nightjar wrote in :


"Paul" wrote in message
.. .
I have recently moved into a house that has a small patio area at the
front
of it (15ft x 8ft). The previous owners had planned to put a hedge
around two sides of this area and have created a brick trough that
stands about
two
feet high and and one foot wide.. There is nothing planted in there
at the moment but I would like to put a hedge in, that will
eventually ideally be about 6ft or so high.


If you only want to screen the area, I would put up trellis and grow
climbing plants on it. The trellis provides an instant screen and the
choice of plants is much wider. However, as others have said, you need
to know whether it is a trough or simply two parallel walls, as a
trough will be likely to cause you problems.

This is a good idea, but if it really is a trough, and only two feet
deep by one foot wide, I suggest putting the posts in the ground, not in
the trough, or stability could be an issue, even for a trellis!

If you can't anchor it properly, pretty much anything that is 6 feet
tall is going to be at risk of blowing over in a high wind. Stick the
trellis posts just outside the trough and then plant your climbers
inside it, and you have all sorts of options.

Also it won't be quite as dark as a 15x8ft space surrounded by Leylandii
- which would feel very much like being in a box!

Victoria Clare