I want to plant in a hedge or something to change the look of our house in front of the fence. The front fence is about 2 Metres tall and 15 metres wide. I think I like structured gardens!?
First I would lay out a design for the bed in front of the wall using a flexible hose or chalk marker to make a nice curved line bed. Make it wide enough to accommodate taller bushes against the fence and low or medium ones in front for interest. Then become aware of your light: full sun, afternoon shade, etc. lastly, watering: access to hose, sprinklers. Take you info to local greenhouse and ask what plants they recommend. Or type info into google: plants for sunny, dry foundation planting e.g. Dig over the soil. Add amenities as needed. Plant from the back forward. Add perennials and / annuals for spots of changing color. Good luck. It's a fun challenge. I'm at the same point in our new house.
Do you want a garden bed or do you want a straight line? A garden bed allows you to stagger plants on the horizontal plane working with low bedding annuals, some perennials and then some evergreens throughout the year. A straight line can be staggered vertically in a more ordered manner (using different heights and plants) to create visual interest. Either look at garden magazines, or contact a local garden designer - they will know your soil, the orientation, the effect of that wall on plants etc etc - you will save yourself a lot of labour and loss, if you have them draw up a plan that works in your area according to your wishes.
A local garden store or designer will certainly be able to help you. In the meantime, you can look up ideas online, but you'll need to know some basic information before anyone can help you choose specific plants. The first and most important is to know your planting zone, which is all about your location and climate. You also need to know the directional orientation of your house and the wall, and whether it is "full sun", "partial sun", or "shade".
Will you be planting on both sides of the wall? You may wind up with vastly different plants if one side gets full sun and the other is in the shade. Take into consideration whatever shade is cast by the large tree, and the house itself. If you have the time, spend a day taking pictures of both sides of the wall - maybe once an hour (shadows will shift somewhat throughout the season), so you may want to do this every few weeks and keep a visual log of how the shadows move.
Also, before you plant, decide if you want to paint the wall. It will be easier to paint before you plant, of course. White will reflect heat back onto plants.
Climbing plants would look nice on the wall, if you're not going with a very structured garden. Ivy is an obvious choice, but there are other vines that flower beautifully, if you like that idea.
cleyboldt
ASVInteriors
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