What should I plant here? ideas please

Hi all,

I need some advice please on what I could plant in the area along the fence and in front of the wooden trellis(see images). There's a couple of plants in front of the trellis currently but not keen on these. I believe one is a rowan tree but it is rotting and has partly broken off at the root.

Could a beech hedge be planted in this "L" shaped area? or something else? would I need edging? if so what type?
The goal being for it to be fairly low maintenance but also bird friendly
I've attached some photos so hoping you could provide some ideas please. Thanks

 

I'd use a mix of shrubs - it will look more interesting, and you're not putting all your eggs in one basket, so to speak. Pyracantha is great for birds and insects, if you don't mind cutting back a few thorny branches every now and then. Lots of blossom and berries.
Viburnum Tinus is another good one for giving plenty of cover.
And maybe something with a bronze colour leaf for some contrast - a berberis or a physocarpus.
Mahonia has interesting leaf shapes and good autumn colour. It has bright yellow scented flowers in winter/early spring and blue tits are said to peck into them to get the nectar. Then bright blue berries that the birds will eat.

That's assuming there's some decent soil under those stones ...

 

What direction is it facing? and what is the soil like, does it have good or bad drainage?

I agree with shrubs, the diversity will look nice.

 

The section in front of the fence faces west whereas the other bit is north facing. Not sure about drainage. The soil is sandy looking

 

I also agree that a mix of plants would be much more interesting than a hedge.

Also, even though it's not a very deep border and the soil might need amending significantly, I would be tempted to put a small tree in the middle of the large area, to soften the view behind it.

One tree that has done really well for me (the wind can get pretty bad where I live) is sorbus / rowan / mountain ash. You can get cultivars with very different mature sizes but also they can be hard pruned.

Pyracantha, that @Escarpment has mentioned, is a shrub I really like and I think would look lovely in the smaller area on the right, once it's had the chance to grow and fill the space.

By the way I have a pyracantha that produces orange berries and my sorbus produces orange berries as well. There are different cultivars to choose from for both plants, it doesn't have to be red berries if you are not a fan of them.

 

The OP already has a dead rowan there, @CostasK, and is not keen on it!
@Pepe you asked if you would need edging - that's entirely up to you. None of my borders have any, and it's something you can add at any time later.

 

I missed that when I read the message, thanks @Escarpment No rowan then

 

I think you need to determine the depth and quality of soil before considering any suitable planting. A mix of shrubs as suggested above would be an attractive option. I’d also include a Buddleia for bees and butterflies. Small birds also like the seeds so I don’t remove the flowers. They can easily be pruned to a suitable shape and won’t object to the restricted space.

 

That's a very good suggestion regarding the soil @Plantminded My idea of a small tree might have been too optimistic, looking at the photos again, as it does seem that the border is quite narrow.

 

I think that's why the Rowan hasn't fared too well @CostasK.

 

The OP mentioned it being rotten so maybe it got waterlogged. They can cope with poor soil but like good drainage. I currently have a self-seeded rowan bigger than the one in the picture growing out of a stony bit of ground in the narrow patch at the side of my house and it looks perfectly green and healthy. I will have to cut it down before too long though!

 

I agree with @Escarpment . If a rowan is rotting, and it isn't just old age [fairly unlikely in the site] then something is wrong down below. The soil needs looking at to see what the drainage is like, as well as the general health of the site.
Planting anything new without checking that the site is in good shape is false economy. If you're buying shrubs/trees, that can be an expensive mistake. Always spend as much time/money on the planting area as you do on the plants themselves. It pays dividends.
How big or small anything grows, is determined by the site, the climate and the conditions, as well general location of the garden itself.

 

Don't feel that you have to complete the job in one go. You can take your time over choosing and sourcing the right shrubs. Have a wonder around the garden centres and see what appeals. I think a lot of the gardening TV programs encourage the "done in one day" approach.

 

Hence my point about checking the depth and quality of soil.

 

Totally agree with this and the previous comments about soil and prep work. I dug a few test holes and filled with water and was pleased to see it draining away quickly. We have also removed more of the stones to have a closer look. We discovered two fairly big holes which had and a darker richer colour soil. Something must have been in those holes previously. Perhaps a small tree which had been removed because it was too close to the fence. We have decided to look around as mentioned and find the right shrubs but not too rush into things and buy too many. Maybe 2 to start with and then assess it. Thanks