Hi --

I live in the northern Washington DC suburbs and I'm looking for ideas
for a flowering hedge or thick border plant. I'm bored with the idea of
the typical yew or boxwood or privet. The location has mediocre quality
soil, it's neither heavy clay nor heavy sand, full to medium sun. The
length of the hedge would be about 40 feet.

I'm interested in something that is relatively low maintenance. It
doesn't need to be a privacy or security hedge, just something to define
the border and discourage the dogs and kids from running off the
property. Ideally it would thrive at somewhere between 3 and 5 feet.

One possibility is Rose of Sharon -- I have a couple of plants right now
and I'm used to taking care of it. I've had bad luck with azaleas for
whatever reason. I'm not crazy about the look of forsythia. I'm also
open to the idea of a mixed planting -- say 4 different plantings to
flower at different times of the year.

Any suggestions are welcome.

On Tue, 23 Mar 2004 13:32:59 -0500, Groundswell
wrote:

Hi --

I live in the northern Washington DC suburbs and I'm looking for ideas
for a flowering hedge or thick border plant. I'm bored with the idea of
the typical yew or boxwood or privet. The location has mediocre quality
soil, it's neither heavy clay nor heavy sand, full to medium sun. The
length of the hedge would be about 40 feet.

I'm interested in something that is relatively low maintenance. It
doesn't need to be a privacy or security hedge, just something to define
the border and discourage the dogs and kids from running off the
property. Ideally it would thrive at somewhere between 3 and 5 feet.

One possibility is Rose of Sharon -- I have a couple of plants right now
and I'm used to taking care of it. I've had bad luck with azaleas for
whatever reason. I'm not crazy about the look of forsythia. I'm also
open to the idea of a mixed planting -- say 4 different plantings to
flower at different times of the year.

Any suggestions are welcome.

I planted a Rose-of-Sharon hedge 5 years ago and now it is about 7
feet tall. I trimmed it last year. It is about 180 feet long. I
planted each ROS far apart so that I could get my lawn mower between
them, but now I have a line of mulch and seedlings growing between
them. They flower mid summer to fall and attract hummingbirds and
bees. Aphids and Japanese beetles like to attack the ROS, but now
there is a high ladybug population. ROS's are tough, but you should
trim them once a year to keep a tidy hedge. I planted my hedge to
screen out the neighbor's ugly yard, although you can see through it
during the (short) winter in east TN..

A few traditional choices include:

Myrica pennsylvanica, Northern Bayberry, Candleberry. This would be grown
primarily for its fruit rather than flower. The fruit is a 'drupe', 1/6 to
1/5" across, grayish white, covered with a waxy coating, effective from
September through April and later of the following year, borne in great
quantities and usually covering the stems of female plants. Very attractive.

Berberis thunbergii, Japanese Barberry. Hundreds of cultivars available. A
nice combo is a mass planting of a red form interspersed here and there with
a chartreuse-green form such as 'Aurea'.

Viburnum trilobum 'Compactum', American Cranberrybush Viburnum. Great
flowers, fruit, and foliage.

Cornus sericea, Redosier Dogwood. This is very nice in winter if you have a
contrasting color behind it to show off the rich red canes.

Dave
Fairfax, VA


"Groundswell" wrote in message
...
Hi --

I live in the northern Washington DC suburbs and I'm looking for ideas
for a flowering hedge or thick border plant. I'm bored with the idea of
the typical yew or boxwood or privet. The location has mediocre quality
soil, it's neither heavy clay nor heavy sand, full to medium sun. The
length of the hedge would be about 40 feet.

I'm interested in something that is relatively low maintenance. It
doesn't need to be a privacy or security hedge, just something to define
the border and discourage the dogs and kids from running off the
property. Ideally it would thrive at somewhere between 3 and 5 feet.

One possibility is Rose of Sharon -- I have a couple of plants right now
and I'm used to taking care of it. I've had bad luck with azaleas for
whatever reason. I'm not crazy about the look of forsythia. I'm also
open to the idea of a mixed planting -- say 4 different plantings to
flower at different times of the year.

Any suggestions are welcome.

