 21/7/07 20:41, in article , "Klara"
wrote:

In message , Sacha
writes
On 21/7/07 16:22, in article , "Klara"
wrote:

In message , Nick Maclaren
writes

In article ,
Sacha writes:
| On 21/7/07 14:10, in article ,
"Klara"
| wrote:
|
| On the side that is the neighbour's (thankfully to the East), he once
| didn't top it for 10-12 years. It had shot up to well over our (high)
| bedroom windows, to maybe near 25-30 feet.... It has now not been cut
| again for 5 or so years, but we're on good terms with them and don't
| like to say anything....
|
| Not even, "could WE take a bit off the top of your hedge so that we can
look
| out of the bedroom"?

Or even, if it is your hedge, "Do you mind if we come round and trim
your side of our hedge?"

We did that when our next door neighbours were an elderly couple.
They were actually very happy for me to include much of their
Himalayan Giant in that ....


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Unfortunately he is not only younger than we are, but he also has two
men working for him, in part in his garden, so any such suggestion from
the elderly neighbours might come across as a bit ... umm ...
embarrassing?


Reasonable, I'd say. If I had two men working in my garden and they didn't
keep the hedge cut to accommodate my nice neighbours, I'd be glad to have it
pointed out to me. ;-) In all seriousness, if he's young and busy and has
just asked them to keep the garden tidy, he's probably not even aware of the
problem and they're not bothering to get out ladders and do what they should
be doing, if he doesn't notice!

I think you're right: chances are, he hasn't noticed (the hedge isn't as
near to him as it is to us). At this point our side needs a trim too -
we'll get that done and then we'll tackle him about the height. It is
surprising in any case: he has shrubberies and flowerbeds on his side,
and they are much shadier than they need to be....

thanks for the Dutch courage...


Just reading what you say, it does seem to be a simple case of 'young, busy
and unaware' - definitely not 'unkind or nasty'. Two people looking after a
garden and paid for it really should be aware of hedges, so a quiet word
should alert him to the fact that he is NOT getting value for money in that
area, at least. In the end, he could very well be grateful to you for
showing him - obliquely - what he's paying for and what he's actually
getting.
Had you thought of having a little party in your garden for those neighbours
and e.g. 4 neighbouring houses, which would allow him to see what it's like
if he's standing right under your mutual boundary?
Could you let urg know the outcome because it might be informative to
others? It is certainly a topic that recurs over and over again.


--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'