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Ideas for hedge / shrubs / climber on driveway path

stephenjamescoatesstephenjamescoates Posts: 3
in Garden design
Hello,

I'm wondering if anyone could help me decide which plants to try down my driveway path?

I've considered a Griselinia hedge but think that might be too big / uninteresting. I've also thought about some ornamental grasses. More recent, I was considering a hydrangea hesge.

Can anyone help? It's get partial sun and is protected by the fence. 



Thanks for your help!
-Steve

Posts

  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
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  • Kitty 2Kitty 2 Posts: 5,150
    I have a similar space at the side of my house, except mine is full of wheelie bins and junk 😟.

    Agree with Freddie's Dad that the soil depth needs investigating. I imagine there's a lot of concrete in there with wall foundations and fence posts.

    Personally I would go with climbers trained along the fence.
  • stephenjamescoatesstephenjamescoates Posts: 3
    Thank you for your help. The soil depth is actually good. I will need to add some compost and better quality soil. I basically want to hide that little retaining wall and the fence posts.

    Could you suggest any climbers?
  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053
    I would attach nice trellissing to the small posts (you would need to do a bit of jiggery pokerly with spacers to support it at the top from the high posts) and then plant a variety of climbers. I think a hedge would encroach too much on the path. 
    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
  • stephenjamescoatesstephenjamescoates Posts: 3
    Thanks @hogweed. Any suggestions on climbers? Perhaps a clematis or a rose of some sort?
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,316
    It does look quite narrow, what, about 50cm wide? I think well-behaved climbers are the way to go as a hedge’s roots or indeed invasive climbers with running roots might lift your paving and start invading next door too. I inherited a honeysuckle climbing hedge in my current house, but the roots get everywhere.

    You could create a little raised bed with some outdoor/decking planks or some more of your pavers set vertically, which might look nice and set off the new plants - also give you more room to add compost and mulch and perhaps grow a few perennials or annuals at the base of your climbers.

    Clematis would be lovely, perhaps a few climbing roses - ideally with few thorns (thinking of you putting the bins out at night!) and scent would be nice. Avoid Passion flower, from past experience, it’s an invasive triffid so not ideal for narrow spaces - our neighbour had one next to our London patio and we were constantly hacking it back, so check the invasiveness factor of anything before you buy...

    A couple of narrow conifers or neat evergreen shrubs stategically placed in front of the posts would camouflage them all year-round.
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • Kitty 2Kitty 2 Posts: 5,150
    For climbers you could screw vine eyes into the wooden fence posts and fix some strong wire through. 
    (Check with the neighbours if it's not your fence)

    As to what you could plant, that depends on what you like or want. Do you want something evergreen? Flowering? Low maintainance?

    I think a clematis would look great and there are masses to choose from.
    There's a clematis expert @Richard Hodson who contributes to the forum. I hope he spots this thread now I've tagged him, as he gives great advice 👍.
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