When the original use for a piece of land becomes obsolete, it’s an
excellent opportunity to turn it into an area that the entire
community can enjoy as an attractive green space, rather than allowing
it to degenerate into a weed-covered eyesore.

When a stretch of disused railroad track became available, this reader
jumped at the chance to put her green thumb to good use.

QUESTION: “I love your articles and I have a few questions that
hopefully you can answer. There is an old railroad track here that has
been turned into a bike/snowmobile trail. There is a neighbor’s house
next to it but there is enough space to put in a nice size hedge with
no problem. The area is quite long before it meets the woods and
starts at a city street.

“The suggestion from the County (I am volunteering myself because I am
in a landscape horticulture program) was a line of evergreens/shrubs.
The department just didn’t exactly know what to put there. On the
other side of the trail is a large ditch that I thought may need to be
covered in slabs as it is too steep to be easily mowed. Right next to
that is the parking lot that needs a fence for bikes and a barrier for
the cars to go no further.

“I have been looking for ideas as to what to put for the hedge without
just using one type of evergreen but I am not sure how to go about
making the easy transition into bringing other types of plants/shrubs
to add some variation and would be pleasing to those that are on the
trail or from the street where the trail begins.

“Any ideas that you think may be helpful?” – Sue Crabb

ANSWER: This sounds like a very exciting and worthwhile project! I
think the evergreens would be excellent as a backdrop for other shrubs
that you could plant in front of them. A rule of thumb is to plant the
evergreens in odd-numbered groupings such three, five, etc.

For the shrubs, the key issue is “easy to grow.” Avoid high-
maintenance plants and look for shrubs that are fairly self-
sufficient. Create interest by selecting shrubs of different heights,
shapes and colors. Mix evergreens and deciduous perennials, and think
about planting some low growing groundcovers, such as creeping red
sedum, along the front of the row.

Speaking of groundcovers, rather than cover the ditch with slabs, I
suggest you investigate to see if groundcover would be a practical
alternative. A hard-to-mow slope is often the perfect place for a
dense groundcover that is green and attractive while keeping the weeds
at bay.

Vinca minor or trailing periwinkle is a fast growing excellent
evergreen groundcover for full sun, shaded and semi-shaded areas. It
produces dark green oval-shaped foliage and conspicuous blue flowers
in early spring. You can combine trailing periwinkle with Pachysandra
if each kind is kept in large colonies, not mixed together. It grows
almost flat on the ground, so in the location you describe it would
follow the contours of the ditch creating a visually-pleasing
undulating line.

You could also use evergreens as a “living fence” to form the barrier
for the parking lot. or centerpiece for both sides. A good choice
might be pyramidal arborvitae, an evergreen tree with bright green
foliage. Most pyramidal arborvitae can reach a height of fifteen to
twenty-five feet and have a spread of about three to five feet, but
can of course be trimmed to give a lower and flatter topside. They
make an excellent screen, and can grow at a rate of about one foot per
year. When young, the pyramidal arborvitae has a bright green color to
its foliage, which darkens as the plant ages.

Remember, this is not something that needs to be done all at once. Do
the base plantings first and then add to it as time and money permits.
It makes the task more fun if you can make it a community project in
which a number of people can get involved.

The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs
and landscaping to and for resources and
additional information, or to subscribe to Steve’s free e-mailed
newsletter, visit www.landsteward.org