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Thoughts, tips & ideas :)

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  • Thanks! How would you suggest peeping the area for heading? A lot of the bigger plants look sold out already on that website! I like the look of the privet but would this die back in winter? I also like the idea of a pergola, could you build this off the back house wall maybe? We do like the sun also so wouldnt want to block too much of it! I wanted to run the patio ideal down the right hand side of the garden so we could position ourselves down the right hand side of the garden until the sun sets maybe. And possibly keep the grass area to the left. The only thing I can think of is putting a little shed up the side of the house prehpas? I have this area here I could get something in but I’d have to dig it out level most probably and put chippings down? (Excuse the mess) 
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    If you are set on hedging, you would need to dig a border about 1 m wide, incorporating well rotted manure as you did so, then dig the planting holes at the correct spacing. I still think a hedge would be a mistake as your garden doesn't look very wide and at the height you require, might make it look very oppressive. Privet keeps most of its leaves during winter unless it's very cold but will need trimming once it's established 3 or 4 times a year as it grows quite fast then.

    Depending on the width of your side return, it may be possible to have a narrow but tall shed there, you would need to measure it well. Were you thinking of moving the path so that the shed abuts your house wall or putting it alongside the fence line? If against the house wall, the existing slabs look reasonably firm and flat, you might just need to lay a few extra to fit the width of the shed. A bike store might well fit better, depends on what you want to store in it.

    Pergolas can easily be fixed to the house wall, just have a look on Youtube to see how it's done.

    If you wanted to run the patio more lengthways along the right hand side, then the dwarf wall would presumably be demolished? 
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    It depends where you live - the climate etc. Hornbeam and Beech need very little space to thrive, and Lonicera is the same. A border of around 2 feet dug over and with plenty of organic matter added will be fine. Buy small whips at around 2 to 3 feet [60 - 90 cm] as they establish. There are other hedging sites too - Hedges Direct is another one.
    I've grown hornbeam hedging in much less hospitable sites than that with no problem, because I don't have to worry about watering early on or through spring.  Your conditions dictate the ease of growing  :)

    Alternatively, you can have a pergola and use climbers all along the fence as well as on the structure. It's worth taking some measurements and drawing up a few basic plans of what you actually want and need from your garden. As long as it's reasonably to scale, it's an easy way of deciding what will work. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    I wondered if my 1metre was too generous @Fairygirl
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    It's all relative @Lizzie27. I've planted hedging in strips of border a foot wide, and against pavement footings or under established trees, without any problem.  ;)

    I personally wouldn't have a hedge there either, because climbers would be far easier to manage and would take up less room   :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Thanks, how would I get climbers to go above the fence line please? Would you put trellis and attach it to the fence higher up?   
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    You can only attach trellis to the fence if it's your fence. There are also height limits on fences. I'm not sure why you'd need any climbers to be taller than the fence anyway though. Anything growing to a much greater height along a fence also can cause friction with neighbours.

    If you do a pergola, you can make it almost any height you want, within reason, but it would give you privacy for sitting or dining anyway, so there would be no need for it to be excessively high.  :)
    Alternatively, you could put in two or three short screens, with a gap between them,  within your own boundary, a few feet from the fence. That would offer privacy but without taking up a lot of your own space. I did something similar here, although with just one screen.

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Ok great thanks, we are after some privacy that’s all down the fence line. Do you have an example of your pergola? Something I’ll definitely look into! 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Just a screen @ashleyhopkinPO_qf6zp, but it could easily be made into a pergola if someone wanted that. There's a path behind it, and a border on the boundary.
    It could also be much simpler than mine, but I was making it for a specific reason. Done in 2014


    Lawn, pond and planting in 2015



    I changed it all last spring though, because I removed the lawn and planted all that area up [that had been a little pond] instead. I made a bigger pond on the other side of the garden instead.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • I only joined this forum in January but what has surprised me the most is how many questions there are on screening, fencing and hedging . I guess it is because privacy is a concern for gardeners and non gardeners alike. 
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
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