Pyrcantha, esp happy, mature ones, can be very strong, forceful plants that become almost trees. My own has branches as thick as my wrist - it certainly fights back. In a battle with a plastic drainpipe, I would think the bush will always win.
If you like them for the flowers and berries and wildlife potential, then maybe consider growing the bush out rather than up. The less you prune, the more you will have all three.
Mine is also in an awkward spot and it longs to eat the house. I prune it back through the year more or less to head height. When I first moved in I let it run and it was hard work bringing it back down, so now I try and keep all my hedges to more or less head height to make maintenance easier. Someone here long ago was extremely keen on big hedging plants and put lots in that weren't really appropriate for such small spaces. Or they didn't realise how much work they take after they settle in. The upside is I now have a beech forest in my front garden.
I worry when I see forceful plants growing up near roof tiling and gutters. It makes me wince.
You been listening to U2 @AnniD? #still haven't found what I'm looking for...
Hard to do it on a budget @Latimer. I've been there. It's sometimes easier to just look at pictures of gardens, to get an idea of what you like [style wise] and more importantly - an idea of what you don't like. Then see what sort of planting would suit you and your conditions - if you don't have loads of time, you don't want lots of plants that need faffing around with and pruning and staking etc. A mix of easy shrubs and spring bulbs is a good start if that's the case, and you can add perennials later on for extra colour, while those shrubs are small. Repeating plants is always a good trick to use [assuming the conditions suit them, as per @Anni's post] and climbers if you have sites for them. Many of those are pretty easy to manage. You can always move things later, as Anni says. I didn't realise how low maintenance my garden was until I retired and was twiddling my thumbs with it, and looking for projects to fill the time! It's much harder than decorating your house. Plants don't stay the same size or colour I also like to plan in advance, and this is a good time of year to do it too. A few sketches of your plot and tracking the sun throughout the day helps for getting the right plants
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
@AnniD & @Fairygirl thanks for the advice! I do think I need to stop thinking there any chance I'm going to get this right first, second or even third time! I think some shrubs are definitely my first port of call. My first bed I planted a couple of years ago is full of grades and perennials and though everything seems to have grown well, it only looks good for about 3 months of the year! I think I'll look to get in some shrubs then start spreading the perennials that I have around. Then look to fill in some gaps.
@Fire I think I'm going to try as you are doing, regularly training to keep it under control. I like all the bare branches and trunks, just need to get some other stuff underplanted!!
I don't think I have ever met a gardener who has "finished" their garden. It seems even perfection can be improved upon! (@loxley, I thought your garden looked pretty good in the "progress" pictures recently)
Pyracantha looks terrific when cloud pruned if you fancy that. Takes a fair bit of effort though, and you lose the flowers/berries. I'd only do it on a specimen that was regularly visible from the house though. You can certainly raise it's crown and manipulate it. I'm not sure it's a suitable plant for the site though. A smaller climber which you can keep away from the wall and the downpipe with supports would be an easier option. I did that in a previous garden by putting trellis onto battens which were deep enough to clear the pipe
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
@Suesyn no fear of me getting any where near to finished at the rate I'm going! 😂
@Fairygirl I think you're right, it's going to have to go. It got behind the arbor structure where it was fixed to the wall. A combination of the damp and that meant the whole thing pulled away and is going to need fixing. At the moment, the timber structure is sat on top of the pyracantha!
Any suggestions for a replacement? It's west facing. I like structural plants, so I like seeing trunks and branches (so I do like the way the pyracantha currently looks!! 🤦🏽♂️) and I don't like bushy bushes. I'm wondering if a climbing rose would work here?
I don't grow roses [don't like them] but if the soil etc is fine, I don't see why not. You'd certainly need a good sturdy structure to grow it on, but that really applies to any climber, so that you have no worries about the wall etc. Loads of clematis would be fine. Some of the smaller earlier ones would be perfect. The alpinas and macropetalas like a drier spot, unlike their bigger flowered relations, and need virtually no attention. Perfect if you wanted to add some spring plants and bulbs too, and some later perennials for summer. In theory, those clems have a 2nd flush in late summer/autumn, and that will depend on location. We don't really have that luxury here unfortunately. This is one of my favourites C. macro. Lemon Dream. In a similar aspect It's in a raised bed with a small philadelphus and some bulbs etc. I never do anything with it. I have an alpina [Constance] much further along the boundary fence, which gets no attention either, other than a hack back if it gets too big for it's boots. It bounces back. It's in a tiny raised bed, with some pasqueflowers.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Posts
#still haven't found what I'm looking for...
Hard to do it on a budget @Latimer. I've been there. It's sometimes easier to just look at pictures of gardens, to get an idea of what you like [style wise] and more importantly - an idea of what you don't like.
Then see what sort of planting would suit you and your conditions - if you don't have loads of time, you don't want lots of plants that need faffing around with and pruning and staking etc. A mix of easy shrubs and spring bulbs is a good start if that's the case, and you can add perennials later on for extra colour, while those shrubs are small. Repeating plants is always a good trick to use [assuming the conditions suit them, as per @Anni's post] and climbers if you have sites for them. Many of those are pretty easy to manage. You can always move things later, as Anni says.
I didn't realise how low maintenance my garden was until I retired and was twiddling my thumbs with it, and looking for projects to fill the time!
It's much harder than decorating your house. Plants don't stay the same size or colour
I also like to plan in advance, and this is a good time of year to do it too. A few sketches of your plot and tracking the sun throughout the day helps for getting the right plants
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
@Fire I think I'm going to try as you are doing, regularly training to keep it under control. I like all the bare branches and trunks, just need to get some other stuff underplanted!!
(@loxley, I thought your garden looked pretty good in the "progress" pictures recently)
I'd only do it on a specimen that was regularly visible from the house though.
You can certainly raise it's crown and manipulate it. I'm not sure it's a suitable plant for the site though. A smaller climber which you can keep away from the wall and the downpipe with supports would be an easier option.
I did that in a previous garden by putting trellis onto battens which were deep enough to clear the pipe
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
@Fairygirl I think you're right, it's going to have to go. It got behind the arbor structure where it was fixed to the wall. A combination of the damp and that meant the whole thing pulled away and is going to need fixing. At the moment, the timber structure is sat on top of the pyracantha!
Any suggestions for a replacement? It's west facing. I like structural plants, so I like seeing trunks and branches (so I do like the way the pyracantha currently looks!! 🤦🏽♂️) and I don't like bushy bushes. I'm wondering if a climbing rose would work here?
Loads of clematis would be fine. Some of the smaller earlier ones would be perfect. The alpinas and macropetalas like a drier spot, unlike their bigger flowered relations, and need virtually no attention. Perfect if you wanted to add some spring plants and bulbs too, and some later perennials for summer. In theory, those clems have a 2nd flush in late summer/autumn, and that will depend on location. We don't really have that luxury here unfortunately.
This is one of my favourites C. macro. Lemon Dream. In a similar aspect
It's in a raised bed with a small philadelphus and some bulbs etc. I never do anything with it.
I have an alpina [Constance] much further along the boundary fence, which gets no attention either, other than a hack back if it gets too big for it's boots. It bounces back. It's in a tiny raised bed, with some pasqueflowers.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...