Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Best hedge for an allotment boundary?

Collapse

X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Best hedge for an allotment boundary?

    Hi all,

    I'd like to plant a hedge between my plot and the main site path that runs past it. Currently it's just a grassy 'hump' with a few brambles and raspberries, but I'd like to create a denser boundary that will provide me with some privacy all year round. Also, it would create more of a sun trap on summer evenings, and might help to 'soak up' some of the excess water that builds up, as my plot is at the bottom of a hill. It would also provide a nice habitat for birds and insects.

    So my question is, what would be the best plant(s) to create the hedge? I want something that doesn't get too large to control (I'd probably keep it at about 5'), can tolerate wet conditions, would provide food/habitat for bees and birds, and possibly, could provide food for me (balckthorn maybe?).

    Any experienced gardeners out there have any ideas/advice? I've been growing food for a few years now, but have no idea about shrubs, trees etc.

    Thanks!
    He-Pep!

  • #2
    Not sure if you want to spend much cash Bario but this may give you some ideas, it doesn't sound a bad deal:


    https://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/edible-hedging
    sigpic“Gorillas are very intelligent, but they don't have to be as delicate as chimps -- they can just smash open the termite nest,”
    --------------------------------------------------------------------
    Official Member Of The Nutters Club - Rwanda Branch.
    -------------------------------------------------------------------
    Sent from my ZX Spectrum with no predictive text..........
    -----------------------------------------------------------
    KOYS - King Of Yellow Stickers..............

    Comment


    • #3
      Thanks for the link, BM - I think that pack might create a bigger hedge than I need though, i want something quite compact, and only about 5 metres long. That website states that "a productive edible hedge will never be a tidy, formal looking thing: it needs to be allowed to grow in order to produce a nice harvest." I don't think the council will approve if I plant a sprawling jungle next to the main allotment path!
      He-Pep!

      Comment


      • #4
        Can't recommend anything specific I'm afraid, but maybe consider that thornless trimmings are easier to dispose of (compost) and also Blackthorn spreads like billy-o via tough root suckers that pop up yards away from the parent plant.
        Location ... Nottingham

        Comment


        • #5
          What about a row of fruit bushes - like blackcurrants or jostaberries? If you don't prune them they soon form a dense "hedge". Easy to strike from cuttings too and in keeping with an allotment setting.

          Comment


          • #6
            Gooseberries can be grown as a hedge. They can be kept trimmed to hedge shape and you will get some fruit. Also good and prickly to keep peeps out and if grown from cuttings can cost nothing
            Gardening requires a lot of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. Lou Erickson, critic and poet

            Comment


            • #7
              If you are looking for something around 5' tall, I would consider raspberries & you would most likely be able to pick them up for nowt if you asked around the site.
              sigpic“Gorillas are very intelligent, but they don't have to be as delicate as chimps -- they can just smash open the termite nest,”
              --------------------------------------------------------------------
              Official Member Of The Nutters Club - Rwanda Branch.
              -------------------------------------------------------------------
              Sent from my ZX Spectrum with no predictive text..........
              -----------------------------------------------------------
              KOYS - King Of Yellow Stickers..............

              Comment


              • #8
                Some good thoughts, thanks everyone! I know i should go down the edible route as it's an allotment and all, but i can't help imagining the difference a nice tall 'traditional' hedge would make in terms of privacy and creating a sun trap... I could even espalier a couple of apple and pear trees along the plot side.
                He-Pep!

                Comment

                Latest Topics

                Collapse

                Recent Blog Posts

                Collapse
                Working...
                X