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Design Dilemma Gardens

Ideas to plant a steep front garden to create privacy

4 years ago

We have had to have some Leylandii trees removed (last photo is Before, other two are after)) as they were almost blown down in the storms.

Looking for ideas of what to do to plant up and replace that looks better, but still gives some privacy to the road without causing the same future problems it's an in and out driveway, one side has a stone retaining wall, other is just post and rail fence.

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Comments (5)

Sonia
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
I like both Viburnum tinus and Photinia Red Robin for a natural hedge. They grow to about 10 feet and don’t mind pruning. They are both evergreen and widely available. Viburnum is flowering now. The Photinia Is grown mainly for its lovely red leaves in spring.

VIBURNUM TINUS

PHOTINIA RED ROBIN
rinked
4 years ago
So something tall but not too dense? White magnolia or feather maple and some groundcover to keep the soil together? Lonicera/cotoneaster?

I have a pink viburnum sticking out of my hedera hedge, love it (though it's just leaves three seasons a year).
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I do like Sven's idea of the blue palm ( chamaerops Humilis cerifera ), but maybe not in a pot as they do get very large. It would have to go in place of the tree as they can reach heights of 3 m x 2m wide. However, it would look nice with your front door, but maybe in a stone circle. You can't really put honeysuckle ( lonicera ), in the borders unless it's against the fence and you run wires for it, but i think your fence is probably too low. Lilac in white and pink or mauve would be better Depending on variety again, they're prolific growers, but will cover a fence in no time and smell fabulous. I'd have a stone circle in the middle and then a curved bed at the front with some higher plants, foxgloves, Iris, Japanese Anemonies etc at the back for height, some giant double pink poppies, weigela, candytuft to break it all up and get some white in amongst the pinks, purples and blues. All would look lovely with grey stone and your front door. All of the pics are of my own plants, I'd like to take credit for our garden, but it's my wife's domain, she's passionate about her plants and loves Pink, white, blue, purple, mauve etcWigela
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Well done on all the work done so far. It’s looking great. However, in my opinion, the bed along the left hand fence is too narrow, especially for the kind of plants you’re after which are often on the larger side. I like the triangular shape as it gives a modern feel but also think a curve in that corner point would work well, losing some of the lawn and making the bed bigger. That would give you room to plant your tree fern in the ground in the corner there rather than in the pot. Tree ferns have shallow roots that spread outwards & in time, that pot wouldn’t be big enough. We have 2 that I bought as 6 inch high ferns & now (17years later) the trunks alone would fill that pot. Other suggestions for tropical type plants are fatsia japonica & canna lilies though you’d need to check whether they would suit your north west position. Agapanthus would look good but also like the sun. Clematis to climb up your fence come in lots lots of colour options. Star jasmine which is evergreen would also be good fence cover. However both would need support - trellis or wires to climb up. Hydrangea Annabelle, although not quite the look you’re after are lovely & would suit a more shaded garden. However, most of these would need bigger beds to grow in. In smaller beds, lavender, euonymous, box & hebes would fit & suit your garden but perhaps wouldn’t create the look you’re after. However, they would look good & are easy to look after. Have fun finishing your garden & post some more photos when it’s done.
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rachelmidlands
4 years ago
You’re not the only one! My lovely 8ft tall choisya suffered with the recent storms and has managed to hoik itself out the ground and is now flopping all over the patio 😭. Hey ho, I’m seeing it as a good opportunity to try something different. For yours i think first thing to do is improve the soil as the leylandii will have drawn out a lot of moisture from the soil. So for this season chuck down a lot of mixed compost, manure, top soil etc and sow a nice mix of summer annual seeds. This will give a nice show for summer then by late autumn the soil will be much improved for planting anything permanent. I’m thinking rhododendron, camellia, azalea, hydrangea, magnolia, given it looks like fairly wooded surroundings, however these are acid soil loving plants so you could include some ericaceous compost when planting. Also think a mix of smaller or dwarf shrubs mixed with Japanese maples would look very pleasing. To add to the great suggestions above I’m going to add Escallonia which has dainty flowers and can be easily trimmed into a hedge. Couple of pics of Escallonia and Rhododendron.
Kristine
Original Author
4 years ago
Thanks all, some great ideas ...loving the idea of Viburnum....and Magnolia. Hadn’t even thought of Rhododendrons.,..there are lots in the area and our neighbours have a 25 ft tall hedge of them along the road. I think putting the seed down for this season will help as the soil does look patched....despite the excessive rain.....appreciate all your ideas and help...I will get investigating all of those. Thanks
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Peter Reader Landscapes
4 years ago
Lots of great suggestions there.

I would just echo a few points that I feel are really important:
- Reinvigorate the soil. This is absolutely vital. Like Rachel says, the Leylandii will have sucked the soil dry of nutrient so add loads and loads of organic material like well rotted horse manure or garden compost. It is almost impossible to add too much and mostly people add far too little. You can also top dress the bed every year after, to help keep your new plants healthy. It is also a chance to add some horticultural grit to improve drainage if this is a problem.
- Think carefully about what effect you are after before being 'wowed' by plants at a nursery. One important decision is about how much evergreen you want for screening. You could just have an evergreen hedge that you clip to keep controlled and then plant in front of that the lovely Acers and other deciduous plants that folks have already mentioned.
- Remember 'right plant, right place'. If there are successful Rhododendrons just up the road then it is likely that your soil is acidic, so choose plants that prefer that type of soil.
- Finally - have fun!

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