[Mel]

Hiya,
I am looking for some comments or ideas.  I need to put some sort of wind break screen up at the end of my riding arena. the purpose is two fold :-

1. to provide a barrier from outside distrations for when i am riding Hetty....she tends to use movement in the woods 1/2 mile away across the fields as an excuse for spooking etc.

2. To provide a wind break. This is at the southwesterly end of the arena and the gusts fairly blow across, sometimes even lifting the surface.

the area to be planted or fenced is a rough banked-up ground 25m x 4m , set aside.. almost as a wildlife area.
I already have some very small beech trees (but it will be years before they are effective) , some dogwood, and some willow planted there, but am thinking of some fast growing conifers to provide a complete screen.

So question - what type.. dare i say Leylandi.(they would be far enough away that the horses would not be able to eat them)

or can you suggest something else? i think a fence would succumb to high winds pretty quickly!
Oh and its a limited budget - very limited- in fact if it was free i would be happy!
Emma T

Emma,
What Willow do you have,I am making the same in our field and have been using salix red and yellow,they grew 9ft last year,I have just coppiced them so have loads of 1ft sticks which can be planted now,they shall grow 6-8 ft or maybe more in the year.when you cut them back after the first year,they spread very wide,mine are 6ft or more in width now.

You also have the advantage of when coppicing you can use the logs for burning and when it is more mature,they can be used for jump bars.lots of uses in very little time.If you wish to try some,pm me with your address,I can send them free.

Mel

[Penninehillbilly]

We have leylandii as a windbreak for the fruit patch, kept to about 8ft - brilliant. planted a lot more 2 years ago to shelter/disguise the barn, also some as a windbreak for the yard. looking forward to their shelter.
I'd plant Leylandii, obviously depends on the wind direction whether they would shelter your slower growers, but sounds good to me. You could always just take alternate ones out as they get bigger, so the native hedge doesn't get too much of a shock.

[honeyend]

I would vote for laurel. yes it does seed but you can cut it hard back where as leylandi unless cut every year, and it can grow 6' a year, will grow then you can only cut back to green also if you get die back it stays brown. I've had both and I thick laurel is easier to manage.
 I would also look into agricultral wind break material, used for the sides of barns. This is extreemly, tough filters the wind and comes in about 9' wide rolls.

[Small Farmer]

We have leylandii as a windbreak for the fruit patch, kept to about 8ft - brilliant. planted a lot more 2 years ago to shelter/disguise the barn, also some as a windbreak for the yard. looking forward to their shelter.
I'd plant Leylandii, obviously depends on the wind direction whether they would shelter your slower growers, but sounds good to me. You could always just take alternate ones out as they get bigger, so the native hedge doesn't get too much of a shock.

Our predecessors planted a couple of hundred Leylandii as a quick hedge about ten years ago.  God I hate the stuff...

[Penninehillbilly]

We only cut our leylandii once a year, early autumnm, no problem, when we did miss it was a problem the next year but took the hacking back quite well.
Otherwise just give it a hair cut, about 2ft from the ground, should make a great bonfire in November.
But for short term shelter or if you're prepared to be the boss I don't think you can beat it.
we also planted some laurel, I find it comes out sideways too much, it's recommended to use secateurs to trim so you don't get damaged leaves and possible die back, with the leylandii we just use either the shears or petrol hedge trimmer.
I also have to be absolutely sure the goats don't get anywhere near the laurel, they sometimes grab a mouthful Leylandii but a little won't harm them (the kids got loose and ate more than a mouthful but were OK).
Saw a video on Buttercups goat sanctuary and they actually FED Leylandii to the goats!

SF - why not take alternate plants out, improve the soil and start something else going, eventually replace it all? I believe they are shallow rooted so they shouldn't be too bad.
There is a tree nursery in East Lothian which supplies reasonably priced trees grown in rootrainers that get going easily. )eg hornbeam (in 15s) 70p ea, or of you get 105+ = 46p ea
Actually - hornbeam, that's another one to throw in the suggestions

[Small Farmer]

We've found that where there are gaps because a tree has failed it has been impossible to get anything else to thrive in the space, so the gap stays.  I worked out ours are more like 15/16 years old and the remaining standalone is 20ft high though the hedges are kept to about 10ft tall. 

I think replacement will not be a small job, and it's never going to happen because we have plenty of other jobs to do.

[pikilily]

Hey Mel,  sorry not been on TAS for a wee while..,.I dont know what type of willow i have...it was just some i got from my mums.  It does gown fast... yellowy green leaves...sound the same???

the idea was to try for something evergreen so that in the winter we still have protection!

Still havent decided yet...I have sort of been distracted!
ET x