Fence/Hedge/Shield

Hi,

Over that last 3 months, I've been removing tons of rubble from my Garden, I'm now at the stage where I can deck a small area behind the house, then Turf the rest of the garden. My garden is only about 30' square, I have put a base down in the bottom left hand corner for my shed (7x5), which runs long edge against the back fence. I have brick walls down either edge of the garden instead of a fence. My plan is to plant some hedge type plant infront of the shed, then run the same hedge along the rest of the back fence. Doing this will mean, from the house, you will get the impression that there's just a hedge/wall running along the back fence, with no shed (or very little) visable. To make to garden look bigger, I'm probably best going for a darker hedge.

Getting there�

My questions is, what plant should I use for the hedge? As my garden is so small, I'm looking for something that has the height and density, but is narrow. Would it be better using some sort of climber?

 

Hi HUW.

Only joined about ten minutes ago!

I have a 35ft x 200ft garden and prefer to plant in a cottage style.(design,thatis)!

To create a screen where once stood a 40ft long eightft high conifer hedge, I removed all of the branches and used the trunks as support posts,
then planted Clematis Montana varities.
Trained along wires, they provide a dense covering during the summer.
Also,I planted evergreen Honeysuckle, Lonicera Henryi.

 

Thanks guys, that gave me somethng to look at, privet does give the density but I'm not sure it will fit in the design of things, I quite like the Clematis but i'm worried about the garden looking a little bare in the winter months. I'm going to make raised borders with some railway sleepers which will probably have a few different grasses and a few other things in. Therefore I was thinking some sort of bamboo wall might give a nice effect. Would bamboo give me the dense, tall but narrow solution? The thing about bamboo is the colour and leaves being there all year round. My other half also mentioned a type of climber that have jasmine in the name, she quite liked this, ring any bells?

 

Hi again Huw.


Jasmine for winter, Jasminum nudiflorum.

I have that varity over an ugly fence at the end of the garden, it has yellow flowers but does need some support too.
Bamboo would do the job ,but get expert advice for the non invasive varities,get it wrong and you will need a machete to get to the wild Pandas living in it!
Can't help with that one though.

 

Hi Huw

how about a Yew hedge, dense (& not as slow growing as is sometimes rumoured - though not as thuggish as privet)dark, and fine leaved & evergreen. Or you could try holly. Photinia x fraseri "Red robin" makes a gorgeous hedging plant as trimming it encourages fresh reddish growth. Trachelospermum jasminoides is a fantastic evergreen climber with scented white flowers in summer, Clematis armandii is evergreen with long dark green leaves & spring scented flowers. Jasmine beesianum is evergreen with scented pink flowers in summer. Jasmine nudiflorum is deciduous. You could try passiflora caerulea - which is evergreen here in the midlands so should be fine where you are. Or you could even go for pyracantha. If you go the bamboo route beware which one you choose and go for a clump former rather than a runner. Phyllostachys or Fargesia (slight leaning habit from the top) are good, although eventually the lower few inches will be a little barer than the top - though for your purposes will be fine. They can look a bit rubbish this time of year as they start to lose older leaves, and should be grown in a moisture retentive soil. Much is dependent on your soil conditions & aspect (NSEW). Hope this helps & doesn't confuse

 

I think i'm leaning toward a climber, I've looked at various species of Clematis and I really like some of these flowers, they do say they need direct sunlight and while mines not going to be in a basement, they will run up a fence so they won't get much direct sunlight, will this casuse a problem? By choosing this type of plant, I can attached fishing wire along my fence and shed, allowing the plants to climb them. I will also paint the shed and fence vaious shades of green. giving them a broken, hopefully natural backdrop!

 

I have a clematis book that says many grow well in shade or on north walls and they thrive in most soils, they prefer moisture-retentive conditions and good nutrition.

RHS practical guides CLEMATIS
It was a set of 5 gardening books from Dorling Kindersley.

Simple basic info for novices like me.
I have a clematis at present with a honeysuckle in the shade covered in white flowers.

Jacqui

 

Clematis = head in the sun, feet in the shade - they will grow towards the light, C. armandii would be fine here

The flowers smell fab

& the foliage is evergreen - so you could plant it with later flowering forms such as viticellas, tanguticas, etc & not have a bare fence, but would extend the flowering season

 

Thanks guys, sounds like Clematis is the way to go!