Sacha wrote:
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.

Some gorgeous recipes there, as usual. Camellias are fussy, though;
and if they're exposed the flowers can be ruined by frosts -- if this
garden is on the western side of the hedge that would be much less of
a problem.

But the coloured-barked dogwoods are a very easy and economical
solution for a long run such as David describes. Cornus alba comes in
both white and yellow variegated forms; the flowers and berries are
by no means bad, and the leaves colour in autumn; so they aren't only
of winter interest. You can underplant with small spring bulbs, too,
so you don't feel the loss when you chop the dogwoods back in late
Feb.

Coming home in winter and catching coloured bark in the headlights is
a lovely feeling.

Mike.