New Build Front Garden.

Hi Guys,
just about finished building our own house in a rural Norfolk village in a modern cottagey style. We are just sorting out the drive and front garden which will be mostly gravelled with turning space at the front with a couple of paths. I would like some suggestions for the following.

1, We would like to plant a low rise hadge to the front 3-4ft high.
2, We would like some planting up against the house.
3, We would like some 1 or 2 smallish trees.

Everything should provide year round interest. Fairly easy to maintain (trimming every few weeks is fine). Should be good for wildlife and very robust. Planting should be mixed and suite the style of the house, dark red brick. Garden is north facing.

I do like Firethorn. Hollies. Berberis.

Any help would be most welcome.

Thanks.

 

I so love the Christmas Sweet Box I keep saying this in other posts but it so beauiful here is link
http://www.crocus.co.uk/search/_/search.christmas-box/

 

Wow, thanks. Now that's what I'm talking about:gnthb:
.....that looks great, what would you put with it.

 

Hi BigBaddad welcome to the forum.

Sounds interesting what you are doing I do hope you are able to take a couple of pictures for us, you know some before and after ones.

Good luck with your venture.Hel.xxx.

 

I can also recommend a Christmas Box as a low hedging-there is one outside my place of work, about 4 foot high and it at this time of year it smells divine.

As for climbers, depends on what you like - flowers, evergreen, scent?

Lucky you, a blank canvas to work with is always very exciting

 

:rotfl:...hard work too.

 

Honeysuckle for scent, virginia creeper for autumn colour, ivy for winter colour and evergreen-ness. How much wall space you got?

 

Isn't virginia creeper that one that many people mistake for russian vine, being almost as rampant and difficult to control? Or am I thinking of something else?

 

Virginia Creeper is rampant, but its also easy to control as it deciduous so the main "arterial" branches are exposed, from which new growth appears in Spring. It doesn't grow nearly as fast as Russian Vine!

Its also one of my favourites. You can get varieties that are slower growing with smaller leaves and they do fine in shade.

 

Personally I would not have either in my garden and certainly not climbing on my house

 

Totally agree with you JWK always nice to go and sea what is in bloom at different seasons.

 

I love both Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) & Boston Ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) both which are very similar in growth habit and look wonderful growing up the side of a house, It's also nice to mention that neither plant will do any damage to the brickwork although what does do damage is just ripping the vine from the walls as this will leave the suckers on or worse...I was always taught to treat it like Ivy and chop the roots off and let it die off on it's own.

Just a little info:ywn:

 

As Joh says you should get an idea of what you like by a monthly tour of a nursery or garden centre. Having said that-if you are going cottagey-then you absolutely need a rose up the walls-I have a few, I can vouch for the vigorousness of the seagull rambler rose, in bloom it`s breathtaking-but it only blooms once a year.

Perhaps Lutea Banksia is worth a look at.


Foxgloves, lupins, verbascums and campnanulas are classics which take some beating-and the bees adore foxgloves.

 

Another superb winter flowering, evergreen, scented shrub is Daphne odora, or an unusual form is D. mezereum. For the summer go for one of the DECIDUOUS Azaleas. Other useful shrubs are Fuchsias and Hebes.:thumb: