Conifer hedge and underplanting
 

Evening all,

I've moved into a house that's got a nice, neat, well maintained conifer
hedge at the front of the garden (approx 6ft high). Now I gather that the
area underneath these trees is usually a no go area for other plants, but
is there anything I can plant under them that will grow up through and
provide such much needed colour and flowers?

Thanks,
Crag

--

In article ,
Crag gansburg-dot-01-at-zen-dot-co-dot-uk wrote:
Evening all,

I've moved into a house that's got a nice, neat, well maintained conifer
hedge at the front of the garden (approx 6ft high). Now I gather that the
area underneath these trees is usually a no go area for other plants, but
is there anything I can plant under them that will grow up through and
provide such much needed colour and flowers?

Cyclamen coum and hederifolium (or whatever it is). They thrive in
rain shadows, and have lovely foliage and flowers, but are very low.
They will establish themselves and spread in such conditions, and
even make ground cover.

A climbing plant that also likes rain shadows (in the UK) is
Passiflora incarnata - mine is sprouting well this year! But it
isn't very compatible with a hedge that needs trimming in the summer.
What conifer is it?


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 01 Jun 2005 20:21:36 GMT, Crag
gansburg-dot-01-at-zen-dot-co-dot-uk wrote:

Evening all,

I've moved into a house that's got a nice, neat, well maintained conifer
hedge at the front of the garden (approx 6ft high). Now I gather that the
area underneath these trees is usually a no go area for other plants, but
is there anything I can plant under them that will grow up through and
provide such much needed colour and flowers?

Thanks,
Crag

The most spectacular thing I've seen growing through a conifer hedge,
is tropaeolum speciosum.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plant...ages/933.shtml
I saw it growing in a trimmed yew hedge, much taller than yours, at
Misarden Park, in Goucestershire. It is hard to get sestablished. I
never had much luck with it. Maybe others can tell you how, but the
bright red flowers on the surface of the dark green yew looked very
impressive.
It will depend on your soil, which I think needs to be acid,

Pam in Bristol

"Crag" gansburg-dot-01-at-zen-dot-co-dot-uk wrote in message
...
Evening all,

I've moved into a house that's got a nice, neat, well maintained conifer
hedge at the front of the garden (approx 6ft high). Now I gather that the
area underneath these trees is usually a no go area for other plants, but
is there anything I can plant under them that will grow up through and
provide such much needed colour and flowers?

Thanks,
Crag

--
I think this 'no-go' business about the area under conifers is overdone a
bit.
Granted, as I'm in Devon I get a fair bit more rain than areas further east,
but
for instance I have grown Sweet Woodruff and Feverfew under my Leylandii
hedge ( they have 18-24" of headroom to grow into ) without them showing
signs of distress. I plan to try more adventurous plantings in future to see
how they fair.

Andy.

Crag wrote:
Evening all,

I've moved into a house that's got a nice, neat, well maintained conifer
hedge at the front of the garden (approx 6ft high). Now I gather that the
area underneath these trees is usually a no go area for other plants, but
is there anything I can plant under them that will grow up through and
provide such much needed colour and flowers?

Thanks,
Crag


I have a couple of patches of (pink) valerian that are growing in the
gaps at the base of my conifer hedge. Didn't care much for it at first,
but the flowers last ages and attract things such as hummingbird hawkmoths.

I also have a purple-flowered Linaria purpurea and lots of herb robert
which have self-seeded around and under the hedge. The former is nice
for a bit of height and for attacting small bees. The latter is good
because they're prolific and really easy to pull up for the compost,
which means I can spend 2 minutes doing weeding, fill a big bucket, and
then have a cup of tea while feeling incredibly productive :)

In article ,
andrewpreece wrote:


I think this 'no-go' business about the area under conifers is overdone a
bit.
Granted, as I'm in Devon I get a fair bit more rain than areas further east,
but
for instance I have grown Sweet Woodruff and Feverfew under my Leylandii
hedge ( they have 18-24" of headroom to grow into ) without them showing
signs of distress. I plan to try more adventurous plantings in future to see
how they fair.

Yes and no. The area immediately under a dense conifer is essentially
sterile in the drier areas, because it is too dry for anything except
cacti. Where wind-driven rain reaches it, or at the boundary, plants
that like rain shadows will thrive. I was surprised at how MUCH of
a rain shadow Cyclamen coum likes (in the UK), but woodruff is (as its
name suggests) a woodland plant that is also adapted to a rain shadow.

I agree with you that it isn't a matter of black and white.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Crag gansburg-dot-01-at-zen-dot-co-dot-uk wrote:

Evening all,

I've moved into a house that's got a nice, neat, well maintained conifer
hedge at the front of the garden (approx 6ft high). Now I gather that the
area underneath these trees is usually a no go area for other plants, but
is there anything I can plant under them that will grow up through and
provide such much needed colour and flowers?

Thanks,
Crag

--

Bindweed!

--
While money doesn't buy love, it puts you in a great bargaining position.

In message , Pam Moore
writes
On 01 Jun 2005 20:21:36 GMT, Crag
gansburg-dot-01-at-zen-dot-co-dot-uk wrote:

Evening all,

I've moved into a house that's got a nice, neat, well maintained conifer
hedge at the front of the garden (approx 6ft high). Now I gather that the
area underneath these trees is usually a no go area for other plants, but
is there anything I can plant under them that will grow up through and
provide such much needed colour and flowers?

