In article , Caz Faith
wrote:

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this site, so please be gentle with me! lol.

I'm actually in need of some garden advice. I have a front garden thatat
the moment is very dull and lacks privacy. From our lounge window itlooks
out onto the front garden and the public footpath beyond that.

The garden is gravelled and has a rather naff and dated chain linkfence
to border it. I would like to create a more private garden area,so that
when sat in the lounge the footpath is screened. We're notlooking to get a
fence or anything too high. Say about 4 - 5ft high. Ineed some advice on
what is best to plant? What type of hedge thatisn't too costly and is
relatively quick to grow?

Many thanks

Caz x-- Caz Faith

Presuming a temperate zone similar to mine, I dislike tidy hedges, but
adore mixed hedges. An example would be a mixed set of largeleaf evergreen
rhododendrons with different colored flowers timed to bloom serially,
placed far enough apart to permit at least one deciduous shrub to go
between each big rhody. Something like sun-hardy "Nova Zembla" rhody then
a hybrid fothergilla (with early bottlebrush scented flowers, amazing leaf
colors in autumn) then a "Lee's Best Purple" rhody then a hybrid Chinese
witchhazel (strappy winter flowers, great autumn leaf color), & so on.
When the garden is most used it'll be the most private. When half the
shrubs drop their leaves in winter it'll still be pretty private but since
it's winter doesn't matter if it's less so, nobody's about anyway. My
mixed hedge also mixes in evergreen strawberry bush (a dwarf tree
actually) & evergreen heavenly bamboo (it's not bamboo), and deciduous
serviceberry & twin-berry. The evergreen rhodies were chosen for sun
hardiness which leaves a lot of them out, and after about two years they
no longer needed much watering, so the entire hedge is low maintence, the
other shrubs being even more just-not-fussy than the rhodies.

-paghat the ratgirl
--
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http://www.paghat.com
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