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My Driveway Hedge

12 years ago

There are 6 Lavender Simplicities and two Burgundy Icebergs.

{{gwi:260288}}

Love the color combination

View from my drive way

View from neighbor's front yard

Width of the hedge

Just for the ref. This is a picture of it taken on 2008, second year it was planted.

FJ

Featured Answer

Ann9BNCalif

6 years ago

I planted a few bare root Fragrant Lavender Simplicity roses in February and they now average about 3ft tall. I wasn't trying to grow a hedge, just wanted a rose that would blend with my pink/mauve hydrangeas.

Here's FLS in early May in front of my 4ft high hydrangea shrub. My FLSs are partly sheltered by a small tree; they get strong morning sun, and partial shade in the afternoon.

Now about three feet tall and after 100 degree temps, FLS seems to handle sun well but also tolerates shade too.

FLS is one of the narrowest roses I have so it may require quite a few plants to achieve the density you need or it may take awhile. It is fragrant but the flowers don't last long. The stamens attract bees but so far it hasn't been an issue for us even though FLS is planted next to the walkway to our front door.

Good luck!

Ann

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Comments (22)

northtexasdude
12 years ago
WOW! Lavender Simplicity looks great! How do you feel about the fragrance/re-bloom?
wanttogarden
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks,Dude:

They bloom in flushes, 4-5 times with the same intensity. Smell like heaven when we walk up the driveway; sweet and fruity.
FJ
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This is more in the nature of plant selection rather than design. A 4' width will not accommodate many shrubs of any height without routine or frequent pruning to maintain a hedged shape or compact width. Are you up for that sort of ongoing maintenance? I'd assume not if the Leylands grew too wide, as they are often hedged to form a solid green wall far narrower and shorter than they are naturally inclined to grow. Other plants that can be used in this manner (routine pruning to maintain desired height and width) are cherry laurel, Portuguese laurel, Irish yews, Myrica (barberry), camellias and some forms of osmanthus. It is the growth habit of most shrubs to grow wider than tall, although some with columnar forms or narrower growth habits are available, but not all are ameanable to a part shade location. I could suggest a number that would work well in my zone and location, but regional issues of climate and invasive attributes should prevail. A visit to a good local garden center or full service retail nursery should provide suggestions that would work best for your specific area. A few ideas that you could explore in more detail are arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd' or 'DeGroots Spire'), Euonymus japonicus 'Green Spire', Ilex crenata 'Sky Pencil','Graham Blandy' boxwood, Enkianthus campanulatus and Nandina domestica (be aware of possible invasiveness of this in your area) and species of clumping bamboo.
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Hi. I have a narrow( 2 ft) spot along a fence-12 feet long which is on the north side of my driveway. Bougainvillia from the neighbour shades 1/2 of it a bit so I would say partial sun only.I am thinking spanish lavender for a simple hedge. Is there a better way to go?
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Hi Sophia I'm in Sydney too, but I'm afraid I can't come up with anything with your criteria. I will say that I've had no luck at all with David Austins - they all defoliated for me - tried around half a dozen, including Redoute, which is supposed to be a more disease resistant one. I am on the coast though, so perhaps more humid than where you are. I have grown Pink Gruss an Aachen (sold here usually as Irene Watts). I love the blooms, but recently pulled it out as it was so disease ridden. It didn't get a lot of sun though, so that wouldn't have helped it. The only rose that I can think of is Jean Ducher (correctly known as G Nabonnand, but sold her as JD usually). It's almost thornless, but grows to 1.5 to 2 metres. It does well for me, and flowers most of the year. Trish
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hosenemesis
12 years ago
Whew. What a lovely thing you have created!
dublinbay z6 (KS)
12 years ago
A whole hedge of lavender roses! Wow! I've never seen anything like it before. And here I thought those Simplicity type roses were some kind of sales gimmick. Shows what I know!

Lovely, really, really lovely!

Kate
kathy9norcal
12 years ago
Truly amazing sight! I love it.
serenasyh
12 years ago
What a fantastic color combination!
inga007
12 years ago
Lucky neighbors.
TNY78
12 years ago
That Lavender Simplicity looks VERY healthy! I love the blooms :)
ladyrose65
12 years ago
Wow! A hedge of Lavender roses! Nice...!
meredith_e Z7b, Piedmont of NC, 1000' elevation
12 years ago
You should ask J&P for advertising money :D Wow!
the_bustopher z6 MO
12 years ago
Those Lavender Simplicities sure put on a show. Thanks for the look.
zeffyrose
12 years ago
Beautiful---Do your neighbors know how lucky they are?

Florence
wanttogarden
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks everyone for the compliments. Flowers have passed their prime now but from afar, the hedge is still dressed in lavender.

Kate: I actually fell for J&P's photo shopped picture of this hedge back then. I guess their gimmick worked. Lucky me, this rose delivered.

serenasyh: Although the color combination is nice, but sometimes I wonder if I should not have planted the B. Iceberg. 1. It breaks the continuity of the lavender. 2. It looks too much like Dr. H. I can hear the rose people driving by and saying, "Nice hedge, too bad root stock is taking over!"

Meridith: I actually considered sending a picture to JP to show them they can advertise without photo shopping their pictures. But considering the state of JP, I don't thing anyone there would care less.

Florence:

The house next door was a rental for the longest time and now a young and very busy couple have bought it. The hedge was planted to divert my eyes from their unkept yard to mine. I am not sure if they enjoy them, but they never complained when I go to their yard to dead head or prune.

FJ
seil zone 6b MI
12 years ago
What an amazing sight to come home to!
jewelie6
11 years ago
That is GORGEOUS!
Jae SK
6 years ago
I know that this is a couple years old, but your rose hedge is amazing!!!

I had to cut down some unhealthy trees in my backyard and now we have no privacy :( I'm planning to plant a rose hedge like yours around our patio area. How long did it take for the roses to grow to about 5' ?
modestgoddess z6 OH
6 years ago
Such a pretty hedge
Jae SK
6 years ago
Thank you Ann! I missed out on spring shipping for roses this year bcs I was busy planting other beauties, but I hope to plant about 4 of the lavender simplicities in the fall!

Would love to see your photo if you can post here. Thanks!!
Jae SK
6 years ago
Ann, ignore the last comment about seeing photos - I see them now! Somehow they didn't load the first time around. Great job with the roses they look marvelous! Thanks for sharing the photos!
Ann9BNCalif
6 years ago
You're welcome! I bought two FLS last fall in tiny containers from J&P; not sure the size but they took a long time to grow. I would wait until they offer the own root/bare root version of FLS in December or January if you want it to grow quickly.

Ann
Jae SK
6 years ago
Thanks for the tip! I'm told fall shipping starts September so I'm gonna be watching like a hawk. Can't wait to create a beautiful hedge!

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