Our daughter's new house is some 2 feet above the pavement; the front
lawn starts atop a stone retaining wall. There is a strip of flower bed
on top of the wall, and then a lawn (about 4-5 m) to the house. The idea
would be to replace this bed with a sort of hedge, or maybe more of a
border, that would act as a kind of lace curtain. Obviously at night one
would have to draw the curtains, but she would like to be able to leave
them open during the day.

The plants/bushes would need to be evergreen (as they are more necessary
in the winter than in the summer), would have to grow to a height of
some 4-5 feet and be relatively self-supporting, and they need to be
happy in Surrey clay on a very dry slope. And it's a very pretty street,
so they should be more attractive and welcoming than impervious. (Oh,
and daughter is a complete newcomer to gardening, so they can't be too
difficult either.)

I think the way to go might be to have a range of plants that go well
together, as in a border - but I just can't picture what these might be,
and would be grateful for suggestions!


--
Klara, Gatwick basin

On 4/9/06 11:42, in article , "Klara"
wrote:


Our daughter's new house is some 2 feet above the pavement; the front
lawn starts atop a stone retaining wall. There is a strip of flower bed
on top of the wall, and then a lawn (about 4-5 m) to the house. The idea
would be to replace this bed with a sort of hedge, or maybe more of a
border, that would act as a kind of lace curtain. Obviously at night one
would have to draw the curtains, but she would like to be able to leave
them open during the day.

The plants/bushes would need to be evergreen (as they are more necessary
in the winter than in the summer), would have to grow to a height of
some 4-5 feet and be relatively self-supporting, and they need to be
happy in Surrey clay on a very dry slope. And it's a very pretty street,
so they should be more attractive and welcoming than impervious. (Oh,
and daughter is a complete newcomer to gardening, so they can't be too
difficult either.)

I think the way to go might be to have a range of plants that go well
together, as in a border - but I just can't picture what these might be,
and would be grateful for suggestions!


While a mixed hedge is interesting, I wonder if it would be too demanding
for a beginner gardener? The plants might require different treatment, e.g.
pruning and make their start in gardening too complicated just now. As to
suggested plants Griselinia, Privet, Box, Holly, Berberis and possibly
Escallonia and Eleagnus might work. There's a very highly scented Eleagnus
umbellata we have here in our garden and that might work because it seems
that this bed has good drainage. The other thing that could be lovely is
Sarcococca hookeriana var. dignya. It flowers in winter with a lovely scent
and would be enjoyed by your daughter as well as the passers by! Then
there's good old Aucuba and Ceanothus, too. C. Dark Star is a really
stunning colour and would work if they don't get hard frosts. I used to
live in Haslemere and don't remember very hard frosts there but down the
road in Midhurst they got some stinkers!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/

In reply to Klara ) who wrote this in
, I, Marvo, say :

Our daughter's new house is some 2 feet above the pavement; the front
lawn starts atop a stone retaining wall. There is a strip of flower
bed on top of the wall, and then a lawn (about 4-5 m) to the house.
The idea would be to replace this bed with a sort of hedge, or maybe
more of a border, that would act as a kind of lace curtain. Obviously
at night one would have to draw the curtains, but she would like to
be able to leave them open during the day.

The plants/bushes would need to be evergreen (as they are more
necessary in the winter than in the summer), would have to grow to a
height of some 4-5 feet and be relatively self-supporting, and they
need to be happy in Surrey clay on a very dry slope. And it's a very
pretty street, so they should be more attractive and welcoming than
impervious. (Oh, and daughter is a complete newcomer to gardening,
so they can't be too difficult either.)

I think the way to go might be to have a range of plants that go well
together, as in a border - but I just can't picture what these might
be, and would be grateful for suggestions!

If it doesn't want to look too "hedgey", a cotinus cogyria (the spelling is
a guess) is a nice looker and after a short while they get very thick, with
deep red-black leaves. It could have something else on the house side to
give a better curtaining effect, like maybe a Japonica bush (not sure of the
variety) which will flower nicely in summer yet be a good cover in winter.
I've used these before and they are easy (otherwise they wouldn't work for
me), and I have a friend living on Surrey clay too who has a bloomer of a
specimen, gets hardly any light at all and is about four feet high. Needs no
watering or anything.

"Klara"
wrote:


Our daughter's new house is some 2 feet above the pavement; the front
lawn starts atop a stone retaining wall. There is a strip of flower bed
on top of the wall, and then a lawn (about 4-5 m) to the house. The idea
would be to replace this bed with a sort of hedge, or maybe more of a
border, that would act as a kind of lace curtain. Obviously at night one
would have to draw the curtains, but she would like to be able to leave
them open during the day.

