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Author Topic: Planting close to hedge?  (Read 11660 times)

HesterF

  • Joined Jul 2012
  • Kent
  • HesterF
Planting close to hedge?
« on: November 03, 2013, 08:42:33 pm »
I've finally got around to sorting out some of our more formal garden area. We have one part that is a big enclosed lawn surrounded by wall and big hedges (10ft plus). There are beds already established all the way around and planted up with roses, lavender and other bits and pieces. But most of the beds are narrow and those parts close to the hedges need filling in a bit. So can you make some suggestions about what I can plant within a couple of feet of a hedge base? There are three types of hedge involved - one side privet, one a huge beech hedge and the third a leylandii. The narrowest bed is at the base of the beech hedge and at the moment that is full of elephant ears which I hate but I don't want to take them out unless I can come up with something else that'll work. Sun wise they all get plenty. Thanks!

shygirl

  • Joined May 2013
Re: Planting close to hedge?
« Reply #1 on: November 03, 2013, 09:22:15 pm »
We have a veg patch with a tall hedge on all sides. Try and work out where you have sunlight and shade. Lack of light really effects the growth rate.

HesterF

  • Joined Jul 2012
  • Kent
  • HesterF
Re: Planting close to hedge?
« Reply #2 on: November 03, 2013, 10:20:25 pm »
They're OK for sun - the beech hedge border is South facing, the privet hedge border is East facing and the leylandii border is West facing and it's a big area so the east and west facing borders get plenty of sunshine except either early morning or late evening. I don't think it's shade as much as dryness because it's so close to the hedge.

shygirl

  • Joined May 2013
Re: Planting close to hedge?
« Reply #3 on: November 04, 2013, 05:22:36 pm »
The roots might be a problem, have you tried digging yet?
Our veg patch has a hedge all round. Fruit and Apple trees on the sunny side, veg in the middle. We had fruit bushes but they were on the shade side and didn't thrive. We do have a few tree roots even in the centre veg patch.

HesterF

  • Joined Jul 2012
  • Kent
  • HesterF
Re: Planting close to hedge?
« Reply #4 on: November 04, 2013, 10:44:44 pm »
Only been digging to weed which has been fine down the first few cm. I imagine the beech roots will be worst - very big, thick hedge.

cloddopper

  • Joined Jun 2013
  • South Wales .Carmarthenshire. SA18
Re: Planting close to hedge?
« Reply #5 on: November 06, 2013, 11:15:31 pm »
The privet & Leylandi might have robbed the soil of any worthwhile nutrients a couple of feet either side of it.
Like has been said beech roots are a surface nutrient thief of anything useful for the whole diameter of the tree and a bit beyond either side of a beech hedge ?
 
 Perhaps even consider to use a mini digger and drop in a three foot deepby one foot wide trench along the hedge line to break the roots then refill the trench , renovate & manure the beds well to kill off the feeders 7 make the beds workable.

 Are you able to consider having a 4 foot wide slab or grass path by the hedges and moving the beds over .
This will not only help you wrt soil quality & light it will also allow you to trim the hedges and have an all way round access to the beds . 
 I have 3 foot wide paths made of  3 inches thick concrete  all round my fence boundary.. It stopped the neighbours weeds coming in and also helped stop roots invading  for all the paths are laid over a 3 feet deep by 3 foot wide bed  of compacted concrete rubble or two inch crushed stone.

 You didn't say if you own all the hedges , so I though you & a few others might find this useful .

In England & Wales
 Don't worry about the neighbours .  The law is on your side so long as you do things correctly .

As your neighbours didn't worry when they decided to say stuff you and let their trees & hedges cause you a problem . Legally you're entitled to cut any branches or sever roots on your side of the boundary so long as you do not cause a dangerous situation to develop /happen ( i.e. make the tree unsafe and likely to fall over onto things or people ) if they are unwilling to do anything about it .   Cutting things back to the fence line ( do make sure you define it correctly ) and return the cut bits back onto their property in case they try to get you done for theft of things or offer them and see if they will allow you to dispose of them yourself  .

My neighbour on one side grudgingly allowed me to cut & dispose of 12 foot of Leyandi branches growing on my side for 40 feet of my boundary line . I chipped it and used the chips as a drainage medium in a three foot deep trench .

 The " neighbours " on the other side said I could not cut their rambling rose that was all over my adjoined garage and free standing shed.
So I waited till they went on holiday,  cut it back then placed the bags of chippings on their door step with a copy of the county & DEFRA  rules about hedges in a clear poly bag securely taped to the bag touching their door..
 They took the hint, have  never spoken to me again and got someone to cut their climbing rose down & dig it out.

If it's not your trees but a neighbours trees etc & it comes too close to your buildings you can also ask them to remove them at their cost as they are likely to affect your foundations .

 I think there is also a legal requirement that can be enforced as to the height of a Leylandi or other type of boundary hedge ( possibly no more than 3 mtrs high on the owners side )
 Your local authority online is the place to look for the up to date details. Possibly under the titles of nusiances and neighbour problems
« Last Edit: November 06, 2013, 11:24:06 pm by cloddopper »
Strong belief , triggers the mind to find the way ... Dyslexia just makes it that bit more amusing & interesting

HesterF

  • Joined Jul 2012
  • Kent
  • HesterF
Re: Planting close to hedge?
« Reply #6 on: November 14, 2013, 09:42:49 pm »
Thanks for the detail Cloddopper - all too complex for me (not to understand, to do!). The hedges are all within our land and no neighbours within sight so that's no problem. But the borders are edged with concreted brick work so quite some effort to move and they're not wide enough to have a walkway down the back or even to bother digging trenches. The beech hedge in particular is a beautiful thing in its own right - probably ten foot deep and trained with a walkway through the middle where the trees either side have been melded into a tunnel over the top. So I'm not going to risk that for the sake of growing a greater variety of plants in the border. I was really just wondering whether there were other plants that could cope with the dryer soil - we've got a couple of peonies, lots of roses and lavender as well as the dreaded elephant ears so it's not dead, I just wondered what else would cope with it.

H

shygirl

  • Joined May 2013
Re: Planting close to hedge?
« Reply #7 on: November 14, 2013, 10:13:40 pm »
raised beds then? they can look nice if done right.

Orinoco

  • Joined Dec 2012
Re: Planting close to hedge?
« Reply #8 on: November 14, 2013, 11:20:25 pm »
http://www.barlownurseries.co.uk/hedgebottoms/

The attached link is a nurseries list of suitable plants, my addition would be can you irrigate to negate the dry problem

http://porouspipe.co.uk/

The above link is to one site i found for porous pipes something i have not tried but thinking of.

None of the sites are recommended as i have no first hand experience just ideas

K

 

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