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Forsythia hedge

Rose121Rose121 Posts: 132
in Plants
I'm planning a small forsythia hedge this year - ideally around 4/5 foot in height, and relatively compact in depth. 

Most of the heading providers (who are a nice cheap option) default to Lynwood variety, but I'm worried it'll be a bit thuggish for that scale. Am I worrying overly, or should I go for something smaller, like courtayne? 

Posts

  • Mark56Mark56 Posts: 1,653
    Would you not be better with an evergreen/semi-evergreen hedge? they do grow very fast as well. 
  • Rose121Rose121 Posts: 132
    I'm looking for some winter/spring colour - and hoping to put a Clematis through in summer. I can wait a few years for it to grow, but really don't fancy having to dig it out if it's too ferocious in five years time... 
  • DampGardenManDampGardenMan Posts: 1,054
    You need to choose your clematis carefully, else you'll be cutting the hedge at just the time when the clematis doesn't want to be "pruned".
  • Rose121Rose121 Posts: 132
    Definitely. Need to do a bit of research to check relative pruning times. 
  • DampGardenManDampGardenMan Posts: 1,054
    Just dawned on me (doh!) that I have a couple of forsythias that I was thinking about jazzing up for the summer. Clematis now seems like just the ticket! Thanks :smile:
  • Rose121Rose121 Posts: 132
    Happy to help! :)
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Forsythia look good for about 7 day a year - assuming you like the bright yellow.   The rest of the year they have dull green foliage or bare brown sticks.   They are best kept to size by being pruned immediately after flowering as the flowers come on new growth produced the preceding growing season which means you'd be OK with a group 3 clematis which gets cut back hard in spring and flowers on current season's growth.

    We have inherited a mixed hedge of viiburnum, photinia Red Robin, philadelphus, weigelia, escallonia and Japanese honeysuckle which, thankfully, hide the 2 boring forysthias for most of the year. 
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • WaysideWayside Posts: 845
    edited March 2018
    Yeah Forsythia is boring for most of the year.  But right now it's great, and the stepping-stone to spring.

    I like it's vase shape and the colour of the wood.  It's quite different and alluring in its own way.

    When pruning do you take out the largest poles at the base, or something else?
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