Sacha writes

While a mixed hedge is interesting, I wonder if it would be too demanding
for a beginner gardener? The plants might require different treatment, e.g.
pruning and make their start in gardening too complicated just now. As to
suggested plants Griselinia, Privet, Box, Holly, Berberis and possibly
Escallonia and Eleagnus might work. There's a very highly scented Eleagnus
umbellata we have here in our garden and that might work because it seems
that this bed has good drainage. The other thing that could be lovely is
Sarcococca hookeriana var. dignya. It flowers in winter with a lovely scent
and would be enjoyed by your daughter as well as the passers by! Then
there's good old Aucuba and Ceanothus, too. C. Dark Star is a really
stunning colour and would work if they don't get hard frosts. I used to
live in Haslemere and don't remember very hard frosts there but down the
road in Midhurst they got some stinkers!

Thanks, Sacha - some of those - particularly, I think, the Escallonia,
or, even more, the Eleagnus or the Sarcococca, sound just about right!
They are in Godalming, which is a mass of microclimates in the hilly
bit, where she was before. She is now in the flatter part with a level
garden (a rarity around there), but we're not sure yet what it is like.
It is certainly dry - our lawn is still mainly green, but theirs is pure
yellow. I'll give her your whole list of suggestions, then she can look
them up to get an idea what she wants to look at at the nursery.


--
Klara, Gatwick basin

In reply to Klara ) who wrote this in
,

Our daughter's new house is some 2 feet above the pavement; the front
lawn starts atop a stone retaining wall. There is a strip of flower
bed on top of the wall, and then a lawn (about 4-5 m) to the house.
The idea would be to replace this bed with a sort of hedge, or maybe
more of a border, that would act as a kind of lace curtain. Obviously
at night one would have to draw the curtains, but she would like to
be able to leave them open during the day.

I, Marvo, say :

If it doesn't want to look too "hedgey", a cotinus cogyria (the spelling is
a guess) is a nice looker and after a short while they get very thick, with
deep red-black leaves. It could have something else on the house side to
give a better curtaining effect, like maybe a Japonica bush (not sure of the
variety) which will flower nicely in summer yet be a good cover in winter.
I've used these before and they are easy (otherwise they wouldn't work for
me), and I have a friend living on Surrey clay too who has a bloomer of a
specimen, gets hardly any light at all and is about four feet high. Needs no
watering or anything.

Thanks, Marvo! It might be the right sort of shape, but the whole view
from their large bay window is of that hedge, and I would be worried
that with those dark leaves cotinus would look like a permanent black
cloud on the horizon!

--
Klara, Gatwick basin

In message , Klara
writes

Our daughter's new house is some 2 feet above the pavement; the front
lawn starts atop a stone retaining wall. There is a strip of flower bed
on top of the wall, and then a lawn (about 4-5 m) to the house. The
idea would be to replace this bed with a sort of hedge, or maybe more
of a border, that would act as a kind of lace curtain. Obviously at
night one would have to draw the curtains, but she would like to be
able to leave them open during the day.

The plants/bushes would need to be evergreen (as they are more
necessary in the winter than in the summer), would have to grow to a
height of some 4-5 feet and be relatively self-supporting, and they
need to be happy in Surrey clay on a very dry slope. And it's a very
pretty street, so they should be more attractive and welcoming than
impervious. (Oh, and daughter is a complete newcomer to gardening, so
they can't be too difficult either.)

I think the way to go might be to have a range of plants that go well
together, as in a border - but I just can't picture what these might
be, and would be grateful for suggestions!


Apart from them not being reliably evergreen an informal hedge of
shrubby Lavateras might do the trick (improving drainage might be
advantageous). The same holds for hardy Fuschias (the sort used for
hedging in Cornwall and the west of Ireland).

Pyracantha and Cotoneaster fall more into the impervious category, and
still aren't reliably evergreen.
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

The message
from Klara contains these words:


Our daughter's new house is some 2 feet above the pavement; the front
lawn starts atop a stone retaining wall. There is a strip of flower bed
on top of the wall, and then a lawn (about 4-5 m) to the house. The idea
would be to replace this bed with a sort of hedge, or maybe more of a
border, that would act as a kind of lace curtain. Obviously at night one
would have to draw the curtains, but she would like to be able to leave
them open during the day.


"lace curtain" is a good start. Very often, just a gauzy veil is
enough to distract the eye from what's beyond. Unless it's the only
sitting out spot, I would kill the lawn and plant the whole frontage
into one gorgeous distraction for passers by. Their eye won't go as far
as what's inside the window. You can do this fast and cheap by covering
the grass with cardboard cartons, then (HD) membrane, then gravel. Leave
some areas of gravel "open" , and scatter in the plants. I would not
worry too much about having all evergreens. Bare winter stems and
skeletons can be effective screens. I'd choose plants which grow to the
desired height but don't look too like a solid dense block.

Buddleia; established plants make a very fast tall screen in summer,
very pretty, and can be cut to ground level in winter.

Bamboo (in large buried container; I don't trust any of the so
called "clumpimg" ones not to invade, especially in rising summer
temperatures)

Phormiums. The plain green tenax will easily make 6ft of elegant
grey-green foliage. The exotic flower stalks are as tall again, and will
stand all winter.

The smaller bright coloured leaf ones also look great.

Cortaderia richardii (like a more elegant pampas, but far more
flowers, and a much longer flowering season).

