Topic: Any ideas for a colourful boundry 'hedge'?

[cocopops]

I had a very private garden but after some alterations I now have two fences a that are a bit to open for me.  I was speaking to a lady who owns a garden centre about this.  She told me that if it is a good time to order this type of plant as it is cheaper at this time of year, and November is a good time to plant where I live.  She said to decide what I want and she can either get if from stock or order it for me.  She did say that she can advise me but I would like to ask the question to this forum before ordering.

There are two fences, 16m and 9m.  The plants would ideally grow to between 1.5 to 3m.  I would like colour and maybe something that would attract wildlife i.e. butterflies, bees etc.  The weather here is similar to Cornwall.

Thanks in advance for any help.  Coco

[ACE]

I would love to build a tapestry hedge. In fact I think that will be my next project










Clipped tapestry hedge created by alternating golden Cypress with the dark green Thujia


This is not my work I nicked the images fro the internet.

[saddad]

Rosa Rugosa...  ;D

[ceres]

We've planted a native hedgerow along one boundary of our site.  It has dogwood, hawthorn, blackthorn, elder, hazel etc. - pretty, productive and great for wildlife.  The interntion is to lay it in a couple of years time.

[fluffygrue]

Given the height of the hedge you're after, then I agree, your best bet will be things like blackthorn, elder, dog rose, hawthorn.. you could even incorporate a few dwarf-ish apple trees.

You'd need to add something for the butterflies, though.. I'm trying to avoid saying buddleia!

[hellohelenhere]

Kerria Japonica? You can grow it as a screen, somewhat in the style of bamboo - it just keeps on spreading. And if you know anyone who has any, you can surely grab some side shoots, and you'll be doing them a favour...
 I'd also second rosa rugosa, as someone else mentioned. I don't know how long it takes to form a good thick hedge, but it certainly does once it gets going. It seems fantastically disease-resistant, and whenever I see it, it radiates health and vigour - never yet seen a sickly one! You seem to be well inland, but if sea winds affect you at all, it's famously salt and wind resistant - names for it include 'beach rose' and 'sea tomato' (on account of the fat round hips). It's very spiky too, which makes it a good barrier plant.

[Hosta]

What about Photinia - Red Robin

[valmarg]

My suggestion would be pyracantha.  It is evergreen, has small white flowers in Spring (for bees, hoverflies, butterflies, etc) and loads of berries in Autumn (for the birds).

The downside is it is extremely thorny.  The upside is, if your fences are a bit too open, when it is established you won't get any burglars hopping over the fence. ;D

valmarg

[Kea]

I have a cotoneaster hedge...the upside is the red berries over winter which the birds feed on in late winter they don't seem to like them until they are very ripe. The downside is that to keep the berries you can't trim it with a hedge trimmer but have to use secuteurs and carefully cut back leaving the flowers. Also you need to get in early about February to give it the first trim because the blackbirds love to nest in it and down here March is too late then you have to leave it alone until quite late again before trimming again...or at least check carefully for nests first.

[shaun01]

We've planted a native hedgerow along one boundary of our site.  It has dogwood, hawthorn, blackthorn, elder, hazel etc. - pretty, productive and great for wildlife.  The intention is to lay it in a couple of years time.

got to say this is the type i would go for and throw in a few rowan

[hopalong]

We've planted a native hedgerow along one boundary of our site.  It has dogwood, hawthorn, blackthorn, elder, hazel etc. - pretty, productive and great for wildlife.  The intention is to lay it in a couple of years time.

got to say this is the type i would go for and throw in a few rowan

Me too. I planted much the same range of things as Ceres as a wildlife hedge a couple of years ago and it has done the job beautifully. The blackthorn hasn't produced any sloes yet, but I live in hope.

[ipt8]

Field maple for autumn colour, the three different coloured pyracanthas planted in blocks, golden variegated privet looks nice when not closely trimmed giving colour and shelter for birds in winter, budliea is a must for butterflies in black night, in white and in the common mauve(and trim hard each spring), beech and hornbeam for keeping leaves in winter, midland hawthorn for its lovely blossom, wild pear, dogwood in a variety of stem colours if you do not mind cutting them back so you get the benefit of  the lovelly  coloure dstems each year, dog rose, rosa rugosa in red and in white, holly, yew, hazell so you can cut pea sticks and flower sticks from it, damson or wild plum, forsythia, wegelia, flowering currant for its early flowers, oleara for its daisy flowers, and definitely sea buckthorn which is needed by a breed of butterfly that for the life of me I cannot remember, its aso good by the sea, also if by the sea Elaeagnus or oleaster, oh and as atreat amelanchier.
You didnt say how long the hedge is or the budget but you could avoid the more expensive ones. Plant them in groups or some will be dominated by others and lost.
I am assuming an informal hedge given some individual attention to specimens when needed, and set free from constant trimming so flowers berries and fruit are allowed to develop, then when its getting rather to big for you ut it hard back and letit re-grow, this will give lots of shelter to wildlife and be the sort of hedge birds will nest in.
Plant  bare root transplants and cut them back to make them bush out when you plant them, say use 12" to 18" transplants and trim tem back to 12".
Good luck.