On 23/09/2019 07:37, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Mon, 23 Sep 2019 06:59:52 +0100, The Natural Philosopher
wrote:

On 23/09/2019 02:08, Bill Wright wrote:
Along a hedge I have a group of five forty-year-old laylandii. Three
have died, probably because they were over-run by ivy. I'm going to pull
them out. But what can I put in their place? I want something fast
growing. It doesn't matter about the new ones being intruder-resistant
because I'm also going to have a strong fence along there.

Bill
Datstest grwires are...leylandii.


Yes, leylandii are the datstest grwires :-) Besides, it would look odd
to have something different there.

But it would be worth improving the soil where the old ones were.
After 45 years it will be pretty impoverished. Dig in plenty of
compost before you plant the new ones, either your own garden stuff if
you make it or a bag or two from your local garden centre.

Planting leylandii in the same position might be asking for trouble
since whatever killed the originals may still be lurking there. Soil
fungi pathogens specific to that species is a possibility and the soil
will be drained of all the nutrients that leylandii prefer. I can't
imagine what it takes to kill a laylandii. I can't see ivy managing to
do it. Strangler fig might.

Beech isn't a bad relatively fast growing hedge. Cotoneasters have nice
berries. Lonicera nitida is a fast grower and clips well. Yew is fairly
slow (toxic) and holly is slower still. Chunks of about 3m all the same
can look good if you have a long run of hedging and want have something
less monotonous than a monoculture of one planting.

Holly will eventually get there I allow a few to grow in my hedge along
with wild rose, ivy and honeysuckly. I reckon they take about 15 years
from seed to get to full hedge height and another 5 to thicken out.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown