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#1
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hedge question please
Between the side of our house and ours/neighbours side fence we have a
walkway 5 feet wide. Side of house faces north. Beside the paling fence I have approx 18 inches of soil with various untidy plants. What I would like to know is what I can plant there to replace what I have and doesn't need much looking after, e.g. a narrow hedge that I can keep trimmed, but need it to grow 5-6 feet high, no higher as I cannot reach further up. My problem also is that I don't want something that will end up making the walkway only 2 feet wide. Would something like Murraya Paniculata do for there? Thank you for any help given. Katherine |
#2
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hedge question please
In article ,
"jones" wrote: My problem also is that I don't want something that will end up making the walkway only 2 feet wide. Would something like Murraya Paniculata do for there? Not if you live in Sydney or further north. It is a very aggressive plant here -- I've seen one Murraya paniculata at least 6m high in Petersham. The scent is quite cloying too IMHO -- do you *like* it? I assume that the paling fence means the garden bed is shaded. I would choose Heavenly Bamboo -- Nandina domestica. It's not a bamboo at all, but has a similar leaf shape on a smaller scale. It's pretty with or without its flowers and berries, without screaming "Look at moi!" all the time. Tough too, without being weedy. Here are some pictures, but they don't do it justice: http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/bio406d/im..._domestica.htm You could underplant with violets, or possibly mints, for a pleasant shaded garden. -- Chookie -- Sydney, Australia (Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply) "Parenthood is like the modern stone washing process for denim jeans. You may start out crisp, neat and tough, but you end up pale, limp and wrinkled." Kerry Cue |
#3
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hedge question please
Thank you Chookie, not a bad idea of yours.
It will be a nice soft look from my kitchen window. Now I think of it, maybe I don't want berries on it, as I wouldn't like the berries to drop next door and have it sprouting there as well. They are Asians (no offence), and may think it is the bad bamboo. I have on there, honeysuckle growing and as it goes through the palings they seem to pull it out. They are good neighbours and would like to keep them, we may get awful ones instead if they go :-) Thanks for the help. Regards Katherine "Chookie" wrote in message ... In article , "jones" wrote: My problem also is that I don't want something that will end up making the walkway only 2 feet wide. Would something like Murraya Paniculata do for there? Not if you live in Sydney or further north. It is a very aggressive plant here -- I've seen one Murraya paniculata at least 6m high in Petersham. The scent is quite cloying too IMHO -- do you *like* it? I assume that the paling fence means the garden bed is shaded. I would choose Heavenly Bamboo -- Nandina domestica. It's not a bamboo at all, but has a similar leaf shape on a smaller scale. It's pretty with or without its flowers and berries, without screaming "Look at moi!" all the time. Tough too, without being weedy. Here are some pictures, but they don't do it justice: http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/bio406d/im..._domestica.htm You could underplant with violets, or possibly mints, for a pleasant shaded garden. -- Chookie -- Sydney, Australia (Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply) "Parenthood is like the modern stone washing process for denim jeans. You may start out crisp, neat and tough, but you end up pale, limp and wrinkled." Kerry Cue |
#4
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hedge question please
G'day Katherine
What about an edible hedge? I'm planning to espalier an orange and a lemon tree both for privacy and fruit. Bronwyn ;-) jones wrote: Thank you Chookie, not a bad idea of yours. It will be a nice soft look from my kitchen window. Now I think of it, maybe I don't want berries on it, as I wouldn't like the berries to drop next door and have it sprouting there as well. They are Asians (no offence), and may think it is the bad bamboo. I have on there, honeysuckle growing and as it goes through the palings they seem to pull it out. They are good neighbours and would like to keep them, we may get awful ones instead if they go :-) Thanks for the help. Regards Katherine "Chookie" wrote in message ... In article , "jones" wrote: My problem also is that I don't want something that will end up making the walkway only 2 feet wide. Would something like Murraya Paniculata do for there? Not if you live in Sydney or further north. It is a very aggressive plant here -- I've seen one Murraya paniculata at least 6m high in Petersham. The scent is quite cloying too IMHO -- do you *like* it? I assume that the paling fence means the garden bed is shaded. I would choose Heavenly Bamboo -- Nandina domestica. It's not a bamboo at all, but has a similar leaf shape on a smaller scale. It's pretty with or without its flowers and berries, without screaming "Look at moi!" all the time. Tough too, without being weedy. Here are some pictures, but they don't do it justice: http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/bio406d/im..._domestica.htm You could underplant with violets, or possibly mints, for a pleasant shaded garden. -- Chookie -- Sydney, Australia (Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply) "Parenthood is like the modern stone washing process for denim jeans. You may start out crisp, neat and tough, but you end up pale, limp and wrinkled." Kerry Cue |
#5
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hedge question please
In article ,
"jones" wrote: Thank you Chookie, not a bad idea of yours. It will be a nice soft look from my kitchen window. Now I think of it, maybe I don't want berries on it, as I wouldn't like the berries to drop next door and have it sprouting there as well. They are Asians (no offence), and may think it is the bad bamboo. I have on there, honeysuckle growing and as it goes through the palings they seem to pull it out. I don't think the seeds are fertile -- Nandina reproduces by suckering, but as I said, it's not aggressive. If I saw honeysuckle on my fence palings, I'd pull it out too! It's pretty weedy in Sydney. -- Chookie -- Sydney, Australia (Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply) "Parenthood is like the modern stone washing process for denim jeans. You may start out crisp, neat and tough, but you end up pale, limp and wrinkled." Kerry Cue |
#6
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hedge question please
"Chookie" wrote in message
"jones" wrote: My problem also is that I don't want something that will end up making the walkway only 2 feet wide. Would something like Murraya Paniculata do for there? Not if you live in Sydney or further north. It is a very aggressive plant here -- I've seen one Murraya paniculata at least 6m high in Petersham. I would choose Heavenly Bamboo -- Nandina domestica. It's not a bamboo at all, but has a similar leaf shape on a smaller scale. Tough too, without being weedy. Here are some pictures, but they don't do it justice: Chookie, I note that in this post and a later one you say that 'Nandina domestica' is not weedy or aggressive. I'd have to disagree strongly with that based on personal experience. It is a garden thug and once established spreads strongly and it will certainly spread under the fence into the next door neighbour's place. I've found it can't be killed with anything that I've yet tried on it. It loved glyphosate! but I couldn't give either of the clumps as strong or as thorough a dose as I'd like to have as they are growing near other plants. In one case it's growing up and around a very pretty mounding small piney thing (which normally I hate, but this one looks like Mt Fuji). Whenb I hit the Nandina with the glyphosate, I covered the piney thing but event hen I nearly lost it and the Nandina just powered on. I am reduced to cutting these things off at the base monthly and the sodding stuff still comes back strongly. To check whether my experience was because of living in a cold climate, I did a very quick google and found that Don Burke says that it's downside is that it is an environmental weed http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/200...nt_of_the_week I had thought of Potato vine, which although it will grow like the clappers and reduce the path to less than 2 ft, is tough, takes pruning very well and in fact produces far more flowers if cut back hard. It could also be trained up the fence on diagonal wires which would give a good frame to cut back to and would result in a good look from soon after planting. |
#7
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hedge question please
In article ,
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote: Chookie, I note that in this post and a later one you say that 'Nandina domestica' is not weedy or aggressive. I'd have to disagree strongly with that based on personal experience. It is a garden thug and once established spreads strongly and it will certainly spread under the fence into the next door neighbour's place. I've found it can't be killed with anything that I've yet tried on it. Oops -- in that case, I take it back. I have grown it myself and found it seemed quite slow and didn't sucker that readily, so perhaps it's slow the first few years or something. I had thought of Potato vine, which although it will grow like the clappers and reduce the path to less than 2 ft, is tough, takes pruning very well and in fact produces far more flowers if cut back hard. It could also be trained up the fence on diagonal wires which would give a good frame to cut back to and would result in a good look from soon after planting. Ooh yes -- I like potato vine (blue rather than white). Pandorea would look nice too, but it tends to flower on the sunny side of the fence. -- Chookie -- Sydney, Australia (Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply) "Parenthood is like the modern stone washing process for denim jeans. You may start out crisp, neat and tough, but you end up pale, limp and wrinkled." Kerry Cue |
#8
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hedge question please
"Chookie" wrote in message
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote: Chookie, I note that in this post and a later one you say that 'Nandina domestica' is not weedy or aggressive. I'd have to disagree strongly with that based on personal experience. It is a garden thug and once established spreads strongly and it will certainly spread under the fence into the next door neighbour's place. I've found it can't be killed with anything that I've yet tried on it. Oops -- in that case, I take it back. I have grown it myself and found it seemed quite slow and didn't sucker that readily, so perhaps it's slow the first few years or something. Could be. Mine must be at least 20 years old and the bane of my life. I had thought of Potato vine, which although it will grow like the clappers and reduce the path to less than 2 ft, is tough, takes pruning very well and in fact produces far more flowers if cut back hard. It could also be trained up the fence on diagonal wires which would give a good frame to cut back to and would result in a good look from soon after planting. Ooh yes -- I like potato vine (blue rather than white). I think both are drop dead gorgeous. Pandorea would look nice too, but it tends to flower on the sunny side of the fence. Lovely - wish I could grow it here. |
#9
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hedge question please
