On Thu, 10 Jun 2004 13:30:15 +0100, TheScullster wrote:

In October of last year I planted a mixed hedge comprising the following:
Photinia - red robin
Ceanothus - blue
Lonicera - fragrant bush variety I hope
Viburnum fragrans
Illeagnus
Escallonia

I think that's all of them!
These I have planted in sufficient quantity to form a single varied 20m row
in front of and alongside our property bordering a footpath.
The mix of colours, leaf types, plant shapes, blossoming times etc appears
to work well, although it is a little early to be certain.

What you've really got there is the makings of a hedgerow rather
than a clipped hedge. Photinia, some ceanothus, and perhaps the
escallonia are good hedging plants: they do well with regular
clipping. The winter-flowering loniceras and the viburnum don't
have, imho, the right growth habit to make a good clipped hedge.
(I reserve the right to be spectacularly wrong.)

Can't tell you about the illeagnus, as I'm not familiar with it.

The combination of photinia and ceanothus actually makes a very
beautiful clipped hedge: there's one here where they are planted
alternately in blocks about six feet wide; it's stunning this
time of year. You might not think the dark red of the young
growth on photinia would combine well with the soft blue of the
ceanothus, but it does. I love it.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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