Garden makeover Carol puts an edible hedge and a food forest on the menu

Feed the garden and it will feed you, says Carol, who suggests nestling a food forest against this house and replacing a runaway hedge with an edible screen

Dear Carol

We have recently moved to Te Awanga and have a huge amount of landscaping on our hands. We’d like to focus first on the southwest side of the house and were wondering if you could suggest a hedge to replace the current one, which has got out of hand. We were thinking about a fig hedge – would this be a viable option? Also, the big macrocarpas planted on a bank are blocking out the sun so we are planning to chop them out – could you give us some ideas on what to replace them with? Plus, the garden close to the house needs an overhaul. We have free-draining soil and a mild climate. Any advice would be hugely appreciated. Jo Moorhead, Te Awanga, Hawke’s Bay