Ficus Hedge in terrible shape
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
A friend of mine has a ficus hedge, mature, about 8-9 feet tall. It used to be full and solid, a great privacy hedge. Well now the hedge on the West side of the yard is in the picture. It is basically diving it looks like. The same think is happening to the other three sides, just not to the same degree. Anybody got any ideas? I'm in West Palm Beach.
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7 years ago
PRO7 years agoRelated Discussions
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Comments (20)We use lavender all the time for edging driveways and must have planted out a few 100 already this year - we love it and your quite right it is great for this purpose. The plants spread a good 60 - 80cm making them a lot wider than the beds in this front garden - still could work though if they are prepared to lose a fair bit of drive. As for the evergreen issue the RHS, bless em, do a great job and 'technically' - as they are bound to quote, lavender is evergreen/grey, but do present a sparse winter foliage which can look terrible if there are severe frosts - if you don't want to cut them back that is. After a couple of seasons hard pruning is recommended to stop the plants from getting woody/leggy and whilst there is debate whether before or after winter is the best time to prune, its up to the garden owner if they want to look at bare woody growth at the base/centre of the plant for the sake of a sparse spread of grey leaves through the winter. This doesn't matter so much if the lavender is part of a bigger planting composition, but on its own up against a fence our opinion is that its flowering qualities and limited foliar attributes would not warrant inclusion when other reliable evergreens such as Pittosporums 'Tom Thumb' or 'County Park' would fulfil the low evergreen role much better, leaving flowering effect to non rampant climbers such as Trachelospermum jasminoides, Rosa 'Zephrine Drouhin', and Campsis radicans with shrubs that can be trained onto fences such as Itea ilicifolia and Garrya elliptica, to quote just a few....See MoreBest plants to hide railway wall and to add kerb appeal
Comments (23)There's lots of great ideas for plants here, but I would strongly suggest you get answers to the following questions before you choose a plant/plants. - What direction does the wall face? - What sort of soil is there at the base of the wall? (Ask neighbours or post a photo of a spadeful of soil here which will probably let people identify the soil type) - Does water which falls on the tarmac run towards the wall or away from it? Walls cast a 'rain shadow' so if the water runs away from the wall that patch of ground is likely to be extremely dry. You would have to choose a particularly drought-resistant climber or be prepared to add extra water in some way. If you choose a plant which likes the conditions you have, it'll thrive. If you don't it will probably die and then you'll end up feeling like you're a rubbish gardener. Those Spanish Bluebells you liked are extremely tough though, and should do well wherever. ...also, if the conditions are right, I'd like to put in a word for my favourite climber, the evergreen and fast-growing Clematis armandii....See MoreFront garden planters, plants and hedging
Comments (23)I think Photinia would get too large and unruly for planters on top of the walls. They need managing otherwise they get very large and have a very loose form. Personally I'd opt for something that is more consistent in form and shape without too much upkeep and provides an attractive green backdrop to your beautiful house rather than competing with it for attention! Something like Buxus or Japanese box (Euonymus Green Rocket) as alternative to avoid issues with Box blight. Alternatively Privet is a good reliable evergreen hedger particular well suited to urban situations as they tolerate pollution. Either way its worth adding some water retaining granules and slow release fertiliser to the soils to give them a boost. At least you're planting at a good time to avoid stressing them in the dry summer months. Good luck!...See MoreGarden Dilemma, Help Please!
Comments (4)Hi Tacita, I think that a decking at the level of the house floor that extends the house to the outdoors would look great just outside your pretty garden doors! It is also generally a cheaper than a patio. I think that overall you should establish what you want to use the garden for: an area of lawn for the children will be important, but apart from that and an area for entertainment (deck or patio), what else would you like to use the garden for? growing fruit and veg? is there any features that you would like in the garden? water fetaure, pergola, arches etc? This will help you to determine what areas you need to have in the garden and the best way to divide it and give it shape and form. You don't necessarily need to cover the new bit of fence. But perhaps having some ornamental trees that will give you year around interest such as a cherry tree or amelanchier would be a good idea. If you would like more advice, I do online garden design and consultations and have some very affodable options. Please let me know if you are interested and good luck with your garden!...See More- 7 years ago
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7 years agolast modified: 7 years ago- 7 years ago
7 years ago- 7 years ago
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