Growing a fence

**basketcase** · 13-05-2009, 12:24 PM

Rosa Canina or Rugosa (sp?), hawthorn? They all grow reasonably tall and have thorns. I believe Sea Buckthorn's vicious too but you need male and female. They're all edible too - except the male Sea Buckthorn IIRC.

That's about it from me. Not really qualified to be an ideas person yet.

**BumbleB** · 13-05-2009, 12:27 PM

Honeysuckle? evergreen, long flowering period, bees love, good screen

**tamsin** · 13-05-2009, 12:35 PM

Big flowering shrubs with climbers through would probably give you the dense screen with most flowers/longest season.

eg Pyracantha is evergreen, prickly and self supporting. It can be pruned wide and slim along a fence. It would be handy for supporting something like honey suckle with lots of flowers on. Clematis armandii is often recommended for screens. A winter jasmine would give you early flowers. A climbing rose would cover prickly & flowers. Buddleia has loads of flowers and ours reaches about 8'. You do need to prune the flower spikes off in the autumn.

**Sweepster** · 13-05-2009, 01:06 PM

I've got one of these, highly recommended:

David Austin Roses

Also pyracantha, has flowers and berries, and absolutely lethal thorns.

**julesapple** · 13-05-2009, 05:26 PM

Canary creeper

It's an annual but seeds itself every year. I've grown it in my garden which is unrelenting sticky clay very successfully. Grows like the clappers!

Mine always attracted loads of bees and has reached heights of 12ft or more. It might make a good temporary screen whilst slower growing perennials are becoming established

It's part of the nasturtiam family.

Jules

**BFG** · 15-05-2009, 07:53 AM

Berberis. Evergreen, thorny and with edible berries!

I'd be thinking edible/useful, but the bees seem to love Laurel.

**coreopsis** · 15-05-2009, 07:01 PM

I'd go for Rosa Canina(dog rose).It's low maintenance,VERY thorny,flowers are very fragrant and rose hips are decorative too.

**BFG** · 16-05-2009, 12:27 PM

Rosehips are edible too! Full of vitamin C. People were encouraged to go out and collect them from the countryside during WW2, as imported fruit stopped.

Rugosa is apparently the least fiddly to eat:-

Rosa rugosa - Plants For A Future database report

THE PFAF site/book is brill. Have a browse for more idea for useful plants for your hedge.

**Spiderling** · 17-05-2009, 09:37 PM

I like Pyracantha too. The flowers in spring are pretty and the berries in autumn are spectacular...good for the birds too. You could also grow the hardy Passion flower. I have this around the back of our fruit cage ( to mask the next-door plots' "tip" area.) and it grows very quickly. I would call it rampant!! The flowers are beautiful and the bees love it. The fruits are good to look at too but not good to eat, I'm told. Cheers.

**BumbleB** · 22-05-2009, 08:28 AM

Someone in our street has a red leaved hedge that has pink blossom in spring. I dont know what it is and I keep trying to pluck the courage to ask for any prunings to try to take a cutting. It really is a neat screen like a privet but a wonderful red all year round.
Anyone any ideas what it might be?

**Madasafish** · 22-05-2009, 08:30 AM

We have heavy clay. Hawthorn mixed with beech, pyracantha and holly is a nice mix...we ahve all of them..

**Tam** · 22-05-2009, 08:41 AM

Cotoneaster is perfect for what you want - it grows quickly, the bees go crazy when the little flowers come out and the birds love the berries.. It is also one of the easiest hedges to keep looking really neat.

**geoff** · 22-05-2009, 06:07 PM

I know even less about flowers than I do about vegetables, but I think roses would be nice
I have seen a couple of rosemary hedges, and they look good, too. I'm trying to grow one at the far end of my allotment at the moment

**crichmond** · 22-05-2009, 06:50 PM

What about Blackthorn not only do the bees like it, it also produces sloe's and is good on clay soils.

I have just planted a blackthorn hedge the full length of my allotment.

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