Cost of planting a hedge?

[WJT]

I thought I would start a new thread to see if anyone could help me and give me an idea of costs before I start calling other people for prices. We will be planting 65 leylandii trees of approximately 60-80cm in height. They will be planted in two rows one behind the other on a flat area easily accessed beside a small road. The area planted is 30 meters wide, therefore two rows planted 30 meters in width with each tree planted approximately 80cm apart. I presume the easiest way is to use a machine to dig two trenches.

Thank you in advance if anyone can offer any information.[:)]

[Deimos]

To hijack this (a bit), I am also

considering planting a hedge but am not set on any particular

species. Are some hedging plants cheaper per m and better or worse

suited (e.g. very slow growing, need cutting twice per week, etc.)

Thus is people have costs of

non-Leylandii I would also be interested.

(Sorry is this is not what WJT was

thinking but could also be interesting).

Ian

[Tresco]

[quote user="WJT"]

I thought I would start a new thread to see if anyone could help me and give me an idea of costs before I start calling other people for prices. We will be planting 65 leylandii trees of approximately 60-80cm in height. They will be planted in two rows one behind the other on a flat area easily accessed beside a small road. The area planted is 30 meters wide, therefore two rows planted 30 meters in width with each tree planted approximately 80cm apart. I presume the easiest way is to use a machine to dig two trenches.

Thank you in advance if anyone can offer any information.[:)]

[/quote]

Hi WJT.

You're better off staggering the two rows - so imagine drawing a zig-zag row (/\/\/\/\) along the 30m and then planting a tree on each top point and bottom point of the zig-zag - each point being 1m apart.

You only need one trench a meter wide. If you're in with your neighbours someone might offer to do it for 'free'. I always use compost in new planting holes,  and sling a load of stones and sand in too, but then we have very poor drainage as our 'soil' is heavy clay. Even if it wasn't I would still mix compost with the planting soil.. If you haven't bought your trees yet, at that size I can't see them costing more than E.1.50 each, but probably much less than that. BTW you should do very well with plants that size - the younger they are when they go in, the better.

Same goes for you Deimos (and hello to you too). Try this site http://www.pepinieres-moissenot.fr/default_zone/fr/html/page_plan.html

I'm sorry if the link doesn't come out as one - it doesn't seem to be working for me.

They have 5 different catalogues you can download as pdf files or order them online, with various suggestions for combinations of hedges...native, wildlife, quick screen etc (I may be making this part up[:)]).  We had great service from this company.

Edit...strange text size action on LF today!!!

Edit - I forgot to add you'll need to mulch too, especially round very small trees otherwise you'll be mowing them down. I think Deimos may have experience of this already! So, if you haven't got tons of bark chips or similar lying around you'll both need to consider the cost of that too.

[Clair]

I planted loads of plants for mixed hedge back in Feb/March 2004. They were all good specimen trees / bushes, at least 4 years old, bought from a nursery. They were planted when I chose them not in pots.

Prunus Pissardii: €22.00 (now about 5 m tall)

Seringat Snowflake: €12.00 (now about 3m high)

Troëne panaché: €12.08

SpiréeBillardii: €12.15

Weigelia Conquête: €12.10

They were planted about 50cm apart, but because they were at the top edge of a slope, I could not put them in a zigzag.

They looked terrible for the first year but with a lot of water and mulch, they survived through the very hot summer.

[WJT]

Thank you for the information Tresco.[:)] Zig zag is exactly what we were going to do. We thought if we planted them about 80cm apart and when planting the second row these would be planted behind the first in between the 80cm /\/\/\, exactly as you described. However, I thought we would need two trenches not one.

We do have some nice neighbours but I wouldn't feel comfortable with asking them to dig a trench for us. I have searched for prices of those trees and found some on eBay, with delivery they work out to about 3€. The person that is quoting the work has given a price of 7€, just for the trees alone,  hence me asking this question. I feel that his quote is very expensive.

[WJT]

[quote user="Clair"]I planted loads of plants for mixed hedge back in Feb/March 2004. They were all good specimen trees / bushes, at least 4 years old, bought from a nursery. They were planted when I chose them not in pots.
Prunus Pissardii: €22.00 (now about 5 m tall)
Seringat Snowflake: €12.00 (now about 3m high)
Troëne panaché: €12.08
SpiréeBillardii: €12.15
Weigelia Conquête: €12.10

They were planted about 50cm apart, but because they were at the top edge of a slope, I could not put them in a zigzag.
They looked terrible for the first year but with a lot of water and mulch, they survived through the very hot summer.

[/quote]

Clair, I assume this is the price for the plants alone and you planted them, is this correct? I would love to know what approximate labour cost would be for planting/digging 65 small trees.

[Clair]

Yes I planted them myself, under the rain, in the cold, over three days, all 25 of them... [:'(]

They do look great now though!

