help with a hedgerow border

Hi everyone - my first posting after lurking for some time.

I have a problem area that I need help in planning what to plant into it.
here are a couple of pictures:


I am about to have the driveway ripped out and a block paved one laid, the border shown will be about the same size but edged with decent kerbing to contain it all.
I dont know how best to plant that border up. I suffer frequent attacks from rabbits and they eat any bedding plants and this year the dianthus plants that were there, in the foreground of the bottom picture can be seen the stalks of a swathe of "love in a mist" that were there.
I like the Crocosmia with the orange flowers and will thin that out somewhat. Now I need to know what else would work well, look good most of the year, not mind too much when I trample all over it to trim the hedge about 3 times a year and suppress the weeds and be fairly easy to maintain.
so what would you plant there?

 

Hello there,

A neighbour has a similar looking hedge with honeysuckle growing through it, looks and smells lovely. How about hardy shrubs like lavender and rosemary too? Always green and good for butterflies and bees, you could use some decorative gravel around them to suppress the weeds.

TO

 

Hi Fretdancer and welcome,I agree with TO as far as the Laveneder and Rosemary is concerned, I would also add Sage and the deep red Crocosmia Lucifer. ( with all the herbs the rabbits will at least be well seasoned, I will have 2 please ). David.

 

Don't forget the roses - once established they could do very well in such a sunny border. Underplanted with lavender mmmm

 

How about cranesbill (geranium) lovely flower colour and autumn colours too.

 

You could scatter some foxglove seeds around. Rabbits won't eat that.

 

I have now just about finished the front.
here are the pics:











I have planted about 300 or so spring bulbs, crocus's aliums, lots of others I can remember the name of - I have also put in quiet a lot of small viola and poppy plugs that will hopefull flower pretty soon.
I now want a couple of feature plants in pots to stand at the front of the house. Not sure what to buy, am thinking of perhaps standard Bay trees or perhaps some cordyline perhaps?... need something that will look good.
I have also bought some trough planters that I am about to plant up to stand against the house. Hopefully by spring it will all look very colourful.
I dont know whether to muclch the soil on the border with bark chippings to keep the weeds down - any suggestions?
The border at the top behind the hedge bordering the road is also now needing some planting - I have put in a couple of shrubs and another few hundred spring bulbs but I think I need some good shrubs or ground cover plants that look good and colourful. so far I have planted a clematis into the hedge and put some cyclamens under the hedge, a Hydrangea (blue) and moved a big yellow flowering shrub that I dont know the name of out from the rear garden.

Next project is a greenhouse at the rear if I can work out what I want

 

That looks a fabulous job Frety,nice choice of paving........bet you are well pleased.

Bark would look nice,but the birds would spread it on to the paving.

 

Re Bark mulch, as long as you dont have a dog then coco shell chippings are a farr beter mulch and actualy imrove the soil texture,

 

Hi Fretdancer we had our driveway laid with block paving last year and we too have a privet hedge surrounding it Bob did the driveway although he has a little bit still to do before he has totally finished it and he left me a little border around it.

I'ave planted various plants in our border a lovely periwinkle (Vinca minor variegata) a couple of hardy geraniums like the one below sorry don't know it's name and now its now going to seed..these plants are wonderful as they grow in dome like patches


Also as the other guys suggested I have a number of lavender also some pinks, fuschias and a few other plants they all seem pretty happy to me and are doing very well indeed.
Helen.xxx.

 

Although it looks smart and is no doubt practicle for you what a waste of a front garden, more and more people flag or pave large areas we pay for it with flooding less habitats for wildlife.