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Clematis suggestion for weaving in with English Laurel hedge?

17 years ago

I have a 15-foot high hedge of English Laurel as a border along my driveway and neighbor's yard. I would love to break up the greenery with an added flowering vine, preferably a longer cleamatis that is vining. It would get a lot of sun most of the day and then some shade late in the day. Of course, I would want it to be as long of a bloom as possible. Colorwise, I definitely like pinks, purples, and blues. A varigated pink migh be very striking against the dark green English Laurel leaves. Any suggestions for me?

Thanks so much. I am becoming a nuisance on this forum, but hopefully you preceive this new-found enthusiam.

Sincerely,

Linda

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Comments (6)

linda_softball
Original Author
17 years ago
By the way, I'm in zone 7.
flowerfan2
17 years ago
I grow alot of type 3 clematis on a cedar hedge. I like to use the type 3 because I can remove all the dead vines in the fall and the hedge looks neat and tidy all winter. You could use several varieties of clematis that bloom at different times to give you flowers on the hedge all summer long. My earliest type 3 vine to bloom is Hagley hybrid(pink). It blooms in May-June for me. Perle de Azure(blue) and most of the viticellas bloom July and August. Some of the species varities like sweet autumn clematis(white) bloom in September. By using different varieties you can have clematis flowers in bloom spring through fall. There are hundreds of varieties to choose from.

When I planted my clematis I sunk 5 gallon buckets with the bottoms removed into the soil and planted my clematis in those. This kept the hedges dense root system away from the clematis roots so they could get established. When you water and fertilize the clematis you know they are getting the nutrients and water instead of the hedge. They have really grown well as they don't have to compete with the hedges root system. Karen
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Are there any established plantings of laurel in your area? That should give you an indication of how well it might work. It can get desiccation/winter burn in colder areas so even if you do confirm that laurels work in your area, I'd not be inclined to plant until spring. Laurels DO seem to be a pretty good choice for your needs as far as growth rate and spread is concerned. They are used frequently here for privacy hedging (maybe to excess) but they will certainly get far larger than 10'. Have you considered any conifers? 'Green Giant' arborvitae will give you the spread you need but again, won't stop at 10'. Can be sheared into a hedge form, however. And as Ken notes, a mixed planting of both conifers and broadleaved evergreens (maybe mix in a few deciduous shrubs as well) can be equally effective and avoid any monoculture issues. Depends on how groomed you want the hedge to be.
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Our kids' dogs occasionally chew on the acorns that blanket our neighborhood and contain toxic gallotannins (yes, oaks are on the poisonous plant list). Various parts of our dwarf peach trees, Texas mountain laurel, groundsel, asclepias, baptisia, and I'm sure others we are not even aware of are also toxic to varying degrees. Pets rarely consume enough (if any at all) to make them sick, but is good to be aware should they ever show symptoms... and to educate kids. With awareness, don't know that oleander would be significantly more dangerous than these others, but does merit some special consideration as "probably the most toxic plant in Texas" (AgriLIFE). TAMU Extension maintains a good list of toxic plants for the livestock folks on Plants of Texas Rangelands.
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linda_softball
Original Author
17 years ago
Karen, you're a peach. Thanks for your advice.

Linda
buyorsell888
17 years ago
Venosa violacea is a purple and white variegated type 3 that I have seen growing on a laurel hedge. It was stunning!
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
17 years ago
I'd recommend planting it a distance away and then training it towards and through the hedge. An established laurel hedge has a significant root system that makes amending the soil and planting anything very close to the hedge difficult. And you will need to be very alert to watering needs - those laurel roots will suck up the moisture rather greedily.
buyorsell888
17 years ago
I think Flowerfan's idea of sinking 5 gallon buckets to create a safe root zone for the Clems is a really good idea!

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