Thanks,
Crag

The most spectacular thing I've seen growing through a conifer hedge,
is tropaeolum speciosum.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plant...ages/933.shtml
I saw it growing in a trimmed yew hedge, much taller than yours, at
Misarden Park, in Goucestershire. It is hard to get sestablished. I
never had much luck with it. Maybe others can tell you how, but the
bright red flowers on the surface of the dark green yew looked very
impressive.
It will depend on your soil, which I think needs to be acid,

Pam in Bristol

The garden where I worked in Yorkshire specialised in Tropaeolum
speciosum and mecanopsis selling them to garden centres throughout the
country and it very much seems to be pot luck. Different parts of the
same garden with seemingly identical conditions can vary in its
viability. In that garden it was a weed pulled up by the barrow-load. I
cannot get it to take in this garden even though I have much experience
of growing it. I will continue to try because sometimes it can change
its mind and have a good year. Once you have it, it is yours for life
--
Sue Begg
Remove my clothes to reply

Do not mess in the affairs of dragons - for
you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

In message , Sue Begg
writes
The garden where I worked in Yorkshire specialised in Tropaeolum
speciosum and mecanopsis selling them to garden centres throughout the
country and it very much seems to be pot luck. Different parts of the
same garden with seemingly identical conditions can vary in its
viability. In that garden it was a weed pulled up by the barrow-load. I
cannot get it to take in this garden even though I have much experience
of growing it. I will continue to try because sometimes it can change
its mind and have a good year. Once you have it, it is yours for life


I have always wanted to get it, but somehow never seemed to get around
to it. Would it be ok to plant now?

--
Klara, Gatwick basin

In message , Klara
writes
In message , Sue Begg
writes
The garden where I worked in Yorkshire specialised in Tropaeolum
speciosum and mecanopsis selling them to garden centres throughout the
country and it very much seems to be pot luck. Different parts of the
same garden with seemingly identical conditions can vary in its
viability. In that garden it was a weed pulled up by the barrow-load.
I cannot get it to take in this garden even though I have much
experience of growing it. I will continue to try because sometimes it
can change its mind and have a good year. Once you have it, it is yours for life


I have always wanted to get it, but somehow never seemed to get around
to it. Would it be ok to plant now?

Yes it will be fine.
Buyers like to see plants in full (or certainly big) growth, so most of
ours didn't go to the garden centres until late spring.
I'll cross my fingers for you
--
Sue Begg
Remove my clothes to reply

Do not mess in the affairs of dragons - for
you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

On Thu, 02 Jun 2005 10:10:49 GMT bigboard
wrote in :

Evening all,

I've moved into a house that's got a nice, neat, well maintained
conifer hedge at the front of the garden (approx 6ft high). Now I
gather that the area underneath these trees is usually a no go area
for other plants, but is there anything I can plant under them that
will grow up through and provide such much needed colour and flowers?

Thanks,
Crag



Thanks for all the replies, there's plenty to be going on with there -
it's a leylandii hedge by the way.

Just been looking around and thought I might also have a go with the
Passiflora caerulea - reckon I could get away with it on clay soil?

Thanks,
Crag


--

In article ,
Crag gansburg-dot-01-at-zen-dot-co-dot-uk wrote:

Thanks for all the replies, there's plenty to be going on with there -
it's a leylandii hedge by the way.

Gug. I do NOT advise mixing anything that climbs with that, as the
frequent clipping needed for leylandii will prevent any climber from
flowering. Stick to ground cover and similar.

Just been looking around and thought I might also have a go with the
Passiflora caerulea - reckon I could get away with it on clay soil?

Under a leylandii hedge, maybe - but see above.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

The message
from Crag gansburg-dot-01-at-zen-dot-co-dot-uk contains these words:

I've moved into a house that's got a nice, neat, well maintained conifer
hedge at the front of the garden (approx 6ft high). Now I gather that the
area underneath these trees is usually a no go area for other plants, but
is there anything I can plant under them that will grow up through and
provide such much needed colour and flowers?

Wisteria.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

On Fri, 3 Jun 2005 00:17:56 +0100, Jaques d'Alltrades
wrote:

The message
from Crag gansburg-dot-01-at-zen-dot-co-dot-uk contains these words:

I've moved into a house that's got a nice, neat, well maintained conifer
hedge at the front of the garden (approx 6ft high). Now I gather that the
area underneath these trees is usually a no go area for other plants, but
is there anything I can plant under them that will grow up through and
provide such much needed colour and flowers?

Wisteria.

NO! The OP says he has a "Neat, well maintained hedge". Any plant
growing through it needs to allow the hedge to be trimmed, and needs
to die back in winter.
Tropaeolum will not do on his clay soil. How about nasturtiums which
can be pulled out in autumn, though he might have a bit of a mess if
they get frosted.
Morning glory would do also.

Pam in Bristol

On Fri, 03 Jun 2005 13:03:56 GMT, Pam Moore
wrote:

Tropaeolum will not do on his clay soil. How about nasturtiums

Yes, OK, I know! Same family! I refer to t. speciosum!

Pam in Bristol