A few traditional choices include:

Myrica pennsylvanica, Northern Bayberry, Candleberry. This would be grown
primarily for its fruit rather than flower. The fruit is a 'drupe', 1/6 to
1/5" across, grayish white, covered with a waxy coating, effective from
September through April and later of the following year, borne in great
quantities and usually covering the stems of female plants. Very attractive.

Berberis thunbergii, Japanese Barberry. Hundreds of cultivars available. A
nice combo is a mass planting of a red form interspersed here and there with
a chartreuse-green form such as 'Aurea'.

Viburnum trilobum 'Compactum', American Cranberrybush Viburnum. Great
flowers, fruit, and foliage.

Cornus sericea, Redosier Dogwood. This is very nice in winter if you have a
contrasting color behind it to show off the rich red canes.

Dave
Fairfax, VA


"Groundswell" wrote in message
...
Hi --

I live in the northern Washington DC suburbs and I'm looking for ideas
for a flowering hedge or thick border plant. I'm bored with the idea of
the typical yew or boxwood or privet. The location has mediocre quality
soil, it's neither heavy clay nor heavy sand, full to medium sun. The
length of the hedge would be about 40 feet.

I'm interested in something that is relatively low maintenance. It
doesn't need to be a privacy or security hedge, just something to define
the border and discourage the dogs and kids from running off the
property. Ideally it would thrive at somewhere between 3 and 5 feet.

One possibility is Rose of Sharon -- I have a couple of plants right now
and I'm used to taking care of it. I've had bad luck with azaleas for
whatever reason. I'm not crazy about the look of forsythia. I'm also
open to the idea of a mixed planting -- say 4 different plantings to
flower at different times of the year.

Any suggestions are welcome.

In addition to the ones listed below, you might consider the bridal wreath
spirea, which makes a beautiful billow of white in spring, weigela, which
makes a splash of pink or red in early summer, (some rebloom), Viburnum
mariessei (double-file viburnum), mountain laurel (although its needs are
similar to azalea, so it might not be successful in your site), a lilac or
two (if you want to match sizes consult local nurseries - there are a number
of dwarf and semi-dwarf lilacs that top out at 6 feet or so), one of the
hardier crape myrtles they are developing at the National Arboretum, etc.
"David J Bockman" wrote in message
...
A few traditional choices include:

Myrica pennsylvanica, Northern Bayberry, Candleberry. This would be grown
primarily for its fruit rather than flower. The fruit is a 'drupe', 1/6 to
1/5" across, grayish white, covered with a waxy coating, effective from
September through April and later of the following year, borne in great
quantities and usually covering the stems of female plants. Very
attractive.

Berberis thunbergii, Japanese Barberry. Hundreds of cultivars available.
A
nice combo is a mass planting of a red form interspersed here and there
with
a chartreuse-green form such as 'Aurea'.

Viburnum trilobum 'Compactum', American Cranberrybush Viburnum. Great
flowers, fruit, and foliage.

Cornus sericea, Redosier Dogwood. This is very nice in winter if you have
a
contrasting color behind it to show off the rich red canes.

Dave
Fairfax, VA


"Groundswell" wrote in message
...
Hi --

I live in the northern Washington DC suburbs and I'm looking for ideas
for a flowering hedge or thick border plant. I'm bored with the idea of
the typical yew or boxwood or privet. The location has mediocre quality
soil, it's neither heavy clay nor heavy sand, full to medium sun. The
length of the hedge would be about 40 feet.

I'm interested in something that is relatively low maintenance. It
doesn't need to be a privacy or security hedge, just something to define
the border and discourage the dogs and kids from running off the
property. Ideally it would thrive at somewhere between 3 and 5 feet.

One possibility is Rose of Sharon -- I have a couple of plants right now
and I'm used to taking care of it. I've had bad luck with azaleas for
whatever reason. I'm not crazy about the look of forsythia. I'm also
open to the idea of a mixed planting -- say 4 different plantings to
flower at different times of the year.

Any suggestions are welcome.

