[MalcW]

Hi all. At our new home I'm considering hedging rather than a wooden fence at the end of our rather scruffy (so far) garden. Any recommendations for something that will be happy in quite heavy soil and give 5 - 6ft hedging?

Thanks.

[Trikidiki]

Having just removed a hedge (which had honey fungus) and replaced it with a fence we regained about 3' of garden. I am planning to leave it two years then plant against the fence. I find hedges are too high maintenance, I'd rather be doing something else than trimming and desposing of the debris.

However if you want a hedge.

Yew - makes the best hedge in my opinion, but slow to establish
Privet - Quick and easy to establish, several cuts need each year.
Beech - Nice hedge if maintained. If you leave the first cut quite late it should only need one cut per year.
Lonicera Nitida - Need constant trimming.
Field Maple - My favourite deciduous hedge. Treat like beech.
Laurel - looks horrible if trimmed with hedge clippers, needs to be done with secateurs, time consuming.
Leylandii - enough said.

[New shoot]

If the soil is heavy, laurel will do well and is green year round.  Photinnia Red Robin also copes with soil like that and is also evergreen, but with the bonus of new leaves coming out red before going green.

In both cases, a few bags of soil improver would be a worthwhile investment.  Both have the potential to grow into small trees, so you would have to keep them cut.  If done midsummer, the bonus with Photinnia is that it then grows more new leaves and you get the display of red right into the autumn 

[oakridge]

We have Lonicera Nitida and Escalonia.  The Nitida does have attractive yellowish foliage but does need cutting at least once a year.  The Escalonia is bulky and dense with pink flowers and much less trouble. It is used a lot in France for hedging.  As I have mentioned elsewhere the local council have recently given me about 175 hawthorn whips for the yard which will certainly keep out the undesirables.

[maloneranger]

What about Griselinia?
Large, light green leaves and easier to trim than privet or lonicera.
The only possible downside that I can see, is that it may succumb to cold in a very harsh winter.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/details?plantid=889