[Tresco]

[quote user="WJT"]We do have some nice neighbours but I wouldn't feel comfortable with asking them to dig a trench for us. I have searched for prices of those trees and found some on eBay, with delivery they work out to about 3€. The person that is quoting the work has given a price of 7€, just for the trees alone,  hence me asking this question. I feel that his quote is very expensive.[/quote]

WJT, I think that's expensive too. On the site I gave pot grown Lleylandi are E5- ish, but you can get bare rooted Thuja (sometimes spelt Thuya) Plicata or Oxidentalis. They're the same family as Leylandii, are very hardy and make very good dense hedges with aromatic foliage. On the site they are less than 1E each for the size you want.

Re the trench, I understand your reticence, but if you ask them to recommed someone then they will probably offer anyway, if they're able. Someone we know was charged E56 perhour for similar work.

Edit; Oops forgot delivery would cost about E25.

[WJT]

Tresco, thank you very much, that is very helpful. His 1,800 euro price for digging the trenches planting and supplying the trees does sound very expensive as I thought.

Well done Clair for doing it yourself! I don't think I have the ability or stamina to do it, it takes me ages just to dig one hole can't even begin to imagine 65. [:$]

[hoverfrog]

that soundns overly expensive for a hedge.

When we moved here I dug out all the self-seeded trees from all over the garden and re-planted them in a hedge (cost = nothing) and have added plants on special offer / as I have found them over a couple of years. It's starting to look really well now!

Personally I hate Leylandii - are you sure they are what you want or are you just looking for short-term gain?

[WJT]

Hoverfrog, I now know that 1,600 is just a ridiculously high price. Just for the pricing of the trees alone, I found in the local shops here on Saturday that 4.90 was the most expensive to as low as 1.90  so his 7.00 euro price is very high. I am trying to sort out another solution.

As far as decision to go with Leylandii, I discussed it in depth on this thread by hi-jacking poor Ernie's. [:$] However, as I mentioned on the last page with the photos that I remain open minded. [:)]

http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1053757/ShowPost.aspx

[Chris Head]

At the risk of ruining my tree cred I've pm'd you ZJT.

[Russethouse]

I know they serve a purpose and they are quick growing, but there are some other attractive conifers, if you are doing a zig zag planting how about doing one row Lleylandi and the other more interesting conifers.

Poor WJT, ask a simple question and get all this nagging.......

[WJT]

RH, it's OK, I'm getting used to it. [:D]  It does sound a good idea.

Chris, just sent you a PM as well.

[Barkham]

To pick up on Tresco's suggestion about using Thuya rather than Leylandii, it is much easier to control. It is slower growing but makes a good dense hedge and doesn't need cutting nearly as often.

 

I made the mistake of filling a couple of gaps in my Thuya hedge with Leylandii and it's straggly and leggy, and grows much faster.

 Unless you want to shade half of your garden, don't use Leylandii

[Tresco]

[quote user="Russethouse"]

... if you are doing a zig zag planting how about doing one row Lleylandi and the other more interesting conifers.

[/quote]

Or, we could ask WJT  whether she's considered some native, decidious hedging plants?[:D][6][:D]

I do see a lot of failed Lleylandii around.....[:'(]  

There should be a society against it, it's such a sad sight - and so easily avoided - but no one seems to care![6]

[Tresco]

[quote user="Barkham"]To pick up on Tresco's suggestion about using Thuya rather than Leylandii, it is much easier to control. It is slower growing but makes a good dense hedge and doesn't need cutting nearly as often.

 

I made the mistake of filling a couple of gaps in my Thuya hedge with Leylandii and it's straggly and leggy, and grows much faster.

 Unless you want to shade half of your garden, don't use Leylandii

[/quote]

Hi Barkham. [:)]

Now that is a very useful back up! Practical experience of the thing.

Did you plant your Thuya hedge yourself? I was desperate for a quick shield and very tempted by them.

[hoverfrog]

"did you plant your Thuya hedge yourself? I was desperate for a quick shield and very tempted by them."

hedges aren't that difficult. Plant anything close enough and you will have a hedge.

Pleeeease don't think that just because you want some privicy yesterday that you have to plant leylandii!

(and pleease don't take my spelling into account!)

Hedges take time, so take the time to think what you (yes, you! not the neighbours or the passers by) want to see in years to come.

Above all, patience. A hedge is for the years that come, not for right now. A hedge is planted with the future in mind. It's the nature of the beast!

Leylandii has it's place, sure, but it needs taming to be an accepted inhabitant of our gardens.

Too many people go for the 'quick' option of plantng leylandii, then leave it to nature to take it's course.

This subject has been done to death before :)

The only thing I can add is to please think about what you want (what you really, really want!) before planting leylandii.

At the end of the day, it's a really, really quick-growing tree that can reach heights you're not prepared for very quickly indeed - and exceed them!

There are so many native trees/shrubs that will do the same thing, so why not give them the chance. You will not be disappointed.