Rosa Rugosa Hedge

brianonline · Rank attained: Hazel Tree Joined: 16 Feb 2017 Posts: 3

Hi all,
I'm hoping to plant a relatively low maintenance hedge in the next few weeks. It's the west and south sides of the back lawn roughly 100m in total.

We live around a mile from the beach in Wexford, and get very strong winds, and lots of salt. I'm thinking of rosa rugosa, planted halfway up the inside of the 1m high, 2m wide mound of clay/topsoil mix along the border of the property. I really dont want to waste money planting all these, if they mightn't grow well on the mound due to the mix.

Would I be better just sowing them along the law/mound border? I sprayed the mound down at the end of last year, it was a jungle of weed and nettles, with a few furze bushes cropping up on along the back side of the mound so I would have thought it is somewhat fertile. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Brian

tagwex · Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 11:10 pm Post subject:

At last another Wexfordian. It has been a hard station fighting my corner in the sunny south east. I have been outnumbered by nordies and dubs. The tide is beginning to turn at last!!!!
Have a look at what has worked for your neighbours and ask them what didn't work.

kindredspirit · Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 7:19 am Post subject:

Personally I'd go for Gorse. It's the only hedge that I know of, that the more you trim it, the better it flowers. Usually with other hedges, it's the opposite case.

I've seen some stunning Gorse hedges in West Cork near the sea.

brianonline · Rank attained: Hazel Tree Joined: 16 Feb 2017 Posts: 3

Hi tagwex, glad to have a fellow wexfordian for a bit of advice. Although I've had the house for 7 years and grown a few veg fruit kept the lawns etc, I'm still relatively green when it comes to gardening, so I'll take it all in. I see rosa rugosa everywhere here so pretty sure it's salt and wind hardy, just not sure if it'll grow in what is most likely a mix of topsoil and marle on my mound , perhaps the soil needs to be optimum for rosa rugosa I don't know how sensitive it is root wise.

Hi kindredspirit, I honestly had almost settled on gorse, as it is everywhere here and I do love it, i think it's more of an all year rounder too rather than rosa rugosa. I'm torn!! Thanks all, if anyone has any more input, I'm always open to suggestions Cool

tagwex · Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 6:07 pm Post subject:

If it was me I would try to find something different to what seems to be the norm in that area. But that is just me. Have you tried your local garden centres for advice as they would have a good handle on what sells well for them in the area. There has to be other plants suitable for your conditions.

Sue Deacon · Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 7:59 pm Post subject:

I'd go with the rosa rugosa. Future Forests do bare-rooted ones for very little money and they do spread. lovely flowers, hips and Autumn colour, tough as old boots too. Very Happy

tagwex · Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 8:46 pm Post subject:

Mrs Jekyll's boots???

Sue Deacon · Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 9:32 pm Post subject:

Of course!

tagwex · Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2017 12:30 am Post subject:

Great memory!
Sea thrift Brian? Might suit the conditions down around Tagoat/Killinick area huh?

brianonline · Rank attained: Hazel Tree Joined: 16 Feb 2017 Posts: 3

Just looked up sea thrift. Wow. I'll definetely find somewhere to put some, very impressive. Im down Kilmore area, pretty close!! Thanks for your input too Sue, I really like Rosa Rugosa, it has a 'wild' feel to it, which is pretty much how it is around here a lot of the time, the winds sweep through here and take no prisoners!
Im going to ponder some more and make a decision on this soon i assume ive only a few more weeks before bareroot planting becomes a no no? Also, is there much prep needed for hedging, I've had mixed input, somesay a spade opening slit in the ground, and pop the roots in, firm closed, and bob's your uncle. Bare in mind I could be planting 150-200 of whatever I end up planting! Shocked

tagwex · Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2017 5:55 pm Post subject:

Ahhh down amongst the heronchokers where trees don't even grow due to the wind. I was trying to work the location from the photo angle but I had to make some assumptions. A very distant Forth Mountain was all I had to go on.

Sue Deacon · Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2017 7:49 pm Post subject:

tagwex · Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2017 10:07 pm Post subject:

Good guy · Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2017 12:59 am Post subject:

You must have great imagination down your way, Tw. A mountain in that photo. It's hillier in Holland!

As for rosa rugosa, I specified it for a very exposed site near Greencastle on Lough Foyle and it is thriving on a bank very like that in the photo.
Just be sure to control the grass in the first few years so it doesn't choke the young plants. And if nettles have grown on the bank then it has plenty of fertility.

tagwex · Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2017 9:58 am Post subject:

No need for imagination GG just local knowledge. Just because it is called a mountain doesn't mean that it is one. But it is there all the same, if you look on the right side of the picture there is a solitary fence post, the 'mountain ' is directly over that albeit approx. 12 miles away as I am sure my fellow yellow belly will confirm. only peeved off because there are now more Wexfordians than Donegallers on here!!!! Outnumbered.