In addition to the ones listed below, you might consider the bridal wreath
spirea, which makes a beautiful billow of white in spring, weigela, which
makes a splash of pink or red in early summer, (some rebloom), Viburnum
mariessei (double-file viburnum), mountain laurel (although its needs are
similar to azalea, so it might not be successful in your site), a lilac or
two (if you want to match sizes consult local nurseries - there are a number
of dwarf and semi-dwarf lilacs that top out at 6 feet or so), one of the
hardier crape myrtles they are developing at the National Arboretum, etc.
"David J Bockman" wrote in message
...
A few traditional choices include:

Myrica pennsylvanica, Northern Bayberry, Candleberry. This would be grown
primarily for its fruit rather than flower. The fruit is a 'drupe', 1/6 to
1/5" across, grayish white, covered with a waxy coating, effective from
September through April and later of the following year, borne in great
quantities and usually covering the stems of female plants. Very
attractive.

Berberis thunbergii, Japanese Barberry. Hundreds of cultivars available.
A
nice combo is a mass planting of a red form interspersed here and there
with
a chartreuse-green form such as 'Aurea'.

Viburnum trilobum 'Compactum', American Cranberrybush Viburnum. Great
flowers, fruit, and foliage.

Cornus sericea, Redosier Dogwood. This is very nice in winter if you have
a
contrasting color behind it to show off the rich red canes.

Dave
Fairfax, VA


"Groundswell" wrote in message
...
Hi --

I live in the northern Washington DC suburbs and I'm looking for ideas
for a flowering hedge or thick border plant. I'm bored with the idea of
the typical yew or boxwood or privet. The location has mediocre quality
soil, it's neither heavy clay nor heavy sand, full to medium sun. The
length of the hedge would be about 40 feet.

I'm interested in something that is relatively low maintenance. It
doesn't need to be a privacy or security hedge, just something to define
the border and discourage the dogs and kids from running off the
property. Ideally it would thrive at somewhere between 3 and 5 feet.

One possibility is Rose of Sharon -- I have a couple of plants right now
and I'm used to taking care of it. I've had bad luck with azaleas for
whatever reason. I'm not crazy about the look of forsythia. I'm also
open to the idea of a mixed planting -- say 4 different plantings to
flower at different times of the year.

Any suggestions are welcome.

"Groundswell" wrote in message
...
Hi --

I live in the northern Washington DC suburbs and I'm looking for ideas
for a flowering hedge or thick border plant. I'm bored with the idea of
the typical yew or boxwood or privet. The location has mediocre quality
soil, it's neither heavy clay nor heavy sand, full to medium sun. The
length of the hedge would be about 40 feet.

I'm interested in something that is relatively low maintenance. It
doesn't need to be a privacy or security hedge, just something to define
the border and discourage the dogs and kids from running off the
property. Ideally it would thrive at somewhere between 3 and 5 feet.

One possibility is Rose of Sharon -- I have a couple of plants right now
and I'm used to taking care of it. I've had bad luck with azaleas for
whatever reason. I'm not crazy about the look of forsythia. I'm also
open to the idea of a mixed planting -- say 4 different plantings to
flower at different times of the year.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Why not consider roses? Most of the china class of roses love the hot and
humid conditions of DC while being hardy well into the zone 6 of it's
outlying suburbs. Archduke Charles, Arethusa, Cramoisi Superieur, Ducher,
Le Vesuve, Napoleon, White Pearl in Red Dragon's Mouth, and Hermosa are in
bloom from April through November and are semi evergreen through the winter.
None will need spraying in order to thrive, and a few like Archduke Charles
and Ducher have a nice medium scent. These are NOT the fussy long stemmed
hybrid teas that so many people think of when they think of roses. These
roses are tough and can take tough conditions while blooming constantly.
Many have been found at old graveyards and homesteads and brought back into
commerce. They are available mail order through the Antique Rose Emporium
http://www.antiqueroseemporium.com/ , Chamblee's Roses
http://www.chambleeroses.com/ , or a little closer to you to save on
shipping at Roses Unlimited http://www.rosesunlimitedownroot.com/ , or
Ashdown Roses http://www.ashdownroses.com/ . Even closer is Sherando Roses,
http://www.sherandoroses.com/ which doesn't ship, but is worth a day trip to
visit.

