Partial screening suggestions

Hello
I'm looking for suggestions for somewhat sparse/airy, wildlife/insect friendly, evergreen plants (probably shrubs) that are needed to fill in gaps in a mixed front hedge. We want something that provides a bit of a screen especially at ~1.5 to 2.0m but also allows some light through and enables us to look through it a bit. Plants that are already there include Cytisus 'Porlock', Tamarisk tetrandra and a Corokia cotoneaster. I've perused RHS plant finder, etc, however I'm don't know how dense some plants are or whether they could be thinned out, the pictures I can find tend to just show close ups of flowers. There is a young Ceanothus 'Puget Blue' in the east border which I gather is considered quite sparse in habit when mature; I'd be fine with different cultivar for one of the spaces if anyone knows of a suitable one. The location is south facing behind a ~90cm wall, limestone clay, open aspect (so exposed at times). Thanks in anticipation.

 

Provided your soil does not become consistently waterlogged, a Buddleia could provide an airy option, popular with wildlife and remaining semi evergreen over winter, easily pruned to fit gaps. A variety like Black Knight or Royal Red might suit.

 

Thank you, very much. I do like the look of both of these. The soil is sticky when wet however there is a slight slope to the north and never any standing water. Alliums don't return in the other the south faciing border nearest the house hivever lavenders really thrive so drainage seems ok overall.

 

That sounds fine @PoppyB, Buddleias are tough shrubs. Another option is Escallonia. The red one, E. rubra, is popular in hedging, there’s also a white one which is less dense. They can suffer from leaf spot but soon recover and are very tolerant of exposed locations.

 

There are red/orange floweing Cytisus you could complement your currant one.

Goumi berry / Eleagnus Multiflora is semi evergreen, in colder winters itll drop leaves. It has a decent berry crop. As a specimen it grows fairly airy. I think the more common hybrid eleagnus also will grow like that but if you cut it regularly it becomes very dense.

Larger mahonia types are quite amazing in winter. Ours is just flowering now. It is definately "airy", since the stems only have leaf rosettes at the end of them. I think ours is "Winter Sun"

Arbutus Unedo might work, birds like the big fruits. Theyre not bad tasting.

Buddleia or Lilac both fit your needs but buddleia spreads quite voraciously so avoid it if you are near wild areas it might spread into.

 

Despite leaving the flowers on over winter for wildlife to feed on and shelter in, my Buddleias never spread anywhere, very disappointing . They remain politely controlled with annual pruning. I think soil, climate and local conditions dictate whether spreading takes place successfully.

I also thought about recommending Mahonia, they are lovely, especially in winter, but they do take a long time to establish and get going. The spiny leaves could have a benefit in hedging.

Eleagnus multiflora looks like a good option, I've not grown it myself but am tempted .

 

Have you considered pyracanthas? They are evergreen, good for wildlife and grow to 2.5-3m. They really shine in Autumn, with their colourful berries, when most other plants are winding down, and really lift the garden. They do have thorns of course. They require very little care, they are very easy shrubs.

 

We love our Mahonia ‘soft caress’ which isn’t prickly at all, but might not grow tall enough. Ours is between 1m to 1.5m
Similarly Nandina. I can’t remember the variety we have, but it’s trouble free.

 

Thank you all very much, I've been looking these up and have found some possibilities.
Plantminded - I found a video with an Escallonia Iveyi (white) with the form that I am seeking so I will definitely be getting one of those.
It's interesting about the Mahonia 'Soft Caress' I have one in the back garden that has hardly grown in partial shade. I had assumed that it was because I kept it in its original pot for a couple of years before planting (waiting for the Snowberry that the previous owners planted to be (almost) erradicate
I have Nandina which is also very slow growing.
Adam -Next door has a large dense orange pyracantha at the front, but I will have another look to see if there might be one with a more open shape.
I had looked at the other Cytisus, I do like them but wondered if they will grow high enough. The Goumi berry is interesting and a possibility thank you & the Strawberry tree is striking. I'll have a look at Mahonia - I think I'd overlooked them because of the full sun aspect.

 

@PoppyB we have a Cytisus that was labelled as "Albus", which is meant to get up to 1.5m max, and it has reached 2.5 m. But that might be an exception.

Regarding pyracantha, it all depends on your personal preferences of course. You can thin it out. If on the other hand they are clipped into a hedge, they can get pretty dense. I have 3 of them and I would say (without thinning out) that they are somewhere in between regarding density. Two of them are the "golden charmer" variant and they are relatively recent additions - I find their berries particularly appealing.



I also have a "saphyr orange" one. I like it as well, but I find that the berries aren't reliably orange, sometimes they can be almost completely red (this is an older photo, it's much bigger and bushier now).

 

@CostasK it is really interesting to learn that your Cytius ‘Albus’ is 2.5m tall. Today I placed a cane against the ‘Porlock’ ( I now realise it is a Genista) and it is over 3.0m- RHS says maximum height 2.5m. It grew really quickly – it was planted in 2021.

(The background to all this is - we bought the property over 15years ago and it had a lot of bamboo; we were naïve at first until some went rogue (a common story I think!). We eventually removed all of it and all the front mixed hedge because it had spread along a most of it. We waited a year before beginning to replanting the garden. There were also other garden thugs to deal with in the meanwhile & I am wary of planting plants that spread (unless they are easy to remove). At first, I didn’t have much gardening knowledge until I read a couple of books and things began to click including “Right plant, right place”.).

Decisions, decisions (apart from the Escallonia which is a definite) thanks all again.

 

That Escallonia should be a good one @PoppyB. I had one in my last garden. Mahonias and Nandinas are slow growing, as you have found, and need more space to show their eventual shape, they are not really hedging plants.

Another option, if you don’t mind it being deciduous, is flowering currant, Ribes sanguineum. It flowers early in the year, birds like the fruit and the plant is soon covered in leaves which have a strong blackcurrant scent. It is often grown alongside Cytisus.

How to grow Ribes sanguineum (flowering currant)

 

So, I have bought a Escallonia 'Iveyi' and I've potted it up and placed it in full sun- I need it to get taller before planting due to the wall.

As farm land is 300m away & I'm wondering about Buddleja x weyeriana 'Sungold' which I gather is sterile. The previously mentioned varieties are much more attractive though.

There was a Ribes in the previous hedge & I've wondered about planting one. It is decidous of course but I do remember that it developed leaves very early. I can't remember when the leaves fell however.

(The Nandina is in the perpendicular border and not required to get to its maximum height but I wish it would grow more quickly.)