For many gardeners living by the sea, windy conditions cannot be ignored. On the north coast of Aberdeenshire the wind is near-constant, frequently blowing very strongly and also gusting. This is what does the real damage, rocking plants until the roots give way. If the wind is ignored in locations prone to this sort of weather, plants may suffer. I have recently had to stake many front garden plants for this reason. Since the wind cannot be ‘turned off’, the question is how to mitigate its worst effects. Apart from staking, one answer may be the introduction of barriers to create microclimates, either slowing down or deflecting the wind. Physical elements such as walls and fences can do this and so can planting hedges. ‘Walled gardens’ have been a feature of castles and grand house for many centuries for this reason. As a rule-of-thumb, a vertical barrier will protect the ground from the worst of the wind for 6 to 8 times the height of the barrier.

*Looking down from the tower at @sissinghurst onto the gardens - high walls and hedges are incorporated to create microclimates for plants and also for people strolling and sitting quietly*

There are many plant choices for hedges. Most people prefer an evergreen plant which maintains its effectiveness throughout the year, also offering some privacy. Hedge-plants are preferred that also grow reasonably quickly, establishing themselves in a year or two. The most used hedging plant in the UK is probably still ‘privet’ – Ligustrum ovalifolium or one of its cousins. It has a long history of use and in its various forms can be seen almost everywhere. It is actually still one of the most popular hedges bought today, along with Yew, Beech, Buxus, Laurel and Hornbeam. It is hardy, dense, can tolerate most soil conditions (except wet), is happy by the sea and is quick growing. If trimmed back hard it will, like Yew, regrow without leaving bare patches. It has small white flowers in the summer that produce black berries in the autumn eaten by birds, so has year-round interest. It requires a trim 2 to 3 times a year to maintain its shape and size.

But privet was not everyone’s favourite. I wonder if many readers have heard of a book called ‘Colour Hedges’, by J L Bedall? Probably very few. It was printed in 1976 and I don’t think there was a reprint. I came across it while browsing the book shelves in a local charity shop. Despite the title and the colourful front cover, the photos inside the book are mostly in black and white … such a shame when thinking about the purpose of the book. The author urges gardeners to look beyond the monotonous green wall of privet (which he specifically detests in all its forms!) and Yew, beech and Buxus, to create hedges that are … ‘a feast of colour and a joy for all’. This sentiment reminded me why I created SeeHow – to give gardeners an easy-to-use tool that shows how and when garden plants grow and flower … hopefully making it a littler easier to plan gardens for year-round colour.

*Ceratostigma willmottianum forms an evergreen shrub up to 1m in height with bright blue flowers appearing from late summer to first frosts*

Bedall’s main criticism of privet and the other shrubs mentioned above, is simply that they are not colourful and yet they seemed to be most peoples’ first choice. He puts this down to people not knowing about the colourful alternatives. But I also think that for privet, another reason that it is found almost everywhere, may be because it is very easy to propagate from cuttings which are amply available after trimming. Bedall hoped his book would open peoples’ eyes to the many alternatives. But it seems to me that there are certain fundamental factors that people look for in a hedges that rule out many of the colourful alternatives he suggests (Forsythia, lilacs, Viburnums, Philadelphus, Cotoneasters, Ceanothus, Spirea and many more). For most of us, hedges are commonly used as part of the front garden ‘boundary condition’ and as our gardens become ever-smaller, the boundary hedge has to perform all of its functions using the least amount of space.

Forsythia covered in bright yellow spring flowers makes a rather brief colourful screen. It is deciduous and has an open structure, so in itself, does not meet all of the usual requirements of a private boundary hedge.

The down-side of privet hedging is that the shrub denudes the ground in which it grows of nutrients and water and this will affect the fertility of the soil running parallel to the hedge – extra feeding and watering will be required for plants that can tolerate the conditions or better still, run grass or a footpath along the edge of the hedge.

*The north side of copper beech hedge used to subdivide a walled garden in Aberdeenshire. There is a wide planted border on the south side.*

Of course it is possible to plant woody shrubs to form a screen and many of the plants suggested above will form ‘loose’ hedging, but they will need more space than a typical hedging plant and will not easily achieve the desired privacy all-year-round. Other common hedges contenders are holly and laurel. Holly is evergreen but has sharp leaves and evergreen plants do still lose their leaves! Unexpectedly collecting a spikey dry brown holly leaf amongst a handful of weeds can be a painful experience. Laurels generally look best if left to grow to a couple of metres or more – they are bulky plants taking up a lot of space and are best suited to larger gardens (Portuguese laurel is the more compact form). They can also look untidy if trimmed carelessly leaving large half-cut leaves – a small but important detail. If space is available, beech can look fantastic as can hornbeam and yew. But all are slower growing which needs to be factored into the decision-making.

*Yew and beech hedging standing almost 3m tall concealing large gardens in this small English village.*

I deliberately haven’t mentioned topiary. It is an artform that often verges on the surreal. It can be weird and wonderful and great fun too … but best not to think too much about ‘why’! It’s a long way from seaside garden windbreaks in Aberdeenshire!

*Levens Hall Manor House in Cumbria* @levenshall

Visiting a garden in Oxfordshire, I came across Yew Henge – Stonehenge in yew hedge form. How fantastic it was to stand in the centre of the space created - something impossible at the real site. Hedges … the whole is greater than the sum of the plants!

Hedges

Don’t Forget to Look Up

Spring Has Sprung