garden design help

[Mr List]

I am thinking of doing my nephews front garden up for him but I have been reading about how a front garden should still let passers by see the house to prevent burglary .

since he has been burgled twice I will need to take this into account.

I was going to do a 6 ft bamboo hedge with lots of jungle plants but this doesn't seem to fit now.


what (if any) plants will grow naturally to a 4-5 ft hedge with no need for maintenance?

I liked the idea of giving him a bamboo hedge because it wouldn't take any maintenance and would provide a good jungle back ground.

if it was my garden at 4-5ft I would have a fence not a hedge as the boundary but this would be very difficult to put in and would require some level of upkeep.

I don't think a bamboo hedge would look right at 4ft.

also what about some plants, do bananas and fatsias block a view that bad?
having trouble thinking how I could make this a worthwhile thing to do atm.

[pdid]

Hedge = Maintenance no matter what plants you pick.
Jungle = = Maintenance no matter what plants you pick.

I fit were me I'd go with varying sizes of Trachycarpus, cordyline and yucca in a gravel/ grass bed. It depends on the style of the house though.

This is one of my favourite front gardens local to me, low mainenance, open and can be adopted to bigger or smaller front gardens.

[charliepridham]

The Nandina domestica hedge at Syon park seems to fit your criteria

[Blairs]

You need to check soil type and aspect. Pdid's picture looks great and would lie mine to look like that, but my front garden is north facing and half of it rarely gets any direct sun, the soil is also heavy...so I could not add Palms and Yucca etc.

There are low growing Bamboo. Some are extra good for the front garden due to their leaf variegation:

Sasa Veitchii (variegated form) - slow to grow to 1 metre.
Pleioblastus Fortunei 'Variegata' - none of mine is above 30cm yet.

[Mr List]

The Nandina domestica hedge at Syon park seems to fit your criteria

that could be a very good shout but I bet you couldn't find a more expensive plant for a lot of hedging

[The Codfather]

Hedge = Maintenance no matter what plants you pick.
Jungle = = Maintenance no matter what plants you pick.

I fit were me I'd go with varying sizes of Trachycarpus, cordyline and yucca in a gravel/ grass bed. It depends on the style of the house though.

This is one of my favourite front gardens local to me, low mainenance, open and can be adopted to bigger or smaller front gardens.

front.PNG

Love it....my kind of front garden.

[Mr List]

wheres the garden? I see a drive and a verge

[pdid]

wheres the garden? I see a drive and a verge

Most front gardens are a drive and verge.

What (if any) plants will grow naturally to a 4-5 ft hedge with no need for maintenance?

I liked the idea of giving him a bamboo hedge because it wouldn't take any maintenance and would provide a good jungle back ground.

if it was my garden at 4-5ft I would have a fence not a hedge as the boundary but this would be very difficult to put in and would require some level of upkeep.

The picture I posted is about as low maintenance and open as a nice looking front garden gets. If you plant a jungle style garden for someone who can't be arsed maintaining it then it will look a mess quickly. Unless you plan on doing the maintenance for him

[Mr List]

jungle style gardens are one of the lowest maintenance types, you just plant stuff and watch it grow.

[jungle jas]

Not strictly true in my experience Mr l. They are OK for a few years but unless you brilliant designer with military precision you always end up trimming things back to stop other things getting swamped and shaded out.

[Yorkshire Kris]

jungle style gardens are one of the lowest maintenance types, you just plant stuff and watch it grow.

Come off it! If it was so low maintanence we would just plant stuff and then say "that looks nice" and this forum would be empty because there would be nothing to learn and nothing to do.

[Mr List]

I was thinking just stick in a couple of basjoos and fatsias tbh.

it will be a very simplified version

[fern Rob]

To be honest I'm still in favour of traditional front gardens, rolled green lawns and hedges.

[Mr List]

come round to do the clipping and mowing and it can be