Looking for a shrub for a 5+ft hedge
Comments (12)
8 years ago- 8 years ago
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looking for evergreen hedging shrubs for dappled shade
Comments (2)Bareness under groupings of tulip poplars is usual. Being magnolia relations they likewise probably won't be wild about planting holes being dug out of their root mats. How much maneuvering room do you have? To a large extend the best quality hedges are still yew, holly and box. Yew is of course poisonous to anything that might eat the seeds. You could get around this by planting a known male clone. Yew also must have excellent drainage, so does box. You may find more tolerance to clay-like soil among the great many different kinds of holly. Never use soil conditioners as in bark, compost, peat or sand when planting long-lived plants with large root systems such as shrubs and trees. Always refill the planting holes with the same soil that came out of them, without modification....See MoreLooking for shrubs for a hedge
Comments (1)Height is a very important factor. Don't you have any idea the approximate height you want? Some shrubs are genetically programmed to be 20 feet tall, and others 2 feet tall. If you plant, for instance, a Nelly R. Stevens holly, and try to keep it at 4 feet, eventually you are going to have vertical branches the size of a small tree. No shrub will be easy to shape after several years' growth if its natural height is much taller than what you want....See MoreShrubs for formal looking Hedge question
Comments (25)Vcreed - I wouldn't suggest forsythia of any kind for a formal hedge as its growth pattern is informal, even F. Sunrise which is supposed to get to 6' x 6', a bit smaller than many. Forsythia is a plant that looks pretty awful when pruned IMO, particularly since it doesn't grow back evenly and ends up with holes and awkward branches. If you can find a variety than stays small enough to not need pruning and you don't mind leaving it to its natural growth pattern instead of making it boxy, it would be a good choice for a hedge. Most of the varieties I could find are either a bit tall (5'-6') or a bit small (2'-3') for your wishes. Heed the warnings about yew and deer. Nothing is nastier looking than a totally defoliated shrub with all the small twigs also gone. I live in a rural area and there are a fair number of deer, but the only plants they have ever bothered really are yew (completely bare and only larger branches almost all of the time) and toad lily. If you have any real deer problem, this won't be a hedge at all, and having to replace that many shrubs would be expensive. Otto Luykens isn't hardy for me so I can't comment. I'll add to the folks who like Fotherilla. I have Mount Airy in a variety of places around my property. Healthy leaves, interesting flowers before the leaves with nice mild honey scent, moderate growth rate for me, and stunning autumn color. It doesn't mind clay subsoil or sandy soil (I have it planted in both.) Mine were planted as 8" cuttings and now (6 years later) are in the range of 3' tall and wide. If planted larger, they'd make a nice hedge by now. In one spot they get snow shoveled onto them from the path by the back door and they do just fine. Look into dwarf red twig dogwoods if you want winter interest. Arctic Sun (Cornus sanquinea 'Cato' ppaf')and Arctic Fire (Cornus stolonifera 'Farrow' ppaf) both get to about 4'. AS has gold shading to red orange towards the tips in winter and AF has red twigs. They both have a low-key green appearance during the spring and summer, but AS has nice bright yellow fall color as well. Flowers are white, but pretty unobtrusive. Periodic pruning of some of the stems to the ground will keep the winter stem color bright, but isn't required to maintain your view. In some areas shrub dogwoods may have disease issues but not everywhere, so check with a local folks who would know if this is a problem in your area....See MoreNative Florida bird butterfly shrubs for mixed shrub/hedge
Comments (3)Wax myrtle and Yaupon Holly are the first ones that come to mind. If its not too dry, Osmanthus Americanus (Devilwood) may work too. Carolina Cherry Laurel and Yellow Anise are good privacy shrubs too, but im not sure if they'd be poisonous to your dog....See More- 8 years ago
- 8 years ago
Here's an older picture. All that land between the house and that mess of vines to the right of the yellow sign is my property. I'm trying to plant a row of shrubs between those two points. I just had some of the trees in the background taken down, but the ones on the right are still there to block some sun in the morning. When the sun is going down in the afternoon my house will block some sun too.
- 8 years ago
- 8 years ago
- 8 years ago
- 8 years ago
Thanks again to all who responded. I ordered 3 Eastern Ninebark plants and 3 Bottlebrush buckeye plants. I'll put the Bottlebrush Buckeye in the area between that telephone pole and yellow sign because that plant can tolerate shade, and get really huge and spread. It would be better off not too close to the house. I'll start my shrub border starting from the pole toward the house with the Ninebarks.
Here are a couple pictures for perspective.
Its 47' from that bilco door to the wire holding the pole. I plan to plant the 3 Ninebarks 6' apart, then I have another 29' to fill in (47'-(3x6')). I might get 3 more Ninebark cultivars with a darker foliage and 2-3 other plants (Clethra alnifolia maybe) and call it a day. - 8 years ago
I have a couple more questions now about spacing and planting this shrub border. Here are the selections I ordered, I got three of each, with the corresponding widths from their descriptions:
Physocarpus opulifolius: 6-10ft wide
Clethra alnifolia: 6-8ft wide
Viburnum nudum: 5-6ft wide
I plan to space the ninebark 6ft apart, and the rest of them 5ft apart, with the nine bark on the right, then the summersweet in the middle, and the viburnum on the left. I could probably plant the viburnum a little closer, like 4-1/2ft' apart.
Should I plant them in a straight line (top) or staggered (bottom)? The staggered rows are 3ft apart as shown.
I also have another question, I noticed I'm not getting much sun in the morning in the location I have chosen, and all the plants I ordered are very small (bare root or 4" pots). Should I raise them in a sunnier spot in larger containers (3 gallon) for the season, and then plant them in the fall when they are bigger? Will they grow faster in the ground despite the shade?
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