"Chookie" wrote in message ... In article , "jones" wrote: Thank you Chookie, not a bad idea of yours. It will be a nice soft look from my kitchen window. Now I think of it, maybe I don't want berries on it, as I wouldn't like the berries to drop next door and have it sprouting there as well. They are Asians (no offence), and may think it is the bad bamboo. I have on there, honeysuckle growing and as it goes through the palings they seem to pull it out. I don't think the seeds are fertile -- Nandina reproduces by suckering, but as I said, it's not aggressive. If I saw honeysuckle on my fence palings, I'd pull it out too! It's pretty weedy in Sydney. Ditto that .. good suggestion wrt the heavenly bamboo Chookie (despite the fact its non-native ... tall, narrow and not a runner - fits the bill quite well really. At any rate as a neighbour, I personally would be more highly offended by the Murraya - its an environmental weed and it does spread from the copious number of berries it drops or which birds ingest and then drop. ... and drop and drop. http://www.weeds.org.au/cgi-bin/weed...ra=all&card=E3 3 They can also grow to be very large and you'd be pruning it back all the time if you live anywhere north of about Sydney. Similar hedge species that are environmental weeds include: duranta (aka sheena's gold - tops my personal list of most hated garden plants); Indian hawthorne, privet and purple joyweed. Some native alternatives that make good hedges include: lillypillies (e.g. Acmena smithii, Syzygium australe, S. luehmannii (probably all too large for the OP) but there are dwarf varieties available. Bottlebrush is another option e.g. Callistemon "Captain Cook" ... also available as dwarf varieties. Ti-tree (Melaleuca) may be OK. Floral smell may be overwhelming ... but not any worse than murraya. Native rosemary (Westringia) would be too short for the OP but can form a nice hedge Native boobialla (Myoporum) ... personally I just like the name Maybe a dwarf variety of Acacia fimbriata (smell can be overwhelming though) Native gardenias (Randia) maybe even Or on another tack, instead of the honeysuckle (I'd get rid of it too if I were your neighbour), maybe a passionfruit vine where you get to share the spoils..... easy care, screens the fence and can't really grow higher than the fence (unless you add on a trellis), doesn't expand on your space much and yummy fruit. HTH Amanda |
#10
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hedge question please
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message ... "Chookie" wrote in message "jones" wrote: Chookie, I note that in this post and a later one you say that 'Nandina domestica' is not weedy or aggressive. I'd have to disagree strongly with that based on personal experience. It is a garden thug and once established spreads strongly and it will certainly spread under the fence into the next door neighbour's place. I've found it can't be killed with anything that I've yet tried on it. It loved glyphosate! but I couldn't give either of the clumps as strong or as thorough a dose as I'd like to have as they are growing near other plants. In one case it's growing up and around a very pretty mounding small piney thing (which normally I hate, but this one looks like Mt Fuji). Whenb I hit the Nandina with the glyphosate, I covered the piney thing but event hen I nearly lost it and the Nandina just powered on. I am reduced to cutting these things off at the base monthly and the sodding stuff still comes back strongly. To check whether my experience was because of living in a cold climate, I did a very quick google and found that Don Burke says that it's downside is that it is an environmental weed http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/200...den3/flowering _plants_and_shrubs/nandina__plant_of_the_week Ahh well - then this is why I'm not into exotics. I also recant , although I remember my brother had some that seemed very placid and dormant ... and that was in Brisbane. That being said we have some bamboo here which is clumping variety (Bambusa oldhamii) - quite tall and compact - too tall for the OP, but some of the other clumping varieties may be OK. Amanda |
#11
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hedge question please
Thanks to you too FlowerGirl for the extra names to look into.
Katherine in Sydney "FlowerGirl" wrote in message news:FDFIh.9519 Ditto that .. good suggestion wrt the heavenly bamboo Chookie (despite the fact its non-native ... tall, narrow and not a runner - fits the bill quite well really. At any rate as a neighbour, I personally would be more highly offended by the Murraya - its an environmental weed and it does spread from the copious number of berries it drops or which birds ingest and then drop. ... and drop and drop. http://www.weeds.org.au/cgi-bin/weed...ra=all&card=E3 3 They can also grow to be very large and you'd be pruning it back all the time if you live anywhere north of about Sydney. Similar hedge species that are environmental weeds include: duranta (aka sheena's gold - tops my personal list of most hated garden plants); Indian hawthorne, privet and purple joyweed. Some native alternatives that make good hedges include: lillypillies (e.g. Acmena smithii, Syzygium australe, S. luehmannii (probably all too large for the OP) but there are dwarf varieties available. Bottlebrush is another option e.g. Callistemon "Captain Cook" ... also available as dwarf varieties. Ti-tree (Melaleuca) may be OK. Floral smell may be overwhelming ... but not any worse than murraya. Native rosemary (Westringia) would be too short for the OP but can form a nice hedge Native boobialla (Myoporum) ... personally I just like the name Maybe a dwarf variety of Acacia fimbriata (smell can be overwhelming though) Native gardenias (Randia) maybe even Or on another tack, instead of the honeysuckle (I'd get rid of it too if I were your neighbour), maybe a passionfruit vine where you get to share the spoils..... easy care, screens the fence and can't really grow higher than the fence (unless you add on a trellis), doesn't expand on your space much and yummy fruit. HTH Amanda |
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