BTW, here's a close up of Ducher, which Kaye uses as a hedge.
http://pic1.picturetrail.com/VOL138/...9/32981888.jpg Here's a
whole bush shot of them just coming into bloom.
http://pic1.picturetrail.com/VOL138/...9/26146366.jpg Here's the
whole album of chinas for you to browse at your leisure.
http://www.picturetrails.com/gallery...529&uid=647794 She
is borderline zone 6/7, and you can see how spectacular they perform for
her.

Sunflower
MS 7b

"Groundswell" wrote in message
...
Hi --

I live in the northern Washington DC suburbs and I'm looking for ideas
for a flowering hedge or thick border plant. I'm bored with the idea of
the typical yew or boxwood or privet. The location has mediocre quality
soil, it's neither heavy clay nor heavy sand, full to medium sun. The
length of the hedge would be about 40 feet.

I'm interested in something that is relatively low maintenance. It
doesn't need to be a privacy or security hedge, just something to define
the border and discourage the dogs and kids from running off the
property. Ideally it would thrive at somewhere between 3 and 5 feet.

One possibility is Rose of Sharon -- I have a couple of plants right now
and I'm used to taking care of it. I've had bad luck with azaleas for
whatever reason. I'm not crazy about the look of forsythia. I'm also
open to the idea of a mixed planting -- say 4 different plantings to
flower at different times of the year.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Why not consider roses? Most of the china class of roses love the hot and
humid conditions of DC while being hardy well into the zone 6 of it's
outlying suburbs. Archduke Charles, Arethusa, Cramoisi Superieur, Ducher,
Le Vesuve, Napoleon, White Pearl in Red Dragon's Mouth, and Hermosa are in
bloom from April through November and are semi evergreen through the winter.
None will need spraying in order to thrive, and a few like Archduke Charles
and Ducher have a nice medium scent. These are NOT the fussy long stemmed
hybrid teas that so many people think of when they think of roses. These
roses are tough and can take tough conditions while blooming constantly.
Many have been found at old graveyards and homesteads and brought back into
commerce. They are available mail order through the Antique Rose Emporium
http://www.antiqueroseemporium.com/ , Chamblee's Roses
http://www.chambleeroses.com/ , or a little closer to you to save on
shipping at Roses Unlimited http://www.rosesunlimitedownroot.com/ , or
Ashdown Roses http://www.ashdownroses.com/ . Even closer is Sherando Roses,
http://www.sherandoroses.com/ which doesn't ship, but is worth a day trip to
visit.

BTW, here's a close up of Ducher, which Kaye uses as a hedge.
http://pic1.picturetrail.com/VOL138/...9/32981888.jpg Here's a
whole bush shot of them just coming into bloom.
http://pic1.picturetrail.com/VOL138/...9/26146366.jpg Here's the
whole album of chinas for you to browse at your leisure.
http://www.picturetrails.com/gallery...529&uid=647794 She
is borderline zone 6/7, and you can see how spectacular they perform for
her.

Sunflower
MS 7b

"Sunflower" wrote in message
news

"Groundswell" wrote in message
...
Hi --

I live in the northern Washington DC suburbs and I'm looking for ideas
for a flowering hedge or thick border plant. I'm bored with the idea of
the typical yew or boxwood or privet. The location has mediocre quality
soil, it's neither heavy clay nor heavy sand, full to medium sun. The
length of the hedge would be about 40 feet.

I'm interested in something that is relatively low maintenance. It
doesn't need to be a privacy or security hedge, just something to define
the border and discourage the dogs and kids from running off the
property. Ideally it would thrive at somewhere between 3 and 5 feet.

