Earlier this month I shared with you photos of the weed-filled area that was to become our new hedge border ~ and here are the new shrubs, patiently waiting in what's become a holding area near the house. I had trawled around looking at various online nurseries but living off the mainland as we do, some of the delivery costs were extremely high. I finally decided to try Hedges Direct and the young man I spoke with there was very helpful, even though he wasn't sure where Orkney actually was! He went off to speak with someone else though and was able to answer all my questions. I ordered a variety of shrubs from them and was pleasantly surprised by the delivery charge. I was very pleased with the quality and size of the plants, as well as the good condition they arrived in.
I had already weeded this first section as I wanted to move the alchemilla mollis into the new border, so at least I didn't have that chore to wade through! I started by moving out the first of the two forsythia Spectabilis that were already there, replacing it with the poor malus sylvestris that has been sitting up on the holding area for almost a couple of years now ~ I'm amazed that it's survived, to be honest. Behind the crab apple is an asplenium scolopendrium (hart's tongue fern) that I moved from elsewhere in the garden. I left the second forsythia in situ and beside it planted rosa rugosa Alba, which I moved from one of the kitchen garden borders. I realise that this really isn't the "proper" time to be moving plants but it's much cooler and damper up here so I'm taking the risk as I want to get the job done! The sorbus aucuparia next to the rosa rugosa was planted a couple of years back. Behind it is dryopteris affinis Cristata, another fern moved from elsewhere.
All the sections of the hedge border now have creeping jenny planted along the back as ground cover. It has such a pretty yellow flower and even though it can go a bit mad if it likes were it's been planted, it is easy enough to pull out where it's not wanted! I had thought that I would perhaps keep, and add to, the ajuga reptans Variegata at the front of this section but it didn't seem terribly happy here to be honest so I've moved it to an area that I hope it will like better. In it's place I've moved the gypsophila repens Rosea from the middle section. I gave it a good trim when I moved it but it's got new flowers coming through already which is very pleasing.
This middle section took quite some time to clear of weeds but there again, it is the longest section along the wall.
I started the run with one of the new shrubs, a white escallonia. I have a large clump of red escallonia in the front corner of the kitchen garden border and it's a good reliable shrub. I thought a white variety would make a nice change along here. Next is the forsythia I took out of the first section to make way for the crab apple, and beside that is buddleja Lochinch; it's been here for a couple of years and has settled in very well. I removed a handful of the lower stems which were splaying out somewhat and put in a plant support to help keep it a little more upright. Then back to the new shrubs with euonymus japonicus Ovatus Aureaus, which has lovely golden variegated leaves.
Next is rosa canina, then viburnum tinus Eve Price which apparently has scented white flowers from late winter into early spring. Then we have the sorbus cashmiriana which was also planted a couple of years back. It's doing really well and looks very happy now that all those thistles have been weeded out! Next to the sorbus is another forsythia, this time moved up from the third section of the border wall. Then it's back to the new shrubs again, this time with a hawthorn. I've tried to space out the prickly shrubs so that I won't be torn to shreds quite so much when I come to prune them ~ that's the hope, anyway 😏 Finally this section is finished off with another escallonia, a pale pink one this time.
I have actually now completely finished this border using pilosella aurantiaca (Fox and Cubs), that I moved from the path border on the kitchen garden side of the garden, to edge it. I really like this plant, with it's cheerful orange dandelion-like flowers which the bees love, but have found that it really spreads! The border I took it from was just too narrow to cope with it but here in the hedge border it can romp away to it's heart's content. One thing's for sure, with it's windblown seedheads (again, like dandelions!) I'll never be short of new plants should I need them 😄 The back of the border had creeping jenny already in place ~ it'll be interesting to see how the two interact!
This last section looks rather empty in this photo but I have got it all planted up now. The Balfour willow, obviously, has stayed in place as have the forsythia and Whitebeam. Between the willow and forsythia I have now planted two new shrubs: olearia haastii (daisy bush) and oleaster. I moved another asplenium scolopendrium from elsewhere in the garden to the right of the the forsythia, snuggled against the Whitebeam. Once again there are creeping jenny plants at the back along with some double yellow hollyhock I moved from the front wall border when I cleared it out. I just needed a home for them to be honest; I think they are biennials, so I don't expect them to last beyond this year if they even come back at all. I already had some sweet woodruff at the front of this section, so I bought some more plants to make a proper edging.
I think the new shrubs would have been very glad to get out of the confines of their pots as they all had very well-developed root systems! Hopefully they will soon feel at home and grow into a lovely new hedge.
No comments:
Post a Comment