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Advice for hedging in Glasgow - with a few ground issues

dhwcxcym7yxZtGmimIdhwcxcym7yxZtGmimI Posts: 7
edited June 2023 in Problem solving
Hi, 
I live in Glasgow and would like to plant a 'hedge' in my front garden, I stripped away 60cm wide strip of turf and began to dig over where I encountered a concrete bed around 20-25cm down pretty much covering the full 60cm width. My front garden borders to some parking for my neighbours and whilst I expected to be met with a bit of a concrete reinforcement I didn't expect it to encroach as far as it does.
Initially I had wanted to plant Laurel Caucasica and maintain at about 1m tall, I am led to believe that the soil needs to be deeper than this so am looking for alternatives that could provide a suitable boundary that doesn't need to be too high, just enough to stop people using my garden as a short cut.

The boundary is east facing and in Glasgow so needs to be hardy enough to withstand the conditions. 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as my other options are to reseed with grass or put pebbles down (the lawn has just been hollow tined and top dressed so is looking a little miserable)

TIA 
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Posts

  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    With so little depth I think you'll struggle to establish anything much in the way of hedging. As long as the concrete base isn't impeding the drainage you might get away with something small like dwarf Euonymus or dwarf Berberis varieties. Or dig out the soil and build a small wall - the concrete will give you a footing.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • dhwcxcym7yxZtGmimIdhwcxcym7yxZtGmimI Posts: 7
    Cheers JennyJ the wall had crossed my mind actually however the cost involved isn't an option at the minute. I will certainly take a look at the Euonymus, I had seen some Jean Hughes that may be an option however think they may be easy to step over for a good while yet. Cheers

  • dhwcxcym7yxZtGmimIdhwcxcym7yxZtGmimI Posts: 7
    Would Buxus Sempervirens grow in these conditions? I know it is slow growing however I may need to compromise somewhere

  • dhwcxcym7yxZtGmimIdhwcxcym7yxZtGmimI Posts: 7
    Soil is acidic, we do have some huge Rhododendron nearby however our dwarf Rhodo' that we have growing in an old whiskey barrel suffered with the harsh winter and looks to be struggling at the minute. I also need to be conscious of the road next to the border so would need to stay within these confines. 
  • KathmKathm Posts: 26
    Hello.  I am in Blantyre, so not far from you and had a similar problem.  Originally I went for perimeter type planting, but nothing much lived there happily.   I have now put down gravel grids at some of the fringes and cut much deeper into the grass area - where there is some slightly better soil.  It means less ‘lawn to maintain.   The higher shrubs can be nearest pavement with ‘prettier’ planting closer to windows you actually look out of.  Good luck.  Photos are 18 March and then tonight. Kath. 
  • dhwcxcym7yxZtGmimIdhwcxcym7yxZtGmimI Posts: 7
    Looks great KathM, huge improvement. If my lawn doesn't come back any better after the hollowtining (the soil in my front garden is laced with all sorts of rocks and rubble) I think this may be an option to explore

    Pansyface I will definitely get it planted in the soil, would you think it would be ok under my window where the grey tub is currently, the border under my window is a work in progress bench the pots, just sussing out where stuff can go?

  • WaterbutWaterbut Posts: 344
    Try tall growing lavender plants. Try a couple first to see if they take. 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Not lavender  :)
    If you can make the border a bit wider, you could have beech. It really depends on how much work you put in with prep and initial care. I've done hedges in very similar situation no problem, but it might be worth putting a proper edging along the grass, so that you can get some more organic matter in there, and it will be less of a problem with the footings. I did a hornbeam hedge along a pavement edge in a previous garden, and we also had two very mature, established trees [ a maple and a lime] along that boundary. It was absolutely fine, and it was only the ones nearest the trees which took a bit longer to get going. I've also done a hedge in this garden, no problem, with similar conditions. It's the prep that matters most, so that mustn't be skimped on  :)
    It's not a good time to plant hedging, even though in normal years it would be fine at any point here, because it wouldn't be so hot and dry. However, it's expensive, as you'd have to buy potted specimens. If you can wait until October, you can buy a good amount of bare root planting, at a smaller size, which means you can plant more densely, and very economically. It'll establish more quickly and more easily. If you don't need it to be very high, it's easier.
    I also understand the problem of people cutting across. You could use hawthorn   ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • dhwcxcym7yxZtGmimIdhwcxcym7yxZtGmimI Posts: 7
    Fairygirl said:
    Not lavender  :)
    If you can make the border a bit wider, you could have beech. It really depends on how much work you put in with prep and initial care. I've done hedges in very similar situation no problem, but it might be worth putting a proper edging along the grass, so that you can get some more organic matter in there, and it will be less of a problem with the footings. I did a hornbeam hedge along a pavement edge in a previous garden, and we also had two very mature, established trees [ a maple and a lime] along that boundary. It was absolutely fine, and it was only the ones nearest the trees which took a bit longer to get going. I've also done a hedge in this garden, no problem, with similar conditions. It's the prep that matters most, so that mustn't be skimped on  :)
    It's not a good time to plant hedging, even though in normal years it would be fine at any point here, because it wouldn't be so hot and dry. However, it's expensive, as you'd have to buy potted specimens. If you can wait until October, you can buy a good amount of bare root planting, at a smaller size, which means you can plant more densely, and very economically. It'll establish more quickly and more easily. If you don't need it to be very high, it's easier.
    I also understand the problem of people cutting across. You could use hawthorn   ;)
    Thanks Fairygirl, not overly familiar with Beech (although I've probably seen it loads of places), few questions if I may

    1 - how much wider would I need to go
    2 - Would it be good in well draining soil of about 20 cm deep?
    3 - Does it respond well to shaping (traditional straight sides and flat top)

    Thanks
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    edited June 2023
    dhwcxcym7yxZtGmimI said:
     I stripped away 60cm wide strip of turf and began to dig over where I encountered a concrete bed around 20-25cm down pretty much covering the full 60cm width.
    Is there deeper soil after the 60cm.  20cm soil might be Ok to start a hedge with a bit more watering and then the roots would go into the deeper soil.

    A hedge 90º to the path, joining the apex to the house, might serve to meet your no-short-cuts objective.  Or a series of shrubs.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
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