Hardy hedge suggestions

Howitzer

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200 Escallonias planted 2 years ago are now no better than kindling after this winter so I'm looking for a replacement.

The escellonias were doing well but I'm not going to break my back planting another 200 just to see them die over the winter. I have a holly hedge which survived 100% but think it would be a bit dull on a larger area.

Any suggestions? (No conifers)
 
are u sure your escalonia is written off, I thought mine was destroyed until i spotted tiny green shoots appearing on it last weekend. Looking around the neighbourhood i notice the laurel survived the severe weather last winter.
 
They're toast.

It's possible there may be some re-growth from the base but I think it's time to start thinking about cutting my losses.
 
my escolonia hedging is 15 years old and over 8ft tall, i am keeping my fingers crossed it will make a full recovery. The green shoots are appearing all over it, it really is a gorgeous esp when those exquisite pink flowers come out in the summer time.
 
Forget the escallonias, they're going in the skip. Any suggestions for a hardy - but equally pretty - alternative?
 
You might get hardy but maybe not pretty.....
For really hardy, you're probably down to native plants like either laurel (hard to clip) or beech..... It may be very difficult to get any hedging at all this year as there will be great demand. Conifers are also a possibility but are not to everyone's taste. I've heard of a nursery which lost 3-4 acres of griselinia plants.....
 
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I was recently told in a garden centre that the only hedging to survive last years frost was laurel and beech - they are seemingly the only ones to go for now!
 
I think my escelloniasis a gonner as well....got same advice in Garden Center today - i.e. laurel and beech. Pity the Beech is so slow growing.

One suggestion I got was for a tree that has a plum coloured leaves like the copper beech plant - plant beech hedging with this tree included to give a bit of colour
....but don't know the name of the tree !!
 
Griselina is usually very hardy and easy to grow but have lost some of mine this past winter to honey fungus does anybody know how I could treat it with
 
The Escelloniasis do recover. Trim down a bit and fertilise about 8" from base of plant. They recover well. The past two winters have been particularly bad but if we continue to get similar winters they will be a pain.
Browtal
 
I am delighted to hear that news browtal, I have a huge amount of this hedging and the thoughts of having to root it all out dosen't bear thinking about.

I was thinking that they would need a bit of fertiliser alright, what would you suggest?
 
My griselinia is dead I would say, took a beating first time around and cut it back but Christmas snow seems to have finished it off, not a sign of life.

My escallonia on the other hand is very sick but has signs of new growth. One of the plants in the hedge is totally dead, killed last year but the others kind of covered it but this time it is wide open so I just removed as much of it as possible. As there are no leaves on the rest of the hedge it is very open at the moment. Have cut it all way back and hope it will recover.

Had a lovely pittosporum hedge, fine first bad yr, killed stone dead this time.

I needed to fill gaps in the hedge, went to garden centre and they had nice big pyracantha plants, I didnt already have some, dont really like them but need something with thorns to discourage intruders, they assured me none of them were killed by the frost.

I have a plant called Lonerica, small bright green leaves, frost did it no harm, I think I will replace the pittosporum hedge with it, it seems to be very hardy and easy to trim.
 
Just replaced all my grislena with laurel. I got some well established potted plants about 2' high in yesterday. I have a red robin also that has survived last 2 winters but i remember it was expensive and they can grow very high
 
Eventual height of Laurel if not trimmed: 5m (15ft).

PHOTINIA RED ROBIN
Photinia fraseri Red Robin

Suitable for any normal soil and position and
Ultimate Height 8ft (2.4m) Exposed/Windy
Hedge Height 5-8ft (1.5-2.4m) Damp Shade
Av. Growth/Year* 6-9in (15-23cm) Dry Shade
 
Cut my Escallonia down from 6ft to 2ft and signs of growth on some but not all of the hedge. Will lash on the compost and wait and see.

Red Robin trees survived.
 
Eventual height of Laurel if not trimmed: 5m (15ft).

PHOTINIA RED ROBIN
Photinia fraseri Red Robin

Suitable for any normal soil and position and
Ultimate Height 8ft (2.4m) Exposed/Windy
Hedge Height 5-8ft (1.5-2.4m) Damp Shade
Av. Growth/Year* 6-9in (15-23cm) Dry Shade

My neighbours red robin was above 10' and I've seen others that high aswell and very wide. I think it would also grow a min 12" a year if not more. Great looking hedge though if kept neet. I only have one as a centre piece in my flower bed at the front and keep it to no higher than 4'
 
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