Replacing ghastly fir hedge with soemthing useful

[chriscross1966]

A part of my garden's southern boundary is latticework fencing currently planted (by the previous owner) with some fir trees.... they've got to go (they used to be huge but got cut back about six months before I moved in) so now they're wide but not high.... They're coiming out before the start of June but here's the question.... They'll have messed up the ground underneath them, so after I grind out the stumps would I be doing something sensible by pulling out as much of the soil as I can and replacing it before planting what I want in there, which is either blackthorn or (if I can find it) bullaces ... that way I get some sloes fi nothing else.... The firs are cypresses by the way, I can shred the small bits and the big bits will get used as firewood or edging....

chrisc

[chriscross1966]

[Robert_Brenchley]

The needles will have made the soil acid. The best thing might be a good dose of lime. As the acidity drops, more worms should move in, and it'll soon improve. I wouldn't have thought there would be any need to replace soil.

[chriscross1966]

THe soil in my garden is generally neutral to a bit alkaline ... I've got a ph meter, I'll give it a check once I've got the b****y things out....

chrisc

[Unwashed]

No, I wouldn't bother replacing the soil.  I'd try and get some organic matter in there and give it all a good soaking because it'll be dry as dust I'd guest.

[artichoke]

Just wondered if planting blackthorn to get sloes might be a waste of space if you can pick plenty of sloes in the wild, as I can? I have a short hedge of goji berries, fast growers that can be pruned. Can't say I have had many berries yet, but this should be their first good year.

Blackthorn notoriously suckers out in all directions, and is hard to control, as I found when I inherited a group of them in a previous garden. Some say goji berries do as well, but I have seen no suckers yet, and they grew to 6' last year (now pruned back and growing away strongly again).

My daughter has a redcurrant hedge, fantastically prolific with very little care. Or what about a row of raspberries or gooseberries? Or hazel nuts, as a friend of mine has?

None of these make tidy hedges, of course.

[timnsal]

I replaced our ghastly fir hedge with a mix of native hedging last year. Left the stumps in for stability, as it's sloping into a ditch.

The original hawthorn was attempting to grow even when the leylandii were still there. Everything that has gone in since is thriving, including blackthorn, without the ground having had any special attention.

Sally

[PurpleHeather]

The needles when we got rid of ours several years ago seemed to make a nice soft soil, eventually.

We have just put a wooden fence on  that area and have trained fruits on a trellis in front.

It depends exactly where your hedge is in the garden of course but I always think roses make a nice looking hedge.

Hedges take up such a lot of room always it is surprising how big the area looks after their removal.