Front garden - fencing?

rhiwfield

We put up a 3 foot picket fence and it defines the garden and has totally stopped the dogs that used to carp on the grass. It was a cheap and effective solution using tannelised wood from the local wood merchants. Easy to DIY as well.

Berberis may well be effective as a prickly hedge but its a b****r to cut wiothout getting spiked!!

ERICS_MUM

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

A plant that is often overlooked for a fairly quick growing prickly hedge that still has colour and berries is Beriberis in it's many varieties.

The hedge against the fence has the advantage that if there is an issue with the council, it can usually be pruned rather than taken down.

Pyracantha also fits the bill.
It's a personal thing of course but give me a living hedge against a dead fence every time. Some would see it exactly the other way.

I've included berberis and you're right, you'd have no chance of squeezing through. I find pyracanthas grow too fast - they'd make a great hedge but would need a lot of work to keep them trimmed back so they don't scratch passers-by.

I also have a shrubby honeysuckle lonicera Bagessens Gold and a pink flowering escallonia, both evergreen. Little birds dart in and out of the hedge all day so there must be some insect life therein.

cyclonebri1

rhiwfield wrote: »

We put up a 3 foot picket fence and it defines the garden and has totally stopped the dogs that used to carp on the grass. It was a cheap and effective solution using tannelised wood from the local wood merchants. Easy to DIY as well.

Berberis may well be effective as a prickly hedge but its a b****r to cut wiothout getting spiked!!

Exactly, doing it's job, even protects itself.

Forget light cotton gardening gloves when pruning, go for a pair of leather rigger gloves, about a quid off ebay, they don't get through those.

Davesnave

rhiwfield wrote: »

Berberis may well be effective as a prickly hedge but its a b****r to cut without getting spiked!!

....Which is why it's a great car park plant for limiting "pathways of desire."

There are always lots of places to collect free seed. Thank you Lidl!

bubblegumcola

Check the wording in the deeds of your house as you may not be allowed a fence to enclose your front garden. I live in a modern housing estate and mine definitely says it must not have fences put up in front gardens. Our local council did go round from time to time in the early years and enforcing people who did put fences up to remove them from their front gardens. I have a hedge at the front to stop people wandering onto my garden with their dogs, etc and it gives the front of my house some privacy. I don't know what kind of hedge it is though, we grew it from cuttings from my MIL's garden so was free! Doesn't take much upkeep, I cut it two or three times in the summer and that's about it, I keep it around 4 foot. Nobody has ever complained about the hedge and I'm surprised more people don't have them in their gardens.

cyclonebri1

bubblegumcola wrote: »

Check the wording in the deeds of your house as you may not be allowed a fence to enclose your front garden. I live in a modern housing estate and mine definitely says it must not have fences put up in front gardens. Our local council did go round from time to time in the early years and enforcing people who did put fences up to remove them from their front gardens. I have a hedge at the front to stop people wandering onto my garden with their dogs, etc and it gives the front of my house some privacy. I don't know what kind of hedge it is though, we grew it from cuttings from my MIL's garden so was free! Doesn't take much upkeep, I cut it two or three times in the summer and that's about it, I keep it around 4 foot. Nobody has ever complained about the hedge and I'm surprised more people don't have them in their gardens.

Please keep up dear:D:D

valk_scot

Lavender? Grows quickly, gets tall enough to deter people stepping over it, looks and smells fantastic and will help support the struggling bee population. This last being what you tell he council if they start moaning...or anyone else.