There are a lot of single variety hedges that are suitable for coastal areas, however, if you want something with a bit more seasonal interest and variety, this informal mix of evergreen and deciduous coastal hardy plants will give year round interest.

Our suggested mix

The point of choose-your-own is so that you can create a mix of the plants that you love most, but if you would like a suggestion for an affordable, lovely mix, we would simply choose an even mixture of as many of the below species as possible:

Cotoneaster franchetii - Franchet's Cotoneaster
Ligustrum ovalifolium - Green Privet
Rosa rugosa - Dog rose
Fuchsia riccartonii - Red Fuchsia
Hydrangea macrophylla

The more diversity in a mixed hedge, the better, but if there are only a few species available, don't worry! Any mixture of two plants or more is still a mixed hedge!

Site

Tolerates coastal exposure and will grow in any reasonable free draining ground.

Spacing

We recommend planting this hedge at 3 plants per meter, ideally planted in groups that repeat themselves along the hedge.

Pruning

Trim the plants after planting to encourage bushy growth. A decent cut in the Spring followed by a tidy up in the Autumn will take care of this hedge.

Care

Keeping any young hedge weed and grass free is vital to the overall vigour and health of the hedge. Using weed membrane keeps back weeds and insulates the roots and will greatly increase growth rates, as well as cutting down on your weeding work. Mulching is another great option for insulating the roots and holding back weeds, bark mulch is the most commonly used medium.