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Landscape Design Shrubs Design Dilemma

very narrow hedge

3 years ago

I am wanting to put a hedge between the shed and the spa. Because of the spa it needs to have no flowers or berries that can drop into the spa. I will only have 18 to 24 inches width for this hedge but would like it to go up to 7 feet. We are in zone 10.

Comments (8)

lkloes
3 years ago
That’s very narrow. Can you train something on a trellis in that space?
Patricia Smith
Original Author
3 years ago
I could do that but not sure I could get the density I would prefer. I would also like to do the same plant along a short fence on the periphery of the yard to tie it togethe.
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Comments (11)
Thanks again for very good advice. I will definitely try to be patient. I think just having any sort of greenery in there will help a lot. Now it just seems like a mass amount of wood. I think we will be okay if we plant it now, like War Eagle said. We had a nasty winter and the ground is finally thawed enough to dig. So long as we don't let them dry out back there, but in general, it is always moist and we will keep them watered generously over the summer. I have one more question - rather than extend our line of trees all the way across the back to the corner, i'm thinking of ending it at the corner of the pool, right before the waterfall that goes into the pool (which, right now, is a few two-by-fours that look like a football goal. We will eventually build a stone wall below it on that angle of the pool for visual interest.) That corner behind the waterfall is where we keep the pool's electrical box and heater. There is about a 5x5 foot space back there in that corner in front of the equipment. (see photo below). I wanted to plant something different that will contrast the Degroots Spire and be larger and grow above the waterfall. Could even be something deciduous as long as it's not messy over the summer when the pool is uncovered. We generally close our pool at the end of September before the leaves fall. Keeping in mind that back corner is moist, can you suggest something that can go back there (and that the root system won't mess with the pool's underground pipes too much? Or should i just run the Degroots all the way to the corner? Thanks again in advance! Denise
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need very thin hedge
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Comments (5)
Privet gets big too and would need to be sheared regularly to keep "thin". One possibility might be Ilex crenata "Sky Pencil" which is a japanese holly with a more upright narrow habit. This would be less formal than a row of aborvitae. Another idea may be a row of rose of sharon or even a row of bridal wreath spirea (other spireas tend to be more wide and mounding, where the bridal wreath is narrower and upright but would probably need some staking if you want to maintain the height without them flopping over too much). Or what about a sheet of decorative lattice attached between a couple wooden poles and then plant some caned shrubs (climbing roses, etc) that could be secured against it? Alternately, you could put up the lattice and on the garden side, sink some trellises along the length and grow some vines like clematises.
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Comments (8)
yeah...I understand that. I'm just trying to find something to decrease the noise level a bit. They are so loud! The air conditioning guy said that a small shrub around just two sides of each a/c unit that I have will not cause a concern. He said that most importantly, don't cover the top of the units.
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~ options for the front of my garrison colonial ~
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Comments (54)
I took a little road trip this weekend and happened to notice a fence that made me think of your post. It took some time finding what the style was called, but I think this is similar. It is not solid on the bottom, but has a second set of pickets that are so close together, nothing from the bad neighbors could blow through. And the advantage to the open pickets is a well aimed leaf blower will clear your side of the fence and will simultaneously blow their leaves away from your fence without you having to move off your property. I completely understand not wanting to access the fence or a hedge from their side. I have neighbors like that, too. Ugh! From what I can see it's called a puppy picket. I know this is taller than what you want, but this is the idea. Another example (I don't care for the top portion of this fence, but you can see the idea of the double pickets at the bottom, with more open pickets at the top). I am linking because the pic is large and I can't seem to reduce it. Here is a link that might be useful: puppy picket This post was edited by olychick on Wed, Nov 5, 14 at 11:17
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Christopher CNC
3 years ago
In Hawaii skinny hedge is made with several species of Panax or Aralia from the genus Polyscias.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
3 years ago
a pic of the situation would be worth a thousand words of speculation ...

im thinking garden curtain ... if your going to have to build a trellis structure anyway.. just make it a curtain rod ...

would you actually have room to get in there.. and maintain whatever you planted .. nothing is going to grow that thin entirely by itself.. and will need training or pruning by you to fulfill your goals ...

ken

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=hot+tub+garden+curtain+&t=ffcm&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images
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Patricia Colwell Consulting
3 years ago
Plants have a way of growing how they like not how you like and honestly how will you trim this without making a mess in the spa . Post some pics but honestly a hedge is the wrong choice from what I imagine from your post.
Sara Malone Zone 9b
3 years ago
I saw a hedge around a hot tub in Alameda (zone 9 or 10) of Podocarpus maki that they sheared. When I saw it, it was covered with cones, and really decorative. I have no idea how long one can continue to shear it - it's slow growing and has dense foliage, so perhaps for quite a while.
Patricia Smith
Original Author
3 years ago
Thank you for all of your comments. I am now thinking of a slat wall with spaces to hang plants and maybe some candles for ambiance and perhaps a shelf for drinks
Embothrium
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
You'll probably like that better - all plants drop spent parts, having to find something that never flowered or fruited at all could be pretty limiting and as mentioned shearing a formal hedge would generate a lot of falling bits each time it was done (you'd definitely have to have a lid you could put over the spa each time).

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