The one thing against using Ceanothus for a hedge would be its hatred of
wind.
I lost 7 before planting one in the shelter of a bank.

--
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk

That's useful to know - I think my fence will be quite sheltered as it runs
parallel to another fence/garages on the other side of a narrow back road. I
think that and the surrounding buildings will keep it out of the worse of
the wind.

"david" wrote in message
...
The one thing against using Ceanothus for a hedge would be its hatred of
wind.
I lost 7 before planting one in the shelter of a bank.

--
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk

I'd certainly check out Trewithen Blue, as I'm looking for a variety with a
spreading habit, and good coverage. The exact shade of blue is not so
important, as long as it gives a good display at the appropriate time of
year. I don't plan on having to prune it back too much.

"sacha" wrote in message
. uk...
in article , Inge Jones at
wrote on 8/2/03 10:02 am:

In article ,
spam says...
I have a south facing fence, about 60 ft long and 4 ft high. I really
like
the vibrant colour of ceanothus and I'm wondering if it would make a
suitable hedge to run along in front of the fence. I've seen some types
which have small leaves and very type clumps of bright blue flowers in
the
spring/early summer. I would like the plants to grow to least 6-7 ft.

Can anyone make any recommendations?

Thanks very much.



We had a single ceanothus in our last garden, and although I cannot
remember which actual breed it was, I can confirm that the right sort
should work as a hedge. It did want to produce leaf all the way down to
the ground, was dense, and didn't mind being clipped quite severely - it
soon filled in any gaps.

Ray suggests C. 'Trewithen Blue' would spread well for this purpose. But
Adrian would be best to look at an illustration to ensure the blue is what
he wants. C.'Italian Skies' is lovely but it isn't as spreading. You can
keep them in check but received wisdom seems to be that they don't like a
lot of hacking into. But reducing height, for example, should be fine.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk

"Adrian Stanley" wrote in message
...
I'd certainly check out Trewithen Blue, as I'm looking for a variety with
a
spreading habit, and good coverage. The exact shade of blue is not so
important, as long as it gives a good display at the appropriate time of
year. I don't plan on having to prune it back too much.


Trewithen Blue is a good clone of C. arborea and is not a good hedging plant
if you are going to leave it to do its own thing, mine (I have 3) are 20-25'
high and across, when I prune I use a chain saw, the main trunks are 12"
across.
They can however unlike most ceanothus be cut back hard into old wood (hence
the recomendation)
--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collection of Clematis viticella (cvs)

in article , Charlie Pridham
at wrote on 9/2/03 11:51 am:

snip

Trewithen Blue is a good clone of C. arborea and is not a good hedging plant
if you are going to leave it to do its own thing, mine (I have 3) are 20-25'
high and across, when I prune I use a chain saw, the main trunks are 12"
across.
They can however unlike most ceanothus be cut back hard into old wood (hence
the recomendation)

Didn't the OP want something to grow in front of a fence, though? Not
actually to be a hedge acting as a barrier. I think the effect is required
to be decorative, rather than protective.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk

Certainly I have found ceanothus to be find for 'barrier' building (as opposed
to real hedging). "Concha" if you can get it grows very quickly and is a
stunning dark colour

But the drawback with this shrub is it gets leggy, taking up quite a bit of
room, and like all plants that give good results in short time can, on
occasions, be pretty short-lived. Not that that's too much of a problem - you
will probably be fed up with it and want to try something else by then!

Derek Carver
Oxshott, Surrey

On 14 Feb 2003 11:43:59 GMT, PAMBLOC (Derek
Carver) wrote:

...ceanothus...can, on occasions, be pretty short-lived.

They prefer very well drained soil and lots of sun and air. Some
of the best ceanothus I know around here grow at the top of a
small rocky mountain (ca. 400' high) where there is almost no
soil. They are next to a large water reservoir, so I suspect
there's a steady trace of moisture underground even in the driest
weather, even though the landscape shows no signs of other plants
benefiting from leakage.

The buddleias you see growing in railway ballast exemplify this
kind of site.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada