I want the "natural" unclipped look. Will my choices do regarding sun, birds and clipping?

==>> i dont understand.. you either want them clipped or natural ... though most shrubs will need rejuvenation pruning.. over the years ....

why did the prior hedge fail???

are you sure its dead.. and not just brown from salt spray???

how wide is the spot??

shade is impossible to define in words.. especially in regard to what will grow there.. the best i can tell you with that.. is try it and find out ...

i really like that you are diversifying your planting.. though you seem to be relying heavily on viburnum ...

more info please

ken

Replacing hedge because it got run over by cars, trucks and had huge oaks fall on them. They were mostly Rose of Sharron so no big loss. Natural hedge in regard to little or no pruning. There always seems to be a branch that grabs you as you pass by. Heavy on Viburnum because of berries for birds but I am open to suggestions. The area is about 100' and as wide as I wish. Almost forgot to add inkberry to the list.

This post was edited by whaisname on Sat, Jan 5, 13 at 8:52

Hey guys.........HELP!..........Are the plants I am thinking of good for the purpose? Any other suggestions? Hand waving frantically

The Ilex verticilata needs a male to fruit and IME will only fruit sparsely in that much shade. The Cornus should do fine, and there are varieties with variegated leaves (either white or gold along with green) and either red twigs or gold twigs for winter interest. The won't be as dense as in more sun, but should grow fine.

I can't help with the rest.

Thanks nhbabs, I am going to wait until I see how much shade and sun after the loss of the trees.

Birds eat as many bugs as they do berries, so don't think that you help them by only planting woody plants that have fruit. Branch out to support warblers and other birds that eat bugs primarily.

I assume you still have oaks around, so that will help attract tasty bugs. Here is a good chart of eastern native plants that support Lepidoptera (egg laying moths and butterflies). Birds love caterpillars.

Here is a link that might be useful: plants that support Lepidoptera

Thanks esh, I will not forget our (humm) less attractive wildlife. Thanks for the link!

As a general comment, since it seems like the amount of sun may be variable in this area that I think you've made the right choice to have a mixed hedge since growth rates will be different due to the differing conditions.

I can't thank you enough for your interest esh. The shade is the biggest problem I think I face. I looked at the melting show pattern this morning and am trying to get a handle on what goes where. I had hoped to use winterberry but think there is too much shade. I think I will go with viburnum dilatatum and amelanchier. I would love to have another one or two plants, maybe Ilex galbra and Cornus sericea/stolonifera? Any thoughts

It may or may not be relevant to your situation, but sun exposure is completely different during the growing season than it is in winter in most locations. The sun will track much further north during the growing season making things that are now shaded from the south able to receive sun from the east and west during the growing season unless there are sun blocking obstacles in those directions, too

John

I do know.....wish the best answer was not to wait and see ;0)

Also re: bugs why would the birds not eat all the ones I had to hand pick on the dogwoods (sawfly) ?
Thanks jOnd03

Also re: bugs why would the birds not eat all the ones I had to hand pick on the dogwoods (sawfly) ?

Hard to say, maybe they ate a lot but left a lot. Even birds know that they should leave some to grow up and make more in the future. ;)

Maybe there were not breeding birds nearby at the time. Why did you handpick them off the dogwoods, by the way?

The plants were covered with cats. I do mean covered. I only discovered the sawfly while I was walking my garden and noticed a bald pagoda dogwood. A closer look seemed like a monster film. I could have/should have left all alone but I panicked and picked. Hope this lessened the number for this year. Where were the birds when I needed them? Should I have done anything different?

I was just curious. I agree that most people would panic and want to do something. They do that to my Fothergilla every year; I just walk by and blow on them so that they curl into a "c" and laugh. After a while they're gone and so are most of the leaves. :)

I saw pine sawflies this year for the first time. I think I was taking pictures of things and paying more attention than usual; I'm sure they are usually there and I never notice.

Next time and there will be a next time I don't doubt I will pick the cats and place them by my feeder. ;0)