Hedges

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Hedges

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Penny Outskirts

Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 23385
Location: Planet, not on the....

Posted: Sun Aug 13, 06 2:00 pm Post subject: Hedges

We're looking to split our garden in two, one half for cultivation, one half for kiddy winks.

We're going to do post and wire, about 4ft high, quite narrow gaps between the wires, maybe 6" or less and want to grow a variety of plants up it.

Thoughts so far are a vine, some honeysuckle, and perhaps some fruits.

It's function will be as a barrier, but we also want it to be good for wildlife, potentially for bees, and to provide foodstuffs too. We just have to accept that the side where the kids are, will get hit by footballs etc, but that's not a problem, as the other side will be fine, and will be the sunniest bit anyway.

Any suggestions?

pookie

Joined: 01 Aug 2006
Posts: 4984
Location: Mid-Wales

Posted: Sun Aug 13, 06 2:05 pm Post subject:
what about a thornless blackberry? we planted one and by the 2nd year we picked over 30lbs of fruit! easy to pick without the thorns and safe for kids and footballs!

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Sun Aug 13, 06 2:51 pm Post subject:
Or hazel - amazingly useful stuff - peasticks and beansticks, which I resent buying when the hedges are full of them. These people have a whole range of hedging plants, for pennies in some cases and for good bulk discounts. They do all kinds of mixes - native, evergreen, flowering, thorny - even edible. https://www.bucknur.com/acatalog/index.html

Penny Outskirts

Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 23385
Location: Planet, not on the....

Posted: Sun Aug 13, 06 3:13 pm Post subject:

wellington womble wrote:

These people have a whole range of hedging plants, for pennies in some cases and for good bulk discounts. They do all kinds of mixes - native, evergreen, flowering, thorny - even edible.

https://www.bucknur.com/acatalog/index.html

We're lucky enough to have tons of both hazel and blackberries growing wild on the doorstep, but there are some great ideas on that link WW

Nanny

Joined: 17 Feb 2005
Posts: 4520
Location: carms in wales

Posted: Sun Aug 13, 06 4:57 pm Post subject:
i have post and wire seperating the dogs from the vegetables.... i have thornless blackberry and also grapes...........gone bananas this year.....loadsa bunches

Penny Outskirts

Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 23385
Location: Planet, not on the....

Posted: Sun Aug 13, 06 5:04 pm Post subject:
Mmm grapes - that would be good. Is there any particular variety that would do well? Fairly sunny area, not too protected yet, but will be, as the fruit trees the other side of the garden get a bit bigger.

Nanny

Joined: 17 Feb 2005
Posts: 4520
Location: carms in wales

Posted: Sun Aug 13, 06 5:29 pm Post subject:

can't rmemeber the variety - yes i can it's a thurn something, a white grape...the one next to it is a black one - a homberg i think it is.......the row faces down the garden to the southwest'ish and after a slow coupel of years, it has come on leaps and bounds

i pruned it in the early spring according to the book that i have and do little else

i know that they like well drained soil, the ones back home grow on the sides of the hills in very poor soil with lots of shale in it and little else so i tried to replicate that by digging a big hole and filling it will lots of stones before i put in the compost and the vine

seems to have worked...............

i shall certainly be thinking about having a vine when i get to wales.....

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sun Aug 13, 06 5:53 pm Post subject:

Grapes will take easily from cuttings and sometimes can be found cheaply in places like Homebase in early spring. So too can Kiwi fruit, I picked mine up for �3-4 and it's flowered every year, no fruit set though (it should have been self fertile but it must be shy). The plants can grow very strongly and can be treated like a grape, leaves turn red in Autumn and look quite nice.

If you have too many blackberries what about some of the hybid berries (Bosenberry, loganberry, Tayberry or something more exotic?), some only have a few thorns.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45674
Location: Essex

Posted: Sun Aug 13, 06 8:25 pm Post subject:
Rosa canina, rosemary, bay, espaliered apples/pears (a 4-5 yr project to get some really good shape and fruit)

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