[Tobar]

Hello everybody,

I recently purchased a newly built house on a large corner site in a Dublin suburb, and am having awful problems with kids using my garden as a shortcut, or a general area for acting the maggot.

I got a little railing made & installed on top of the wall, but this has made little difference, as they can still jump over it (due to a 'step' on the inside of the garden, which is part of the foundation of the wall).

I purchased some Pyracantha recently to attempt to grow a Hedge all the way around the garden as a pictureque barrier (& to cover up the 'step'). I am gradually planting them around the garden at approx 1 metre apart, and although they do seem to have taken well, they look like they'll take forever to grow together & form the hedge that we so desperately require.

Can someone tell me if I should have planted them closer together? and if so, should I now plant more between the existing ones to speed up the process of a hedge forming?

Last but not least, I realise that maintenance will be a factor in keeping this new Hedge nice, but am I biting off more than I can chew with this?

[inishindie]

Hi

I sympathise with your plight. I lived in a block of flats where peolpe used the corner garden as a shortcut. I planted all sorts but thed didn't grow fast enough and as they grew, gaps were formed where access could be gained anyway. I even resorted (embarrisingly)to setting traps that looked like work in progress, strings and posts etc. I even tried planting japanese knotweed, but that died! (there's a first for everything) I was so desperate that I eventually put a path in and it was then used as a regular walkthrough, so at least the area wasn't being walked on all over.

On a more positive note I have managed to stop other people from taking shortcuts in other gardens. The dog rose is a very fast grower that stops people in their tracks in the growing months. If you are needing the pyracantha to be an effective barrier you might need to interplant with others and even put them in double rows. The key thing is to try to make sure they grow to give a full cover. This could be done by putting up a temporary barrier to let them establish. It's a bit difficult without seeing your garden (any pics) so I could recommend something?

Cheers

Ian




You might need something a bit more substantial !

[GPI]

Yes, I believe the right idea would be to interplant your existing Pyracantha, as it is planted much too far apart to solve your "problem" even within the next few years.
Interplant with further pyracanta or possibly blackthorn or wild rose as inishindie suggested.
Have a look at your thorny hedging choices here... http://www.gardenplansireland.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=204
Plant two rows back to back, with a low sheep or chicken wire fence tacked to short stakes in between to act as a "support" for the new plants.
The "support" will become a low but instant barrier that must be stepped over, hopefully preventing the trampling of your young hedge.

[GarethAustin]

GPI is right.

Plant your pyracanthea at least 4/m in a double staggered row. cut back hard when first planted to encourage them to side shoot - if you leave them they will get very tall and gangly.

Feed well in Spring and summer to promote more growth.

[Tobar]

That's great Guys, thank you very much for the great advice & guidance, I'll let you know how I get on!

[Tobar]

Guys,

I've noticed just the other day that the Pyracantha on the west-facing part of the garden have really taken off since last July when I planted them first, but the ones on the south & east facing walls have barely grown at all.

Those on the south & east facing walls have their direct sunlight blocked by the actual house itself, so the west facing wall gets the sun in the evening.

Is it just a case that the ones on the walls with a lot less sunlight will grow, but need a lot more time because of the reduced direct sunlight?

I was hoping that this would take off fairly quickly in an attempt to keep those pesky kids out!

Any info/advice would be most appreciated ......

[BlackBird]

The slower growth could be from any number of factors. But if you rule out different soil quality, different water accessabilty, different wind tunnelling, different plant stock etc. then I would presume the lack of sunlight is the reason for the slowdown. Just be sure the weaker plants receive enough water, feed and other care as I would hate to see them fall back further in the race.

[Tobar]

What's the best Plant Food to help Pyracantha get established & grow well at this time of year & going forward?

[BlackBird]

A general purpose slow realease shrub fertiliser such as pelleted chicken manure. Do a PH test on the soil in the area where the south & east facing walls are. Your Pyracantha likes a slightly acidic soil and can tent to grow slowly in strongly alkaline soil. You can see a test here http://www.gardenplansireland.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=825

[Shegull]

Hi there from a newbie,

I had a fantastic Pyracantha but on revamping my garden thought it would be better on a south facing wall. Moved it a year ago and everything was fine - the leaves did die off but there was plenty of new shoots which were still there up until about a month ago. Now everything seems to have died off. Is this the end of my Pyracantha or if I leave well enough alone is it likely to take off again. Would a hard pruning help any. I have cut off all the dead branches but not sure if I am fighting a losing battle.

[Tobar]