Flowering hedge choice

sarahedwards

I'm renovating my front garden and need to make a decision about what kind of hedge to plant . 
We live on a busy main road so I want something to give privacy and reduce traffic noise. 
The garden is raised up from the road so the hedge will be on top of an 8ft wall and we're on a hill so the location is quite exposed. 
We already have a yew hedge at the back and, although yew is beautiful, I'd like something else for the front. 
Next door have a beech hedge, which is quite nice, but I'd really love something that flowers. 
This hedge will be very visible from my living room so something with interest year round would be great. I was wondering whether a crabapple hedge was possible. 
Any suggestions or advice would be very gratefully recieved. 

AnniD

Hello Sarah 
My choice would be cotoneaster franchetii. It has small white flowers that bees love, and winter berries for the birds. It forms a dense hedge. A bit more info here (other hedge suppliers are available). 
https://www.hedgesdirect.co.uk/acatalog/cotoneaster-hedge-plants.html

amancalledgeorge

I wonder if a viburnum would be also a good choice...they are tough and the flowers this time of year make them so beautiful. 

Busy-Lizzie

What about a mixed flowering hedge? You could use Hypericum Hidcote, Escalonia, Viburnum, Cotoneaster Franchetii, Photinia, Forsythia. Also a mix of red leaves, such as berberis, in with the green.

sarahedwards

These suggestions are really helpful. Thank you so much! So many ideas now.

robairdmacraignil

Privet is a traditional choice for a flowering hedge and might be worth considering. Olearia traveersii also has noticeable flowers and nice glossy silver green foliage and might look better in winter when the privet is not at its best. Although not with very noticeable flowers I'd also consider pittosporum tenuifolium silver queen as it has nice bright foliage colour all year round. The cotoneaster already mentioned are also good for year round interest but I just have something against the small leaf ones and think some of the bigger leafed varieties look better. I'd be afraid a crab apple hedge might look a bit bare in winter.

Lizzie27

What about planting a hedging rose in between the pittosporum to give you the best of both options?

Ergates

Escallonia is pretty and evergreen, but you may lose flowers if it needs regular trimming. Depending on your soil, I have seen a few hedges round here composed of camellias, glossy green evergreen leaves with wonderful springs flowers.

Fairygirl

Nice try @bethrachel72, but advertising has to be paid for 

Cambridgerose12

It depends rather on what role you want the hedge to play. For example, you could grow crabapples as a divider by planting several young whip plants, and then training them horizontally on a support low down. You would get fruit in the autumn, if properly pruned, but it would be see-through and need to have no other planting in front. Also rather fiddly to maintain. I've also seen Chaenomeles grown as a low flowering hedge.

If you want the hedge to be a complete barrier or backdrop, an evergreen species is good and people have already suggested Escallonia and Viburnum. One of the most rewarding hedges I've seen is Osmanthus heterophyllus--that had small flowers, not very noticeable, in November, but you could smell the perfume halfway down the road. 

Astraeus

Ours is a very similar setting to the one you described. Exposed, roadside and in need of screening. After much research, we settled on viburnum tinus Eve Price. Pretty white flowers in autumn and into winter and we're just starting to enjoy the berries now. One of the main sellers was that the hedge is attractive whilst also being wildlife friendly.