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Front garden plants?

BookwormyBookwormy Posts: 16
in Plants

Hello, I am looking for some advice on what to plant in my front grden. We moved to a new house last year and currently the front garden is just (pretty scrubby) lawn. We have a low wall, about 10 ft long, and I'd like to plant some hedging type shrubs along it to give us some protection from the main road. We get a lot of sun in this garden - when we have any! Any suggestion of a pretty hardy plant that will survive the traffic and the sun but will grow quite big?

Thank you!

 

Posts

  • SFordSFord Posts: 224

    Hi Bookwormy

    I live in cornwall where my front garden is south facing but I have to deal with lots of very strong sea winds (but not traffic fumes though), 

     

    You dont say if you want a low or high hedge - I would suggest something along the lines of hebes (low), euphorbia (low-Mid), forsythia (great spring colour - you can grow a series of these into a hedge - great for spring colour), grasses (low-mid)

    Hope this helps - if I think of any more, I will post again.

  • BookwormyBookwormy Posts: 16

    Wow! thast great, thank you both for the ideas!

  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 21,686

    Photinia Red Robin grows quite big and is evergreen in winter. Eleagnus Gilt Edge is also evergreen, so is cotoneaster lacteus (which has red berries in winter that birds like), lonicera nitida and escallonia (which has pretty red or pink flowers). As you have a main road I imagine you don't want the hedge to disappear in winter!

    http://www.hedgesdirect.co.uk/   is a good site to look at.

    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • jersey jaynejersey jayne Posts: 11
    something prickly if it is a low wall as it deters "invaders", and altogether make it colourfull, its the best way to get neighbours to talk to you, and walk down the road and see what THEY grow,or grows well in the area.The other replies must have given you lots to go on!
  • BookwormyBookwormy Posts: 16

    Yes, lots of food for thought - thanks to you all!

  • jo4eyesjo4eyes Posts: 2,058

    I've got Escallonias growing as a shrub height hedge. Evergreen, pretty hardy, & flowers. I've seen them trimmed more neatly than mine into a denser hedge. J.

  • brian stoatbrian stoat Posts: 105

    I'm a fan of Elaeagnus ebbingeii as a hedge. You can let it grow into a shaggy kind of hedge, or prune it to a sharp edged hedge. If you "forget" to trim it for a year or so, it responds really well to hard pruning treatment. It grows reasonably quickly, but not to the extent that it's problematic. Plus you get fabulous scent from it when it's in flower even though the flowers themselves are very inconspicuous. And it's evergreen too!

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