Hi. I have the task of managing the build out of a fence design that a lanscape designer did for our strata. She suggested using the existing 6' wood Panels adding a Yew hedge and iron gate (for access of lawn cutting). We all liked the design. When taking to another landscaper and the nursary the Yew was not recommended as it takes a long time to grow. The owners want the fences for privacy and also to add to the overall look of the property. There are other Yews on the site. We do not have irrigation though in Squamish it rains alot most of the year but can be dry in the summer. I would like some other opinions on hedges to plant for this purpose. I should mention I was planning to put chicken wire inside the hedge to prevent small dogs and children from running through them.
Why does this situation require a fence and a hedge both? >but can be dry in the summer< That is why irrigation systems are standard with commercial installations in this region, the marked falling off of precipitation right in the middle of the growing season is a critical limiting factor. All well-established plants not naturally adapted to deficient summer precipitation require permanent irrigation to give their best (or even survive at all on some sites). All newly planted stock, whether drought-adapted or not requires irrigation during the establishment phase.
The designer thought it would be nice to add the greenery of the hedge to the existing wood panel, then add the gate secured the back wood fence. She suggested we put in a soaking hose or directional jets to help with irrigation especially the first couple of years. She likes the Yew b/c it doesn't require alot of maintenance and is common to this region. Thank you for your reply. Can you comment on the type of hedge?
I'd put a mixed planting in front of the fence instead of a hedge, which would be duplicative - a green wall in front of a brown wall. There is also the practical problem of the hedge and wall interfering with one another, if in proximity. The shading from the hedge might cause some decay issues with the fence over time; the shading from the fence would certainly begin to cause thin areas in the back side of the hedge after enough time elapses. And nearness of the one would make maintenance or repair operations on the other more difficult, in both cases. Any pruning or spraying of the hedge that might be undertaken would be much harder if having to squeeze between the back of the hedge and the fence, re-finishing or replacing sections of the fence much more of a chore with a hedge in front of it. Mixed planting would also be more interesting, and not have the problem of being made asymmetric if one or more of the components dies or grows more slowly than the rest. An informal arrangement of assorted trees and shrubs would also be cheaper than matching slow-growing expensive conifers like yews drilled in close to one another like rivets, about the most expensive way to plant. (If you are set on a row of conifers at least choose the much less costly and much more easily found 'Smaragd' arborvitae, a mainstay of most outlets stocking landscape plants to any significant degree - and having the additional advantage of a rich ("emerald") green color instead of the funereal blackish green of the yew).
Interesting comments, thank you. The hedge is not bocked by the panel. It is a straight line out from the Units to the back fence. The existing wood panel is 5'8"and is about 4 ft wide. There is another 8 ft to the back wood fence. This is where the 3 or 4 hedge plants would go in a line along with a 3'wide gate with posts. The hedge would be easy to prune on both sides and not shaded by the wood panel as they are all in line. Does that make sense?
If there's only going to be 3 or 4 specimens it won't be that much of an expense, although you will surely still find it cheaper and easier to use the much more easily located Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd' than Taxus baccata 'Fastigiata'. In addition to being sensitive to soil drainage and growing quite large (after many years), the yew is also prone to splaying open in snow. This varies and can't be guaranteed to occur in a particular planting. Likewise the arborvitae cannot be claimed to be bullet-proof, as multiple posts on internet gardening forums asking why part of a planting has gone brown attest.
I think the yew would be more interesting even if slower to establish than the everpresent Smaragd "cedars". I've seen some beautiful narrow yew hedges and think that the deep rich green makes a nicer contrast to lawns and deciduous plantings than the "emerald" green does. If snow is brushed or shaken off with a broom soon after it falls the branches usually quickly spring back into shape.
If one decides to give up and splay open it may sometimes be more dramatic than something that can be remedied with merely knocking the snow off. We grew one here for decades and then had it fall open, to such an extent that I cut it down. The 'Fastigiata' arborvitae that the 'Smaragd' has to a large extent replaced on the market seems quite apt to fall open, although again not all examples suffer this fate. 'Smaragd' has a different branching structure and may never become as prone (fully developed examples are not yet frequent enough to make a comparison of long-term performance). The 'Smaragd' is overly popular for a reason. Yes: if you want a contrasting shadowy backdrop for white or yellow flowers or foliage the yew is the ticket. If instead the hedge is the only thing to be looked at in the section it is going to fill then one with lively green foliage would be immensely preferable.