One possibility is Rose of Sharon -- I have a couple of plants right now
and I'm used to taking care of it. I've had bad luck with azaleas for
whatever reason. I'm not crazy about the look of forsythia. I'm also
open to the idea of a mixed planting -- say 4 different plantings to
flower at different times of the year.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Why not consider roses? Most of the china class of roses love the hot and
humid conditions of DC while being hardy well into the zone 6 of it's
outlying suburbs. Archduke Charles, Arethusa, Cramoisi Superieur, Ducher,
Le Vesuve, Napoleon, White Pearl in Red Dragon's Mouth, and Hermosa are
in
bloom from April through November and are semi evergreen through the
winter.
None will need spraying in order to thrive, and a few like Archduke
Charles
and Ducher have a nice medium scent. These are NOT the fussy long stemmed
hybrid teas that so many people think of when they think of roses. These
roses are tough and can take tough conditions while blooming constantly.
Many have been found at old graveyards and homesteads and brought back
into
commerce. They are available mail order through the Antique Rose Emporium
http://www.antiqueroseemporium.com/ , Chamblee's Roses
http://www.chambleeroses.com/ , or a little closer to you to save on
shipping at Roses Unlimited http://www.rosesunlimitedownroot.com/ , or
Ashdown Roses http://www.ashdownroses.com/ . Even closer is Sherando
Roses,
http://www.sherandoroses.com/ which doesn't ship, but is worth a day trip
to
visit.

BTW, here's a close up of Ducher, which Kaye uses as a hedge.
http://pic1.picturetrail.com/VOL138/...9/32981888.jpg Here's a
whole bush shot of them just coming into bloom.
http://pic1.picturetrail.com/VOL138/...9/26146366.jpg Here's
the
whole album of chinas for you to browse at your leisure.
http://www.picturetrails.com/gallery...529&uid=647794
She
is borderline zone 6/7, and you can see how spectacular they perform for
her.

Sunflower
MS 7b



In addition to the above, many of the red/pink chinas have the wonderful
characteristic of the blooms darkening as they age and with exposure to UV.
Here's Kaye's shot of Archduke Charles that shows the development nicely.
http://pic1.picturetrail.com/VOL138/...9/37242558.jpg

gregpresley wrote:

In addition to the ones listed below, you might consider the bridal wreath
spirea, which makes a beautiful billow of white in spring, weigela, which
makes a splash of pink or red in early summer, (some rebloom), Viburnum
mariessei (double-file viburnum), mountain laurel (although its needs are
similar to azalea, so it might not be successful in your site), a lilac or
two (if you want to match sizes consult local nurseries - there are a number
of dwarf and semi-dwarf lilacs that top out at 6 feet or so), one of the
hardier crape myrtles they are developing at the National Arboretum, etc.

"David J Bockman" wrote

A few traditional choices include:

Myrica pennsylvanica, Northern Bayberry, Candleberry. This would be grown
primarily for its fruit rather than flower. The fruit is a 'drupe', 1/6 to
1/5" across, grayish white, covered with a waxy coating, effective from
September through April and later of the following year, borne in great
quantities and usually covering the stems of female plants. Very
attractive.

Berberis thunbergii, Japanese Barberry. Hundreds of cultivars available.
A nice combo is a mass planting of a red form interspersed here and there
with a chartreuse-green form such as 'Aurea'.

Viburnum trilobum 'Compactum', American Cranberrybush Viburnum. Great
flowers, fruit, and foliage.

Cornus sericea, Redosier Dogwood. This is very nice in winter if you have
a contrasting color behind it to show off the rich red canes.

Thanks for all of the suggestions. These are a great starting point.

One followup question I have is what to do about the existing hedge -- part of it
is yew and part is boxwood.

Is it possible to cut down the existing plants to the ground and just plant around
the roots, or am I doomed to a major excavation project? I'm willing to put up
with a certain amount of cutting back of volunteer sprouts from the existing roots,
on the assumption that this will stop over time.

I'd really rather not have to pay for the Bobcat or the gang of college kids with
picks and shovels to unroot the existing hedge, if I can avoid it.

"Groundswell" wrote in message
...
Sunflower wrote:

"Sunflower" wrote in message
news

"Groundswell" wrote in message
..
Hi --

I live in the northern Washington DC suburbs and I'm looking for
ideas
for a flowering hedge or thick border plant. I'm bored with the
idea of
the typical yew or boxwood or privet. The location has mediocre
quality
soil, it's neither heavy clay nor heavy sand, full to medium sun.
The
length of the hedge would be about 40 feet.

