"Tim Watts" wrote in message
news
Hi,

I have a long length of hawthorn, which was 12' tall until a neighbour
helped me take it back to around 4' last year - it is doing well now.

It also contains several self planted holly bushes which I am nuturing and
one or two other random things - a real hybrid.

The only problem is the lack of screening in the winter months (we live in
a
bungalow and the bedrooms are on the ground floor). Plus there are a
couple
of places where entire hawthorns must have died years ago as there are big
(3-4') gaps. Rest of the hawthorns are around 18-24" spacing between
trunks.

I'd like to add something else this autumn, at least into the gaps and if
it
is tolerant enough, perhaps in between hawthorns in a few other points
where
I'd like the hedge to be more consistently opaque/solid.

The possibility to cut out a few more hawthorn trunks either now or later
when the other plants take, is possible.

What would the panel :- recommend as a possible plant that would live in
a
hybrid hawthorn hedge but assist with the visible screening? Could be an
evergreen, or whatever else keeps its leaves alive or dead over winter.

Another possibility might be some sort of climber that would mix in with
the
hawthorn. Ideally I'd like to achieve screening improvements in 12-24
months
after planting.

I could just chop it down and shove a well managed leylandii kept to 4-5'
in, but it would be a shame to lose the old hybrid - it suits the
character
of the village and the wildlife seems to like it.

Cheers for any ideas

Tim

--
Tim Watts

10 Years ago I would have agreed with Mike, Escallonia but in some parts of
the country there is a dread disease that takes the leaves off them and the
eventually die.

What about allowing some plant of Lonicera japonica to infest the existing
hedge? there is on like it in the village and it smells wonderful, gets
clipped just like the rest of the hedge.


--
Charlie, Gardening in Cornwall
Holders of National Collections of Clematis viticella
and Lapageria rosea cvs
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk