Third plant required for border
I have a 10 meter privet hedge in my back garden alongside the lawn. OH doesn't really want me planting anything at the base of it as it will interfere with pruning the hedge. However I have managed to convince him that lavender would be lovely and not too troublesome! I've since managed to factor in a few fleabane as I've been wanting to plant some somewhere and the sunny impoverished soil area in front of the hedge seems suitable. Plus I think it will look lovely with the lavender. NOW I'm thinking that a third plant is required - planting in threes and all that! I actually know VERY little about gardening but a quick Google brought up a site where someone had a lovely border of lavender, fleabane and rose campion. What do you knowledgeable people reckon? What would you add as a third plant? Any other thoughts greatly received!
Last edited: 16 April 2017 15:43:28
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I love the colour of the flowers on rose campion. It spreads like mad though so your husband may end up with more plants than he wants!
Pink salvia would look nice too.
Last edited: 16 April 2017 16:44:14
Thanks autumnglory. What about orange Californian poppies? I love those! Would they be suitable?
There are a couple of problems with planting under a hedge; one is the difficulty of the clean up operation and the other is access.
When you clip, the falling branches can damage anything underneath - poppies would snap when hit by falling debris so in my opinion you would be disappointed with the results.
On the access point: my privet hedge already had underplanting which means that I can't get my steps in close enough to clip because of the border width needed for the underplanting (the hedge is about 8 feet high so steps/a platform is needed to access it).
My vote would go with the person doing the clipping and clearing. If you're not involved in this then I'd suggest you "take a turn" before deciding how practical your suggestions are.
Ten metres of privet hedge is not insubstantial.
I have low growing ground cover under mine but I'm thinking of grassing this over for ease of clipping and having the exciting stuff going on in an island bed opposite the hedge.
Hope this helps give balance.
Oh Cloggie, do you have to be so right?! i did think the same about the poppies actually - I was just in denial. Lavender seems pretty robust though - perhaps I could chuck a dust sheet over it when pruning the hedge or is this unrealistic? Other methods I've been devising include wearing a contraction like ice-cream sellers at the theatre so you can catch the pruned branches in a box slung over your shoulders... yeah, I know
Cloggie that looks lovely! And I love the umbrella idea. I think our hedge is slightly shorter - around 6ft - and OH is 6ft 2 so I might just get away with it yet...