I was hoping to get some inspiration for a shrub hedge. We've just had our front garden landscaped, and now have an 8.4 metre stretch ready for a hedge. I want to plant a variety of flowering shrubs for year-round interest rather than just the usual privet etc. The front garden is south-facing, and gets lots of sun. We are on heavy clay soil, but not too exposed to wind.
Some ideas so far are:
- berberis - flowering quince - viburnum (either or both of an evergreen like viburnum tinus laurustinus plus a deciduous variety such as opulus roseum) - escallonia - ribes sanguineum - osmanthus burkwoodii - possibly a lilac - possibly a philadelphus (though I don't know how well they form a bushy shape)
I'm aiming for the hedge to reach about 5-6 foot high at maturity, which will take several years.
Any other ideas? Or comments on the suggestions above?
Thanks in advance!
Liz
I like all of the plants you have listed and while posters have already said these will not form a regular hedge you will very likely get something that looks much more interesting. Big fan of Darwin's barberry myself and mahonia is another similar shrub that has the benefit of flowers and nice fragrance in winter. If one or two varieties you choose don't do well then there are others that will fill the gaps. Myrtle is another one that might fit in with the mixture and I like cotoneaster franchetii as part of an evergreen hedge but it may require more trimming than you would like as it is fairly vigorous and may out-compete some of its neighbours. Pyrachanta is another one that might fit in.
Berberis Darwinii can be cut back from 6ft to 3ft and it will soon regrow. It does have nasty thorns! Not everyone likes the smell of the flowers. Mahonia is in the same family, M Charity got to 8ft in my old garden again it is spikey. Flowers in November and unlike the berberis flowers have a lovely subtle scent. Not sure where you are in the UK but sadly Myrtle won't survive the winter here. You do see it for sale but best avoided unless you can put it under glass. Our local area had a sale on yesterday they obviously know their plants as everyone of them either struggled or died last winter. Last year I lost a Cotoneaster due to the weather it was ten years old.I think it is very important to sort your soil first as mentioned.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
Lots of plants will suit, but the soil prep has to be done as myself and @GardenerSuze have said. It prevents failures - possibly expensive ones Most Berberis will be good, but not all are evergreen so if you want a mix, and are using deciduous as well as evergreen shrubs, that's a consideration if you want some reasonable cover through winter.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
- berberis - flowering quince - viburnum (either or both of an evergreen like viburnum tinus laurustinus plus a deciduous variety such as opulus roseum) - escallonia - ribes sanguineum - osmanthus burkwoodii - possibly a lilac - possibly a philadelphus (though I don't know how well they form a bushy shape)
I'm aiming for the hedge to reach about 5-6 foot high at maturity, which will take several years.
Any other ideas? Or comments on the suggestions above?
Thanks in advance!
Liz
Just another consideration. Your list includes some wonderful shrubs. But all grow large and wide. IF you start to cram them in they will not flower so well. Pruned them... then they you lose the beauty of the flowers. Prepare soil as advised by others . Then think very carefully.
That was my point too @Silver surfer. Unless you can allow most of those shrubs being considered to have the space to develop properly, the flowering potential is lost, which is a great pity. I use a cherry laurel, an Ilex and a Mahonia [can't remember which one, but it's Charity or W. Sun ] as a short wind barrier 'hedge' at a corner section of my property. They have the room to spread in width, so they're all fine, and only need the odd branch removed occasionally - mainly the laurel. I wouldn't choose any of those as a standard hedge if it needed to be kept narrower than five or six feet.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Right! I think I have a shortlist. The space is 8.4 metres long, and my shortlist is made up of 8 plants, which is possibly a bit too many so I might need to cut one (or two?) out. Here it is:
1. Chaenomeles japonica (Japanese Quince) - deciduous but red flowers from Feb
2. Choisya ternata - evergreen, flowers in May, but possibly a bit short
3. Escallonia Iveyi - evergreen, flowers June - Sept
4. Hibiscus - deciduous, flowers summer
5. Osmanthus burkwoodii - evergreen, flowers April - May
6. Ribes sanguineum - deciduous, red flowers in spring
7. Viburnum tinus laurustinus - evergreen, flowers late winter/spring
8. Viburnum opulus guelder rose - deciduous, flowers late spring/early summer
If I had to get rid of 2 of them I think it would be the choisya and the ribes. But I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts.
NB there will be another border of smaller shrubs in front of the hedge (eventually) including things like roses.
@liz289 In terms of hardiness the only one I would question is the Hibiscus, not hardy in the South Midlands.
Choisya ternata is fairly quick to grow and if happy you will have a large shrub 6ft by 6ft wide. Choisya ternata sundance is lovely, but too much sun and the leaves bleach too little and they revert to green.
