Personally, I think a mixed shrub border is great but, you may be shading your veggie garden more than it will like when the shrubs mature. Just a thought.

I've allowed enough space that shade shouldn't be a problem.

Personally, I think it can work with variations on a theme. Different rose cultivars with similar growth habits, mixed common lilac varieties, mixed blueberry varieties, that sort of thing. There isn't enough room for this to be anything else but a line of shrubs, so mixing them up is just going to look mixed up.

Shrub borders work because there is enough room for several layers of different kinds of shrubs. To do that, though, requires a lot more room, more room than most people are even willing to consider for a barrier.

And for a vegetable garden, I'd given serious thought to a real (or in our case not all that real) fence.

How long is the border?

Chris

For photos try putting "mixed border" in as your search words. Some shrubs would get too large for 6 - 8 foot width. Don't trust the plant tags for mature size on shrubs. By "hedge" do you mean you intend to shear it on sides and top or just let it grow naturally?
The link below will have mixed shrubs and perennials.

Here is a link that might be useful: Google

My vegetable garden is actually going to be a circular potager. I want to enclose it. The "shrub" hedge would be the circumference, which would probably be close to 200 feet. Two paths bisect it into 4 hedges. I did not want to shear them, but let them grow naturally.

Christie, I like the "mixed border" photos, they are perfect for a garden, but would not provide the enclosure I'm looking for in a potager.

Mad Gallica, you've sort of confirmed my fears that it would look "mixed up". Perhaps if I took each quarter section and tried to stay with one "style" in each stretch it might work?? I really like the idea of various mixed shrubs, just not sure how to pull it off. For some reason I don't like the idea of a fence, can't really explain it. If after a couple of years I have a terrible time with the animals I'm sure I will consider it then.

Here is a "before picture" of my circular potager. You can see it needs enclosure of some kind. The outer pink flags are imaginary shrubs.

{{gwi:253423}}

Appreciate any input. Thanks.

I saw a very cool hedge of red leafed barberries, trimmed rather square, punctuated with forsythias, which were allowed to grow taller than the barberries. Fascinating play of shapes and colours.

I think you could create something quite lovely if you kept "rhythm" in mind. Choose some shrub that has a good year round presence -maybe yew - and space it regularly around the border. Fill in the spaces with others that will contrast nicely with their neighbours - variegated weigela next to the yews would be stunning - again using them often enough to create some unity, but randomly enough to keep some whimsy.

Thanks JanetR, that was very useful advice. I could use evergreens to set up the rhythm, then use various shrubs of a similar type in between them, planted in some pattern.

I think I'll spend the summer thinking about it, and transplant shrubs in the fall.

To me, the word potager conjures formality; mixed shrub border doesn't. I love the look of a somewhat unclipped boxwood hedge around a potager, although I know that's not the look you're going for here. The circular shape of your garden also suggests formality, if you choose shrubs carefully you can use a mix and compliment that instead of working against it.

As a compromise, I'd stay with more formally-shaped shrubs, not wigela and forsythia, which have a loose, billowy, open structure. And, instead of having each section in a particular style, I'd go for something more symmetrical, like matched box at each corner where a path intersects the circle (so, a box on either side as you enter, and a pair straight ahead) and maybe 4 matching lilacs, one at the center of each arc, with each lilac flanked by pairs of ... daphne, or something similarly muffinish (miniature viburnum?)

It looks like it's ging to be a great veggie garden, I love the shape, and think you're on the right track. Excellent move making the path down the center line up with the back door - either you have been reading Gordon Hayward or you just have a natural sense of good design.

You might spend some time this summer looking at different bushes and shrubs to get ideas. Read labels, look at plantings you like, see if you can tell what plants are. Perhaps smaller, upright style bushes would mix for better hedge than some of the larger ones. Smaller to medium sizes, with a larger plant or small tree on corners for anchor, could be attractive. Fruit or dwarf corner trees flower and could provide snacks during summer!

I look at lilacs, forsythia, larger bushes as more a windbreak, good sized hedge. They need some attention to shape well, get good flowering. Kind of too big for my vegtables, they would shade it out.

Lesser bushes, trimmed a bit now and then, could be very attractive. Bridalwreath Spirea with white flowers, has flowing branches, shrub rosebushes, Althea, Fothergilla, Viburnums, Hydrangeas, Elderberry, Blueberry come to mind for semi-medium sizes 4-7ft. Dwarf Fothergilla, Japanese Spirea, Beautyberry, Sweetspire, Potentilla in colors, Duetzia, Fairy roses (thorny but bloom most of the summer!) could be among the small shrub/bushes used for smaller edging, under 4ft. These are just group bush names, with many varieties to choose from. Lots of flowers at different seasonal times, texture from leaf shapes. Great fall color, lots of bird berries if you like birds. There are many other bushes in those sizes, both open shaped, upright, full or flowing branch shapes.

The evergreens could be corners or planted at each path, both sides, to aid in tying hedges together. I like evergreens, just want something more than a green spot. I probably would not want a solid wall of only green for my hedge. The yellow tipped Cypress, all sizes, are colorful year-round.

A third idea might be to check into grasses. You could do a tall outside layer, with shorter descending grass layers to the vegtables. It could be very visual, colorful,but maybe not as fully screening as bushes. Grasses would need shearing every spring, weed whacker works well. Grass is tough, has a flowing look, moving in wind. Plants seem to stay put, clump pretty well, not spreading out of control.

I don't know what kind of animals you might need to deal with. Grass won't stop much. Bushes probably won't do much to stop larger animals either or dogs. If deer are a problem, you may have to net bushes, some people say that helps. Yews are poison for horses, not sure about cattle, sheep or goats.

Early fall is a good time to plant, often can find plants on sale. Take some pictures of project for us when you decide on the final plan. Sounds like fun!

Thanks Goodhors and diggingthedirt. That was thoughtful advise. I like the idea of using evergreens to flank the path entrances. That would give it some shape and color in the winter as well. And I think you're right about not giving each section its own style, but rather something more symmetrical.

Goodhors thanks for the shrubs list. You're right, I should stay away from the VERY large shrubs like lilacs, or at least limit them. I only have a few ornamental grasses, but may get some more. They could be an interesting contrast among the shrubs, give it some spice.

I appreciate the suggestions, you've given me some great ideas for how to arrange the shrubs.