Best low level flowering hedge

[inkblackheart]

our house is on a hill but we are trying to create a bit of a barrier when viewed from the bottom of the slope and so are looking for a low level hedge. Probably only about a metre tall required.

If you were putting in a low level flowering hedge what would you choose? Im wondering about escallonia?

I had an escallonia ‘Iveyi’ hedge in a north facing border, which had lovely white flowers. But after three years they got leaf spot; I tried cutting off affected leaves, picking up all dropped leaves, anti fungal spray, and in the end they were left looking like sad defoliated skeletons so I took them out and replaced them with sarcoccoca.

The sarcoccoca plants are doing great, being low maintenance with shiny evergreen leaves and no diseases/pests. The scent from the flowers is amazing in winter, but the flowers can barely be seen, and being out in winter we don’t see/appreciate them when we’re outdoors (in spring/summer).

https://www.rhs.org.uk/disease/escallonia-leaf-spot

If I had 20m to play with I’d go for a mixed hedge / border. Otherwise it would look stunning for a month or so and plain for most of the year (and bare in winter if deciduous).

Thinking about it, most of my hedge plant favourites like hawthorn and holly are actually small trees which would maybe be tricky to keep at 1m height.

There are quite a lot of small shrubs that naturally form hummocks of say 1m tall, 1.5m wide, but they aren’t necessarily quick-growing. For example Sarcococca that someone suggested - gorgeous plant but I have a little one and don’t know how many years it would take to reach 1m!

I have an Olaria X Hastii hedge because I didn't want anything too big and vigorous. It's taking a quite a long time to reach my ideal height because it's slow growing, but once there it shouldn't need much in the way of trimming. It has pretty white flowers.

My other suggestion would be photenia Red Robin. It's very vigorous so will need to be trimmed down regularly but it's very pretty year round. It tolerates a lot of trimming very well so you can shape it, but if you let it it will zoom up to 3 or 4 metres high so it does involve a bit of work keeping it in check.

Also pretty and not a typical hedge is Pittosporum Tom Thumb which has year round foliage and a round shape or Cotinus Coggygria Young Lady which is really pretty and bushy in the summer but has bare branches in the winter.

Michaelia (I think now called Magnolia?) "Fairy series" could be beautiful and unusual, is evergreen and apparently reasonably quick growing / flowers young.

Sorry- I posted a pic of my rosa rugosa hedge and then noticed that there was an identifying row of other pics below it when clicked on!

Hydrangea form a lovely hedge and would be fine north facing and love wet places however while they flower for a good length of time they are bare enough in winter. I love Lonicera Nitida as a hedge but it doesn't flower, everygreen, small leaved so very easy trim and can be kept to any size, might not be the cheapest I don't know, the cuttings from mine root and grow easily all around it though and I have loads potted up from rooted cuttings at this stage. I'd stay away from thorny things like Berberis while I love it it's a pain to cut and gather up cuttings. I lost a Pittosporum hedge in snow/frost so depending where you are that should be considered, the Lonicera replaced it.

Flowering currant would be nice - pretty pink flowers in spring and nice green foliage. Dead easy to grow from cuttings too!

Be aware that many things won’t flower if you’re keeping them as a neatly trimmed hedge. For instance, it’s said above that Lonicera nitida doesn’t flower, but that’s because it’s usually trimmed as a hedge

Lonicera nitida in flower

Have you considered a pyracantha?

Ooo could you post it again?

Oh yes, it appears I do!

Update. So we measured the stretch and it is actually over 30m which makes cost a priority. So I've taken the plunge and ordered rosa rugosa alba since I could get bare root plants at £1.30 a piece (40-60cm). Appreciate it won't be as low maintenance as some hedges and that I'll need to keep on top of it to stop it going straggly and it will lose foliage in winter and that I'm going to very much regret this once 150 bare root roses arrive and need planting..

But one day it will look pretty!

I also randomly bought a morello cherry just because I've always wanted one and apparently it will be ok on the north side of the house so I'm going to try to espalier that.

It will look amazing in flower! Good luck with the planting. If you have any budget left over, this autumn you could buy a sack of bulbs to brighten it up during late winter / spring.

I might have also purchased 1000 snowdrops in the green for the banked front garden...

Lovely. That’ll keep you busy!

Sounds fabulous! The hips will be wonderful. Good luck planting!

Great choice!
Here's my reposted pic! 2 years old two staggered rows.

Click on it and it shows the length better

Thats a really helpful photo since its wider than I anticipated so I'll set the plants back a bit further than I'd planned.

Yes it grows and spreads quickly so maybe plant just one row.