The Herald - The Herald Magazine
Hedging Mark your territory with informal shrubs that smell as good as they look
IF you’re planning a new hedge this year, why not break away from traditional plantings? There are more options than first meet the eye. Many gardeners stick to privet, hawthorn or beech and keep the hedge neat and tidy. But it’s not all sweetness and light – I keep hearing people complaining about maintenance, especially as they get older, plus there are the troublesome clippings.
You may be a control freak, intent on endlessly trimming and contorting shrubs into unnatural shapes and patterns. If not, a different type of hedge surely appeals. You want it to define your boundary and afford you some privacy, but what else would you like? Why restrict yourself to one species? Why not choose informal, slow-growing shrubs, ones that are good for wildlife, or bear fruit for you to pick? Grow something that ticks several boxes, especially if you have a small garden.
In the past, I’ve touched on wildlifefriendly possibilities and suggested training fan or cordon fruit, such as currants, gooseberries, thornless brambles or tayberries. This week, I’ll look at informal shrubs, packed with scent.
The first question is whether to go for deciduous or evergreen species. Although deciduous shrubs spread and may not be as tidy as traditional privet, they may grow much more slowly and often need minimal pruning. If you clip and prune too extensively, you may run the risk of cutting off next year’s flower buds, encouraging leaf growth instead of flowers. This is all the reason you need for leaving the shears alone.
You’ll doubtless want a long-flowering shrub, possibly Rosa rugosa, which gives a succession of wonderfully scented crimson flowers right through summer. It tolerates salt spray, too, making it suitable for coastal gardens, and grows no taller than 1.5m.
The philadelphus genus also offers some fairly compact, scented specimens. Like Rosa rugosa, Belle Etoile grows to around 1.5m and is every bit as hardy. Its blaze of white flowers are enhanced by a reddish purple ring merging into the white petals. The sweet fragrance is a joy, and as a bonus the shrub needs only the lightest prune after flowering.
Lonicera, or honeysuckle, can be compact shrubs as well as climbing. One of the more unusual deciduous species is L syringantha. I can’t understand why more gardeners don’t grow this excellent shrub – perfect for spring flowering. Growing to between one and two metres, this tough, tidy specimen is very like a small daphne. The tunular, pink blooms, enhanced by fine, purplish markings, are highly fragrant.
Attractive as deciduous honeysuckles can be, evergreens do have year-round appeal. Lonicera nitida has several toughies to offer. The species has tiny box-like leaves, so is often known as poor man’s box or box-leaved honeysuckle. But it’s the small, creamy-white flowers that have nose appeal, followed by transparent blue berries.
Nitida varieties come in heights to suit most gardens. Baggeson’s Gold, with bright, golden leaves in summer, grows to around 2m, but, at 1m, Twiggy is the dwarfing alternative for a small garden.
Although most evergreen loniceras thrive anywhere in Scotland, other fragrant evergreens need the balmier conditions of sheltered coastal gardens. One such beauty is Choisya ternata, known as Mexican orange blossom. This densely packed shrub, growing to around 1.5m, has fragrant foliage as well as small, scented flowers. Osmanthus heterophyllus is another lowgrowing shrub for sheltered spaces. If all you want is a long-flowering shrub that doesn’t encroach on your neighbours, try lilac, Syringa pubescens subsp microphylla Superba. This deciduous shrub grows to 1.5m, with dark green, broadly ovate leaves. Its rosy-pink, highly fragrant flowers are delightful. Hypericum “Hidcocte” grows to 1.2m and offers a blaze of outstanding lemon flowers from July into September. If frosted, in winter, it usually recovers. Hydrangea paniculata has large conical clusters of creamywhite flowers at the tips of arching branches. Flowers take on a pink flush as they age. Deciduous, growing to around 1.2m. Grandiflora is especially hardy. Ceanothus pallidus “Marie Simon” is compact, growing to 1.5m, with pink flowers and large deciduous leaves on young, red stems.