I'm interested in something that is relatively low maintenance. It
doesn't need to be a privacy or security hedge, just something to
define
the border and discourage the dogs and kids from running off the
property. Ideally it would thrive at somewhere between 3 and 5
feet.

snip

Why not consider roses? Most of the china class of roses love the hot
and
humid conditions of DC while being hardy well into the zone 6 of it's
outlying suburbs. Archduke Charles, Arethusa, Cramoisi Superieur,
Ducher,
Le Vesuve, Napoleon, White Pearl in Red Dragon's Mouth, and Hermosa
are
in bloom from April through November and are semi evergreen through
the
winter.

Thanks for the info. I've been interested in some low-maintenance roses.

For me, the big strike against roses in large plantings is cleaning up
after
pruning. Dealing with the branches from one plant isn't too bad, but
pruning
and disposing of an entire hedge would be more work than I'm willing to
spend.

I'll definitely consider one or two of these, though.

You do NOT prune these types of roses like you do hybrid teas. Treat them
like any other flowering shrub you might be considering. When the bush is
mature, (3-4 years) remove about 1/3 of the oldest growth per year and trim
about 1/3 off of the remaining height of the shrub. Treating them like the
typical hybrid tea by pruning them down to 14" nubs will cause them to sulk
quite abit.

Sunflower wrote:

"Groundswell" wrote in message

For me, the big strike against roses in large plantings is cleaning up
after pruning. Dealing with the branches from one plant isn't too bad,
but pruning and disposing of an entire hedge would be more work than
I'm willing to spend.

I'll definitely consider one or two of these, though.

You do NOT prune these types of roses like you do hybrid teas. Treat them
like any other flowering shrub you might be considering. When the bush is
mature, (3-4 years) remove about 1/3 of the oldest growth per year and trim
about 1/3 off of the remaining height of the shrub. Treating them like the
typical hybrid tea by pruning them down to 14" nubs will cause them to sulk
quite abit.

I'm sure it's all relative -- to me, the idea of taking out 1/3 (or 1/4 or 1/5)
of a 40 foot run of rose bushes (the area I'm trying to cover) then packing up
and disposing of the branches is more thorns than I'm willing to tackle.

Maybe if I had a chipper it wouldn't be as big a deal. But I think I'll stick
with a smaller planting.

Let me come and dig them out. )

Seriously, one of my passions is bonsai, and many fine bonsai start as
foundation or hedge plantings that people don't want anymore. I'd be happy
to take a look.

Dave
703.217.2442


"Groundswell" wrote in message
...
gregpresley wrote:

In addition to the ones listed below, you might consider the bridal
wreath
spirea, which makes a beautiful billow of white in spring, weigela,
which
makes a splash of pink or red in early summer, (some rebloom), Viburnum
mariessei (double-file viburnum), mountain laurel (although its needs
are
similar to azalea, so it might not be successful in your site), a lilac
or
two (if you want to match sizes consult local nurseries - there are a
number
of dwarf and semi-dwarf lilacs that top out at 6 feet or so), one of
the
hardier crape myrtles they are developing at the National Arboretum,
etc.

"David J Bockman" wrote

A few traditional choices include:

Myrica pennsylvanica, Northern Bayberry, Candleberry. This would be
grown
primarily for its fruit rather than flower. The fruit is a 'drupe',
1/6 to
1/5" across, grayish white, covered with a waxy coating, effective
from
September through April and later of the following year, borne in
great
quantities and usually covering the stems of female plants. Very
attractive.

Berberis thunbergii, Japanese Barberry. Hundreds of cultivars
available.
A nice combo is a mass planting of a red form interspersed here and
there
with a chartreuse-green form such as 'Aurea'.

Viburnum trilobum 'Compactum', American Cranberrybush Viburnum. Great
flowers, fruit, and foliage.

Cornus sericea, Redosier Dogwood. This is very nice in winter if you
have
a contrasting color behind it to show off the rich red canes.

Thanks for all of the suggestions. These are a great starting point.

One followup question I have is what to do about the existing hedge --
part of it
is yew and part is boxwood.

Is it possible to cut down the existing plants to the ground and just
plant around
the roots, or am I doomed to a major excavation project? I'm willing to
put up
with a certain amount of cutting back of volunteer sprouts from the
existing roots,
on the assumption that this will stop over time.

I'd really rather not have to pay for the Bobcat or the gang of college
kids with
picks and shovels to unroot the existing hedge, if I can avoid it.