Hedging ideas

green3a

Hi there. my first post so would greatly appreciate any help or advice.

I've had an allotment for many years and now am planning to plant some bare-root hedging in autumn along one side of the plot that won't be shading anything important. I'm thinking of a deciduous hedge like beech or hawthorn and want to incorporate some kind of trailing plant to grow between it so as to introduce some more colour with blooms in the spring or summer.

Any suggestions, such as clematis perhaps or other practical examples?

Many thanks,

Dovefromabove

Honeysuckle - different varieties so you can stagger the flowering times

and I would go for hawthorn, environmentally much richer - flowers for pollinating insects, berries for the birds

Buttercupdays

Wild roses and honeysuckle grow in country hedges. You could try a rambler rose - check the heights given as  they vary and some are much too vigorous for your purposes. Honeysuckles come in early and late flowering varieties so you can decide  when to have your flowers. If you want the fragrance too, note that some, like the scarlet flowered ones, are not scented, so check first. Once it gets going you may have to curb its exuberance to give your hedge a chance, but it will take cutting back and will regrow quite happily provided its roots are cool and it has plenty of water.

Clems vary widely in their vigour, flowering time and amount of care needed. A good website like Taylor's will give you lots of information and help you decide on something suitable. You could also try annual climbers like sweet peas, (try the old-fashioned ones),  morning glory (if you get warm summers where you are) or canary creeper, once your hedge has grown a bit.

Fairygirl

I live near a small Nat Trust garden and every day when I pass it to go to work, I admire the honeysuckle growing through the (mixed beech and hawthorn) boundary hedging. It looks tremendous just now.

Yellow/cream one - but  I don't know the variety. Should be easy enough to find out  though - someone will here will know

NorthernLass2

I've got honeysuckle in my copper beach hedge.  That looks nice.

I've got brambles in the hawthorne hedge and believe me you don't want that

Dovefromabove

Fairygirl wrote (see)

I live near a small Nat Trust garden and every day when I pass it to go to work, I admire the honeysuckle growing through the (mixed beech and hawthorn) boundary hedging. It looks tremendous just now.

Yellow/cream one - but  I don't know the variety. Should be easy enough to find out  though - someone will here will know

Graham Thomas is a lovely creamy honeysuckle - my favourite https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/74793/i-Lonicera-periclymenum-i-Graham-Thomas/Details?returnurl=%2Fplants%2Fclimbers%3Fcontext%3Db%25253D0%252526hf%25253D12%252526l%25253Den%252526s%25253Ddesc%25252528plant_merged%25252529%252526sl%25253Dplants%252526r%25253Df%2525252Fplant_plant_type%2525252Fclimbers%26s%3Ddesc%28plant_merged%29%26page%3D2%26aliaspath%3D%252fplants%252fclimbers 

green3a

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the comments and ideas. Funny coincidence in that I picked and planted a honeysuckle (Graham Thomas no less!) purely on impulse about a month ago near to where I'll be planting the hedging and it ain't half vigorous 

Would it be a stupid idea to plant the beech and the hawthorn one after another so they are mixed evenly along this 3-4 metre side?

Thanks again 

 Al.