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Fast growing shrubs/trees with interesting foliage or flowers to create an approx 5ft ish 'hedge'

clairegreenlowclairegreenlow Posts: 125
in Plants

My husband wants to create a bit more privacy in our front garden due to certain miscreants  the area. 

I don't like the idea of the usual rectangular hedge, as i want to remove more of the lawn for planting flowers etc. 

Any ideas if relatively fast growing shrubs or small trees that we could put by this WSW facing small wall? The front garden gets a fair bit of the sun in the summer. This wall probably isn't shaded until at least 2 or 3 pm

thank you! 

image

Posts

  • RedwingRedwing Posts: 1,348

    There are lots but one that comes immediately to mind is escallonia; it's evergreen, has flowers that are attractive to pollinating insects and is fairly fast growing. There are several different varietie; rubra and apple blossom are nice. You could have a mixture to make an informal hedge.

    Based in Sussex, I garden to encourage as many birds to my garden as possible.
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,391

    There are also several types of Berberis which are nicely spiny if you want to give any miscreants who try to cross it a sharp shock.  Most are evergreen and have yellow or orange flowers followed by berries.

    If that area were mine, I think I'd put a similar informal hedge in, remove the lawn completely, digging it over and adding well-rotted farmyard manure to create an ideally sized flower bed. image

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • Hortum-cretaeHortum-cretae Posts: 979

    Consider pittosporums in all their varieties, griselinia littoralis (variegated form), osmanthus x burkwoodii, (all evergreen) and physocarpus opulifolius 'Diabolo', viburnum x burkwoodii, (deciduous). What about a small flowering cherry in the middle of the area and plant up the whole lot, taller shrubs street side and lower subjects nearer the house.

    H-C  

  • Tall treesTall trees Posts: 163

    Loads of good choices have been mentioned, just remember at that hight it's going to be at lest 3feet wide, I'm not sure how much garden you got from that pictur, just something to keep in mind.

  • clairegreenlowclairegreenlow Posts: 125

    Lovely suggestions everyone! I'll be researching them all further and putting them to the other half! I love how these are all new options to me  if only really been able to think of conifers and holly trees! 

    Yes, the plan has been to get rid of most of the lawn for a while (hence the mess). I had been thinking of some sort of standard shrub in the middle, but cherry is a nice idea. Though maybe I'll get annoyed when the blossoms end up all over the car! 

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