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Laurel grows up to 2 ft/yr though so a more attractive option and easier to manage later on.
There are better hedge plants for wildlife than laurel (which in my opinion is almost as dull as planting conifers). A native species mix like hawthorn and blackthorn will have the wildlife thanking you more, and also grows fast.
https://www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org/news/garden-hedges-wildlife
Anyone interested in an update?!
Well it's been a while.... In January they cut down their side to the stumps leaving me with some gaps which I then removed my trees from but a big section in the front garden and most of the hedge in the backgarden were mostly fine so I could leave those.
Then they discovered that putting in a fence was going to be expensive, very expensive as don't want to use ready made panels. After a few months of thinking they talked to a few contractors and were told that all the stumps need to be removed but also the trees on my side as the roots would make putting a fence in very difficult; also the concrete boundary posts would have to go. They came to me and said was I happy for them to do all this at their cost and I agreed, they said we'd agree the line for the new fence.
More time passed and now the hedge and posts have gone and they want to agree the line. Now that boundary is mine, so the concete posts are on my side, so my view was they can put their fence in on the other side of where the posts where. They didn't like this and wanted to put on my side. I discussed with a friend and he said well that would either mean the fence is yours, so have to maintain it, or in time the fence if considered there's as they put it in could look as though it was on their side so the boundary would have changed by a few inches. He was adamant that they put the fence in completely on their side. Unfortunately they got very angry about all this, and really I wasn't able to discuss easily, so I got my friend to come over and he agreed with the contractor what was right so it's going in on their side. Feels like they hate me now!
Sounds like a result. I don't think any outcome would have ended up with dinner parties at each other's houses
I'm predicting the next installment will be that they stain their side of the fence hideous orange (cos the inevitable natural weathered silver grey doesn't look 'new') and it runs through on to your side leaving loads of dribbles!
I was a little concerned about damp soil pulling up against the fence on my side as I'm a bit higher up and I want to flatten my side anyway to grow things on. My idea was to use done of the hedge tree trunks laid down against the fence posts to keep the soil away. Good idea or not? They don't seem to care
They should use timber or concrete gravel boards to retain the soil and protect the main fence.
They are using timber gravel boards on their side but don't care what happens on my side - my suggestion about reusing the tree trunks felt enrironmentally sensible - bugs will live under them.
Timber gravel boards are not a good idea; they will rot from the bottom where they are in contact with the soil.
If you are interested in the environmental aspect of losing that hedge then plant a nice native hedge along your side of the fence. Then when her fence rots or blows over you'll still have a nice bit of screening.
I see they're putting in a gravel board on my side as well as on their 'good' side so perhaps they did listen to my concerns about the soil. It'll rot before the posts start I suppose so could be replaced