By Dleoni
Gloucestershire,
United Kingdom 
Following your earlier good advise I am thinking that planting a hedge of cotoneaster franchetii would look good and help the birds. at what distance from each other should I plant the shrubs (bare roots 40-60cm)?
Is it difficult to grow them as a compact hedge?
Thank you
dl
31 Oct, 2010
Answers
That's interesting Bulbaholic, I wonder how often that happens or do you think you get more salt on your roads because of worse weather and what did you plant instead?
1 Nov, 2010
I don't think that they actually use more salt here D, but in Dyke we don't have any pavements! This means that run off from the road can run into the gardens (we have since built a stone wall to prevent this) and, when the road is wet, spray from vehicles could fly up into the hedge.
2 Nov, 2010
We dont have pavements around here either, but we dont have our rural roads treated as the bad weather never lasts long so that may explain it?
2 Nov, 2010
Previous question
http://www.hedging.co.uk/acatalog/product_10170.html
Advice on the above site suggest 2-3ft appart, Dleoni, and gives advice on pruning.
All I would add is that cotoneaster does not like salt. If it will be growing close to the road make sure that passing vehicles cannot spray it with water after the road has been salted in winter. We lost two hedges to this before we realised what the problem was.
31 Oct, 2010