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Hedge - Half Dead
btg202
Posts: 4
Hi,
We have a hedge in our garden but the bottom half is empty/dead. I cleared away the dead branches and it's looking neater, but any ideas on what to do with it?
Do I put something like a trellis below, or plant some acidic friendly plants underneath?
0
Posts
What orientation is this strip of hedge and how long is it? I doesn't look like a Box, maybe a Lonicera Nitida or Yew.
Hi,
The hedge is about 9m long and faces south east. Hope that helps! Much appreciated for the advice.
Ben
It doesn't really matter what hedge it is, so no contest there wolfTweltyTwelve....
If the soil is free draining and maybe moving to the acidic side you can grow some Azaleas and Rhododendrons every 3 meters apart. Then plant some Libertias in groups of threes to form nice upright sword shaped clumps. Pale flowers work well against dark evergreens. Anthemis Tinctoria 'Sauce Hollandaise' with nice low silvery mounds adds contrast against upright leaves. Cheery flower heads can be long flowering on a south facing border if cut back after the first flush for a second flush. Near the front, Lithodora Diffusa 'Heavenly Blue' can fill the front of the borders alternating with Alchemilla Mollis and its velvety leaves.
Looks like a Lonicera to me.
I'm afraid think it's Lonicera nidita too btg22.
Lonicera nitida
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
needs a drastic haircut to stimulated lower growth. It will get worse til it falls over if you plant in front as things are. Lonicera nitida iis good at that
Ok til a heavy snowfall. The climate may be changing but I doubt we've seen the last of those.
In the sticks near Peterborough
I'd give it a trim and leave an access path beside the hedge when you plant up your border. I imagine you'd need room for a stepladder for ongoing maintainance.
The bottom of the hedge will be hidden once your border fills out
I see wolftwentytwelve's post has disappeared. It would seem they aren't actually willing to eat whatever they said they would
There was a hedge down the side of our garden which our predecessors and our neighbour referred to as 'the box hedge'. When a pro gardener came round he said it was Lonicera. He said the easy way to tell the difference is that if it needs trimming more than once a year it ain't box.