On 13/10/04 11:13, in article , "David"
wrote:

Hi,
I have a large beech hedge at the bottom of my garden which in winter
doesn't look particularly good as the hedge has not been trimmed poperly and
most of the growth is at the top, approx 15-20ft high. The hedge is on
some-one else's land so I can't do much about it. I was intending to inject
a bit of winter colour by planting clumps of red and yellow dogwood along
the base of the hedge (about 6ft away).The area I want to plant is a border
of some 75ft in length.
One downside, I have been told, is that dogwood is not particularly
attractive in summer. Any alternatives to dogwood so I have colour in winter
and an attactive shrub in summer?

David, if you can find it Rhamnus alaternus is a wonderful plant, IMO. We
have the variegated one at the bottom of our garden here and when so much
else has nothing to say for itself, this is like a beacon! I say if you can
find it because it is notoriously hard to propagate and not all nurseries
offer it by a long chalk. The RHS says it's 'fully to frost hardy' but I'd
check with your supplier. The other choice might be Camellia sasanqua and
others. You don't say where you live but they start blooming in
November/December and with careful planning you could get other varieties to
mix in that will bloom into spring. And of course, they're evergreen with
lovely glossy foliage, too. When they're established, you can grow Clematis
up through them for summer and autumn flowering, too. A Camellia hedge is a
lovely thing, IMO.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)