Miscanthus gigantea (non invasive, tall, doesn't fall over,
fabulous soft rustling noise)

verbena bonariensis, crociosmia Lucifer, seasonal bulbs. Dierama.

Cornus variegata elegantissima ( good screen in summer, striking
red winter stems)

Some rounded evergreen mounds. These could be hebes, euphorbias, even
some conifers., cistus, spanish broom.


Janet.

Thanks, Janet - I will pass this on.

I have been trying to picture this in the context of the house. The lawn
would certainly be no great loss. My one concern is that in spite of my
daughter's touching faith in my gardening and artistic talents, actually
I was badly misled by whoever originally suggested that I should study
art as I am absolutely hopeless at trying to envisage what the end
result of even a basic room arrangement will be, let alone a bit of
living landscape, no matter how small. As a result I tend to plan
endlessly and still invariably end up with serried ranks of things.
Obviously at heart I must be a market gardener! Or a general? Perhaps
the system of casting bulbs about and then planting them where they fall
might work with plants? (Not the actual throwing, of course, but just
something to represent them?)
Or am I making too much of this: we should just get on with it and hope
for the best?

--
Klara, Gatwick basin

In reply to Klara ) who wrote this in
, I, Marvo, say :

In reply to Klara ) who wrote this in
,

Our daughter's new house is some 2 feet above the pavement; the
front lawn starts atop a stone retaining wall. There is a strip of
flower bed on top of the wall, and then a lawn (about 4-5 m) to the
house. The idea would be to replace this bed with a sort of hedge,
or maybe more of a border, that would act as a kind of lace
curtain. Obviously at night one would have to draw the curtains,
but she would like to be able to leave them open during the day.

I, Marvo, say :

If it doesn't want to look too "hedgey", a cotinus cogyria (the
spelling is a guess) is a nice looker and after a short while they
get very thick, with deep red-black leaves. It could have something
else on the house side to give a better curtaining effect, like
maybe a Japonica bush (not sure of the variety) which will flower
nicely in summer yet be a good cover in winter. I've used these
before and they are easy (otherwise they wouldn't work for me), and
I have a friend living on Surrey clay too who has a bloomer of a
specimen, gets hardly any light at all and is about four feet high.
Needs no watering or anything.
Thanks, Marvo! It might be the right sort of shape, but the whole view
from their large bay window is of that hedge, and I would be worried
that with those dark leaves cotinus would look like a permanent black
cloud on the horizon!

That's the trouble with blokes, so I'm told. They like unusual things like
cotinus, cacti, etc. Women like more trad plants which blokes might find
boring :-)

Is this just me, I wonder?

My favourite plants, other than cacti, include fushcia (the bush sort),
buddliea, cotinus cog, and most gaudy things or plants with unusual and
bright colouring. But then I'm at least partially insane.

In message , Uncle Marvo
writes
That's the trouble with blokes, so I'm told. They like unusual things like
cotinus, cacti, etc. Women like more trad plants which blokes might find
boring :-)

Is this just me, I wonder?

My favourite plants, other than cacti, include fushcia (the bush sort),
buddliea, cotinus cog, and most gaudy things or plants with unusual and
bright colouring. But then I'm at least partially insane.

Now isn't that a funny thing? These are probably my least favourite
plants ... But I like many other bright plants, though, admittedly,
probably not jumbled up. But I also find I now love the plants I was
surrounded by most as a child: portulacas, which had been planted in
gaps at the back of steps in my grandmother's house, which I called
"worm plants" because of their leaves, pelargoniums, tulips, lilacs,
acacias, lime trees.... and generally plants that prefer alkaline to
acid soil (so, of course, now we live on really acid soil...)

Though cacti (my oldest daughter's great love) don't excite me that much
- my favourite there are succulents!

--
Klara, Gatwick basin

In article , Klara
writes

Very often, just a gauzy veil is
enough to distract the eye from what's beyond. Unless it's the only
sitting out spot, I would kill the lawn and plant the whole frontage
into one gorgeous distraction for passers by. Their eye won't go as far
as what's inside the window.
I'd choose plants which grow to the
desired height but don't look too like a solid dense block.
Janet.

Thanks, Janet - I will pass this on.


I would like to add things such as Buddleia Alternitfolia which is
really easy to maintain on one stem, just cutting out flowered branches
straight after flowering. I have this year had salvia uliginosa
flowering it's socks off, a plant you could just er, um, plant, and then
forget, also verbena bonariensis, suffering a bit of overkill from it's
popularity but good for screening.

Janet


--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

Janet Tweedy writes

I would like to add things such as Buddleia Alternitfolia which is
really easy to maintain on one stem, just cutting out flowered branches
straight after flowering. I have this year had salvia uliginosa
flowering it's socks off, a plant you could just er, um, plant, and
then forget, also verbena bonariensis, suffering a bit of overkill from
it's popularity but good for screening.

Janet

Thanks, Janet. I have only recently discovered Buddleia alternifolia:
what a lovely alternative to davidii! My one concern in our daughter's
case is that she needs the screen even more in the winter than in the
summer...

--
Klara, Gatwick basin