Hedges for a small city garden

Why use railings or fences when you can have a pleasing hedge instead, writes JANE POWERS

THE IDEA OF urban hedges conjures up dusty old things: gloomy or yellowy privet, lime-green and indestructible vinyl-looking griselinia, and splotchy acidic Euonymus ‘Emerald ‘n’ Gold’. Bay, holly or box – all good looking when well-maintained – have been planted by a few rare free thinkers. And some other people – who wanted something bulky and fast – planted Japanese or cherry laurel. (These last two are not so good in a small city garden: their big leathery leaves get scissored to bits in a tightly clipped hedge.) In recent years, there has also been a rash of Photinia ‘Red Robin’, with its festively crimson young growth. It’s grand for enlivening metropolitan gardens, but I wish local authorities would stop planting it on the outskirts of country towns and villages, where it sticks out like a sore red thumb.

City hedges are not like rural hedges. Usually, they have to fit into a smallish space, so must be amenable to receiving regular, tight haircuts. They need to be tolerant of poor soil that is on the arid side, as pavements and buildings both help to create dry conditions. That’s why beech and hornbeam, two of the noblest of hedging plants, often fail or sulk on the boundaries of city gardens. They’re not getting enough to eat or drink. On the other hand, the reflected heat from buildings and hard landscaping raises the temperature, so you can get away with slightly more tender species in a built-up area.

Why am I talking about hedges at all, you may wonder, when most urban gardens are already separated from their neighbours by railings, walls or fences? Well, there are plenty of reasons, but here are just three: hedges are a living calendar, with young foliage, flowers and berries at different times of the year; they offer homes and food for wildlife; and they condition the air by catching grime and dust, and by breathing out oxygen and moisture.

If you have like-minded neighbours, consider sharing a hedge, and halving the cost of the plants and the amount of space you each have to give up. A single, shared hedge as a boundary avoids that “My Pink Half of the Drainpipe” effect that you often see on city streets and housing estates (does anyone else remember this little bit of social commentary by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band?).

The range of plants that can do duty as hedges in a small urban garden is large, if you think creatively, and look beyond the “hedging” section in the garden centre. Most shrubby specimens that thrive in your garden can be grown in a line as a hedge – and it need not be a straight line: it can wander artistically off into the flowers. If you have a wall or railings, you might also consider sprawling and leaning plants.

For a more contemporary look, experiment with bamboos (Semiarundinaria fastuosa is vertical and graceful) or tall grasses, such as the upright Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’ and ‘Overdam’, and the feathery Miscanthus genus. Add some lanky, purple-polled Verbena bonariensis in front for a bit of excitement and colour. Short-lived hedges (lasting approximately five years, or much longer if you are lucky) can be made from rosemary, lavender, Santolina and Teucrium chamaedrys

EVERGREENS FOR URBAN HEDGES

Escallonia: fast-growing; glossy-leaved; red, pink or white flowers; dislikes shade

Myrtus communis subsp. tarentina: dwarf myrtle with aromatic leaves and frothy; white flowers

Osmanthus x burkwoodii: dark green leaves and white, scented flowers; needs moist soil

Pittosporum ‘Tom Thumb’: compact plant with wavy-edged leaves, pale-green when young and maturing to deep bronzy-purple

Pittosporum tobira: slightly tender plant with elongated ovate leaves; creamy white flowers; prefers sun

Sarcococca humilis: compact plant with dark green leaves, and tiny white flowers borne in winter; will grow in shade

Viburnum davidii: long, ribbed leaves; insignificant white flowers followed by curious blue berries; makes a low, mounded shape; shade tolerant

Viburnum tinus ‘Eve Price’: clusters of pink buds open into pretty white flowers in winter and early spring; shade tolerant. (In Britain, viburnum beetle can be a pest, but it is not common in Ireland.)

PLANTS FOR RAILINGS OR WALLS

These are leaners, sprawlers and climbers that need a framework for light support.

Abelia x grandiflora: soft pink flowers; prefers sun; one to two metres tall

Ceanothus, Californian lilacs: glossy leaves and pretty blue flowers; need sun; do not tolerate damp soil; ‘Trewithin Blue’ is two to three metres tall; ‘Concha’ is one to two metres tall.

Chaenomeles, flowering quinces: many varieties, with pink, red or salmon flowers; angular branches can be trained against a wall or railing; flowers best in sun, but can take partial shade

Euonymus fortunei ‘Silver Queen’: green-and-white variegated, sprawly shrub; happy anywhere, but looks best cheering up a shady area

Pyracantha: many varieties, with white flowers (beloved of bees); red, orange or yellow fruits; grows anywhere, but berries best in sun; needs careful training in early years

Clematis armandii: vigorous evergreen climber, with long, leathery leaves; white flowers in early spring; the cultivar ‘Apple Blossom’ is well named, with pink-tinged, creamy flowers

Vitis vinifera ‘Purpurea’: ornamental grape vine with purple leaves; deciduous; fruits are small and bitter