Holly

If you can afford it, pick a holly for your hedge. They tick all the boxes when it comes to what you want a hedge for. They are evergreen and come in several colours of leaf and with or without prickles. Start with the biggest you can afford as they are quite slow to get up to 4 feet and if too small become rabbit fodder.
Once there, they take off quite fast. There is something deeply satisfying, watching a blackbird pluck off plump holly berries on a cold, frosty winter day. Hollies grow about 6-10 inches/year. The common green prickly English holly can not be sexed but when you plant a hedge you are certain to get some of each. The fancy coloured varieties are male or female and if you want berries plant females with the odd male to fertilise them. If you are in an area where hollies are common, don’t worry about Mr Holly as he is sure be around locally.

Clipping Holly Hedging
Clip in late summer with sharp shears.

Dislikes
Holly is easy to grow in any well drained soil.

Feeding Holly
A feed of pelleted chicken manure is recommended and best done in spring to really get them going for the season. Really this can be done any time and with any plant feed, but it is far easier to overdo the powdered artificial fertilizers. Always read the label or stick to the idiot proof aforementioned natural food.