Where you place your shrubs is important you don't want all the evergreens to one end and all the deciduous at the other. Advice on labels at a GC is just a guide on size reality can be different depending on soil aspect etc.
May be you need to go and see these plants yourself? Garden Centres are seasonal so Quince and Ribes may not be at their best if they are for sale at all. With an extended seasonal you will have some shrubs going over next to others that are coming into their own.I would group some from your list together and see if you like the look.
You need to be happy with the contrast of leaf colour, texture and shape, flowers are secondary as they are seasonal. Some shrubs will start off as larger specimens than others but with varying growth rates over time the reverse can happen. In an improved clay soil V tinus will grow much faster than the quince.
The Viburnums are a large family of shrubs that are happy in most soils. There are evergreen and deciduous, some have amazing leaves others have a lovely scent. A diverse group of plants. Spirea Arguta would be another shrub I would consider too happy in most soils.
You may have only eight shrubs but doing your homework is important as I can see you are finding out.
It is difficult to give advice on a smaller secondary hedge. The shrubs you mention will take their share of water and nutrients when mature. Roses need water feed and full sun if you want to grow them well and avoid disease.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
The white Escallonia isn't reliably hardy here where I am either, so it depends where you're located @liz 289. It certainly won't like unamended clay if you're in a colder, wetter location. I wouldn't use Choisya as part of a hedge, or Hibiscus -even if it was hardy enough. I don't think either are suitable hedging plants. Any of the Spireas would do. Those horrible pink summer flowering ones are often used as hedging.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Posts
Mahonia is in the same family, M Charity got to 8ft in my old garden again it is spikey. Flowers in November and unlike the berberis flowers have a lovely subtle scent.
Not sure where you are in the UK but sadly Myrtle won't survive the winter here. You do see it for sale but best avoided unless you can put it under glass.
Our local area had a sale on yesterday they obviously know their plants as everyone of them either struggled or died last winter.
Last year I lost a Cotoneaster due to the weather it was ten years old.I think it is very important to sort your soil first as mentioned.
Most Berberis will be good, but not all are evergreen so if you want a mix, and are using deciduous as well as evergreen shrubs, that's a consideration if you want some reasonable cover through winter.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Your list includes some wonderful shrubs.
But all grow large and wide.
IF you start to cram them in they will not flower so well.
Pruned them... then they you lose the beauty of the flowers.
Prepare soil as advised by others .
Then think very carefully.
Viburnum tinus French White.
Berberis darwinii
Escallonia Apple Blossom.
Viburnum plicatum Pink Beauty.
Ribes sanguineus.
Philadelphus coronarius aurea.
Osmanthus delaveyii
Mahonia media Winter sun...still just a baby.
I use a cherry laurel, an Ilex and a Mahonia [can't remember which one, but it's Charity or W. Sun ] as a short wind barrier 'hedge' at a corner section of my property. They have the room to spread in width, so they're all fine, and only need the odd branch removed occasionally - mainly the laurel.
I wouldn't choose any of those as a standard hedge if it needed to be kept narrower than five or six feet.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
NB there will be another border of smaller shrubs in front of the hedge (eventually) including things like roses.
Choisya ternata is fairly quick to grow and if happy you will have a large shrub 6ft by 6ft wide. Choisya ternata sundance is lovely, but too much sun and the leaves bleach too little and they revert to green.
Where you place your shrubs is important you don't want all the evergreens to one end and all the deciduous at the other. Advice on labels at a GC is just a guide on size reality can be different depending on soil aspect etc.
May be you need to go and see these plants yourself? Garden Centres are seasonal so Quince and Ribes may not be at their best if they are for sale at all. With an extended seasonal you will have some shrubs going over next to others that are coming into their own.I would group some from your list together and see if you like the look.
You need to be happy with the contrast of leaf colour, texture and shape, flowers are secondary as they are seasonal. Some shrubs will start off as larger specimens than others but with varying growth rates over time the reverse can happen. In an improved clay soil V tinus will grow much faster than the quince.
The Viburnums are a large family of shrubs that are happy in most soils. There are evergreen and deciduous, some have amazing leaves others have a lovely scent. A diverse group of plants.
Spirea Arguta would be another shrub I would consider too happy in most soils.
You may have only eight shrubs but doing your homework is important as I can see you are finding out.
It is difficult to give advice on a smaller secondary hedge. The shrubs you mention will take their share of water and nutrients when mature. Roses need water feed and full sun if you want to grow them well and avoid disease.
I wouldn't use Choisya as part of a hedge, or Hibiscus -even if it was hardy enough. I don't think either are suitable hedging plants.
Any of the Spireas would do. Those horrible pink summer flowering ones are often used as hedging.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
The whites such as S Snowmound and S Aguta do grow bigger.