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I would like to plant a wildlife hedge or collection of shrubs. It will be adjacent to my neighbours garden and his exisiting fence. I love wild gardens, however my neighbour does not share this love and has a very tidy garden. I do not wish to upset my neighbour so are there hedging plants or shrubs i can use that will not be too invasive - i have visions of my hedge suckering under the fence and popping up all over his neatly mown lawn!
I was thinking of using mostly hawthorn (which i love) and there are already some buddlea that i will incoporate. The plants wil need to be kept to appox 5' high.
What else could i use that wont upset Mr Tidy?
Berberis (many varieties) is colourful and good for birds as cats don't like it. Privet can be clipped to give a thick hedge and is evergreen. There are lots of web sites about hedging and what you need will depend on the site - is it exposed, dry, shady etc?
It's a nice site - sunny and sheltered and soil is pretty average i think - not particularly wet or dry.
I've looked on sites about wildlife hedging but there's not much about how invasive the species are - I particulary want to avoid plants prone to suckering or to doing anything else that my might distress my neighbour.
Few plants produce suckers, and I can't think of any hedging that does - except maybe some roses. Draw up a list of plants you like and post it here if in doubt.
You don't say what type of fence is there already, but you might want to consider a natural woven fence between your plants and your neighbour's garden to limit the amount of grow-through. Something like willow that will let some air and light through but will keep the growth on your side.
There is already a 5' wooden panel fence between the gardens. The plants will be directly in front of this.
Have had another look and come up with Holly, Dog Rose, Spindleberry, Elder, Hazel, Guelder Rose, Pyracantha & Wayfaring Tree as possible candidates to mix with Hawthorn.
Any comments on any of these?
I can allow the plants to grow up to 5'ish and the depth of the border varies from about 3' to 6'
I previously lived in a flat for over 25 yrs. This is my first garden (moved in in November) and i'm worried about getting it all wrong!
My neighbour has already commented/complained that my Goat/Pussy Willow tree drops 'white bits' (??) on his lawn...
Your neighbour sounds like a right pain! Contrary to the blase statement I made before (!) pretty much all those plants may produce suckers, especially rose and elder. There are ways around it - sink a barrier into the ground below the fence for example. Plants produce suckers under certain conditions which can be controlled to some extent. I'd suggest you seek more expert advice than I can give, because of your fussy neighbour.
Check out these links:
http://treesandshrubs.about.com/od/pruning/a/plants-that-sucker.htm
http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/
Go to a proper garden centre (not a DIY store) and explain your requirements. They will know what plants to recommend, and for your area.
My thoughts having read your initial post were Hazel & Buddleia purely because you can chop both of them down to the ground! Buddleia will attract lots of butterflies and bees and will grow 6' tall in a season giving summer interest but can be chopped down in Spring ready to shoot up again the next summer! Hazel will benefit from being 'coppiced' every couple of years...
Another alternative would be to put up trellis or wires along the fence and grow climbers along the fence? You could look at some of the 'slower' growing honeysuckles & clematis that would give some nice colour to keep him happy! My only reservation with climbers is that they can to grow between the fence panels which might upset him?...
Ceanothus is an absolutely gorgeous shrub that has the most beautiful blue flowers and can be used in a 'loose' hedge,this will attract lots of bees and is really attractive. I have one in my front garden and it flowers twice a year and is literally 'buzzing' when in flower!!
What about including some tall perennial flowers such as: Verbena Bonarensis, Rudbekia, Helenium, Helianthus among others that can weave between some shrubs? There are many perennials that can be included and will give a great source of nectar for insects and if left uncut the seed heads provide a food source for birds such as Goldfinches in the winter!?....
As you already have a fence you can concentrate on creating a 'loose' hedge by using a combination of the above plus a few others as you aren't reliant on it as a boundary screen by the sound of things? I think if it was me I would be thinking about the below 5 things...
Hawthorn and Berberis,a row of eachabout 18 inches apart and about 12 inches between each plant in the row will give a really thick hedge that would give nesting places for small birds.
Thanks for the links - i had a feeling some of my choices might sucker!
I love the idea of a loose hedge with flowers amongst the shrubs - that would suit the spot well. I'll think i'll try the hazel, buddlea, ceanothus combo with a little hawthorn too and some climbers - there's already lots of Ivy on the ground and a honeysuckle scambling about. And i have another spot at the bottom of the garden that needs a dense hedge (there's no fence there) so the berberis/hawthorn would be good for that.
Thank you, i'm finding it so hard to know where to start!