Thank you for being so explicit addressing the time window!👌

It’s all well and good saying don’t buy it - but realistically what are the other good options that do what cherry laurel do? There is nothing else that grows as quick and stays nice and waxy and green. This is why people choose it, not because they’re ‘obsessed’ with it. We’d of loved a yew hedge in an ideal world but just can’t afford to wait several years for it to get as big as we need. It’s not really practical for lots of people. And to say people’s privacy doesn’t matter in winter - people have hedging out the front of their houses too. No leaves in winter = no privacy. Just trying to explain justifications as to why people choose it. Good educational video though.

Just what I needed. Thank you so much!

Very useful video. Ive watched a dozen videos on hedging and english yew this morning alone. Some were 20 minutes long and told me absolutely nothing. I'm now thinking of holding off buying pots and going for a root ball option once summer is past the peak.

Very helpful and clear. Thanks!

This was so helpful. Very comprehensive.

I love everything Irish and your lovely accent and the Irish vibe. Presumably you are in lovely Ireland? If not, bless ya for bringing us your lovely accent and charming Emerald Isle manner anyway! Apart from loving the Irish accent and Zero Zero Guinness, another thing I adore is listening to Gardener's Question Time on BBC Radio 4, but last time I heard the radio programme panel discussing hedges they seemed to hate cherry laurel just as much as you do. However, I've gone for cherry laurel round my garden because it is very cheap, tough and fast growing. I bought the smallest cheapest plants and after a couple of three years they are now almost a full grown hedge. You've also done a bit of yew around your garden, which is a great idea, however, even more expensive than beech, and takes even longer to establish. In fact, yew is extremely slow growing. However, indeed, the deciduous beech is great because it is a tree and so you can have a hugely high hedge - eventually as tall as a full grown beech tree - if the neighbours and laws of obstruction allow - but they are either extremely expensive or take years to establish. But, while if I had more money I might have gone for deciduous beech or evergreen yew, I actually really like my poor person's cherry laurel, zero problems with yellowing leaves, and in a short time it is making my garden look so much smarter, while I don't have to worry about the expense of a new garden fence and it certainly won't die from drought. And, you asked, "Why wouldn't you want seasonality?" That comes with the wonderful copper leaves of beech. Beech are a very wonderful autumnal plant but apart from the autumnal splendour of beech leaves the British Isles do look dreadfully scrubby for about six months of the year when the garden shrubs and trees don't have their deciduous leaves. Thus I am working towards a lush winter green around the house for an all year vibrancy. This evergreen vibrancy can come with a huge variety of shapes and colours of coniferous plants or with mixtures of such plants as camellias or, yes, your hated cherry laurel. If you have more money and time apparently there are tall varieties of camellias that can create a whole new world of camellia hedging? But, if you are happy with deciduous, what about a Japanese a flowering cherry hedge? With Autumn leaves and Spring blossom? This might need a combination hedge creative solution? As the lower cheery tree trunks will need a low under hedge, thus you could have a low beech, yew, camellia or - dare I say it - cherry laurel hedge under a higher blossoming cherry hedge? Anyway, bless ya for a nice introduction to hedging and for showing us your fab developing garden. Enjoyed the vibe!

Very useful advice. Thank you.

For me its clearing up all the leaves that i dont like doing as we have a large garden that is really windy exposed site so leaves blow everywhere. We went for lornicera nitida and silver gilt edge. Great video 🙂

I ‘d like a small hedge in front of my bay window at the front of the house. Because it faces the main road it will have to be evergreen. I thought choisya Ternata might be good, but it flops all over the place. I ‘d like to put a mixture of roses and an evergreen . Ideas???

i'm torn between pleached cherry laurel trees & pleached photonia red for hedging they're on sale i want to know quick please lol - both are evergreen i know i need something that looks good all through the year and grows fast

The video was sadly lacking. Latin names should be displayed not just rattled off at high speed. Applicable climate information for each or at a minimum as a blanket statement that all fall within stated range. Heights, widths, trimming needs, all are very important. And summary list of deciduous and list of evergreens should also be given.