Hello,
for years I have been thinking about how to design the problem area of my house.
I have a long narrow strip along the public pathway that I would like to plant. The strip is about 75 cm (30 inches) wide and 10.5 meters (34.5 feet) long. It faces south and gets full sun. Two gardens away, the neighbor has cut down all the tall and old trees, which means that since this year, our house is fully exposed to the sun. Therefore, we really want some sort of protection to prevent the ground from heating up excessively and possibly something that will protect at least the lower part of our facade from the direct sun in the future.
Trees probably won’t work due to the limited space available.
I like plants that are useful to wildlife throughout the year.
The fence must stay because otherwise the area would become a dog toilet, even now with just the stones. The privacy screen on the fence is more of a splash guard since the whole area is on an unpaved path, which is officially a dead end but apparently many people have a key to lower the bollards, and the footpath is frequently used by vehicles, often at high speed. It’s a disaster when it rains.
So, I’m looking forward to your suggestions.
for years I have been thinking about how to design the problem area of my house.
I have a long narrow strip along the public pathway that I would like to plant. The strip is about 75 cm (30 inches) wide and 10.5 meters (34.5 feet) long. It faces south and gets full sun. Two gardens away, the neighbor has cut down all the tall and old trees, which means that since this year, our house is fully exposed to the sun. Therefore, we really want some sort of protection to prevent the ground from heating up excessively and possibly something that will protect at least the lower part of our facade from the direct sun in the future.
Trees probably won’t work due to the limited space available.
I like plants that are useful to wildlife throughout the year.
The fence must stay because otherwise the area would become a dog toilet, even now with just the stones. The privacy screen on the fence is more of a splash guard since the whole area is on an unpaved path, which is officially a dead end but apparently many people have a key to lower the bollards, and the footpath is frequently used by vehicles, often at high speed. It’s a disaster when it rains.
So, I’m looking forward to your suggestions.
G
Gartenfreund17 Apr 2022 06:31How about hibiscus or a wildflower meadow?
haydee schrieb:
Bird protection hedgesThanks for this tip! I think we will also get a few meters (yards) of these and plant them along the boundaries.
P
Pinkiponk17 Apr 2022 10:26shenja schrieb:
...I was genuinely happy to see your question (partly for selfish reasons ;-) ) and I’d like to offer two suggestions, although knowledgeable forum members might reject them. So far, I lack most of the expertise and practical experience regarding home gardens.- Honeysuckle (Lonicera)
- Holly (Ilex)
Both are (allegedly) evergreen, commonly favored by birds, insects, etc., and available in many sizes and varieties. I want to plant these in my garden, preferably in yellow and pink (if my husband allows it and doesn’t notice too soon ;-) ).
There is probably an important reason why these two plants have not yet been mentioned by the experienced forum members.
Thanks for all the tips. It will probably come down to shrubs. They are nice to look at and useful.
The serviceberry grows that large? Hmm, we have one in a row of plants in the bed next to the neighbor. The garden center sold us a lot of plants for a hedge. Sea buckthorn was included as well. After watching a gardening show about how its roots spread, it was removed again after one year. The garden center could have mentioned that it needs a root barrier. I don’t know much about this, which is why I went to the garden center in the first place.
The serviceberry grows that large? Hmm, we have one in a row of plants in the bed next to the neighbor. The garden center sold us a lot of plants for a hedge. Sea buckthorn was included as well. After watching a gardening show about how its roots spread, it was removed again after one year. The garden center could have mentioned that it needs a root barrier. I don’t know much about this, which is why I went to the garden center in the first place.
P
Pinkiponk17 Apr 2022 10:36shenja schrieb:
Sea buckthorn was included as well. After watching a gardening show about how its roots spread, I removed it a year later. The nursery could have told me it needs a root barrier. I had no idea, which is why I went to the nursery in the first place.Oh, that’s an important tip for me. Now I’ve learned that I need to pay attention to that as well. Until now, I only knew the common example of bamboo (some types). It’s frustrating if the nursery doesn’t mention this at all, or perhaps you had a variety that doesn’t require a root barrier? This is a tricky issue, and in the future, I will make sure to ask explicitly about it before buying any plants.P
Pinkiponk17 Apr 2022 10:48I just thought of something else. Would you possibly be interested in looking into the area of “companion plants” (formerly known as “weeds”)? There are many very attractive flowering plants there that are beneficial for wildlife.