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  Claire Brown January 3, 2012 at 8:30pm

  I'd suggest lonicera nitida,  -either the green version or baggescens gold.

  I often use them in place of box, for areas that are shadier or dryer root wise. - they are easy to keep tidy with hedge trimmers, and can be kept at whatever size you want them between 2 and 6 foot tall.
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  Simon Smith January 3, 2012 at 9:41pm

  Thanks for the reply, food for though.  I had also considered common laurel as there is a large border near the entrance with them as a backdrop and it would tie in well but Ideally i want it closer to 2 foot or possibly 3 foot max and had ruled them out as probably looking a bit naff at that size.

  Do you think they could work and have you ever seen a laurel hedge that small?

  Oh and the area is partly shaded too.
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  Simon Smith January 3, 2012 at 11:03pm

  Yea that was my thinking, the large loosely clipped leaves looking out of scale.

  Thanks for your input, other suggestions welcome.
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  Peter Woolnough January 3, 2012 at 11:30pm

  Hi Simon,

  Not evergreen, but either Beech or Hornbeam hedging may get the job done.

  At this time of year, the whips are very reasonable in price so you could do a double staggered row to make it look dense for a reasonable cost.
• PRO

  Stephen Budgett January 3, 2012 at 11:31pm

  What about Osmanthus? They'll form an informal hedge, can tolerate dappled shade and most soil conditions. Also has the benefit of white flowers.
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  Claire Brown January 3, 2012 at 11:59pm

  totally agree with John that the Laurel would look out of place, - if you are going to try cotoneaster, - Simonsiii is great as a small hedge.

  I love osmanthus, but from experience think it would take too long to form a hedge, and because it flowers in April (on last year's growth) if you let trim it too much you don't get the benefit of the scented flowers, - i've not seen them flowering properly until about 4 feet high.
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  Rose Lennard January 4, 2012 at 8:11am

  Just a warning to check how far the kerb haunchings extend under the bed - I've seen careless work where haunchings could leave very little planting space in a 1m wide bed, and you might find you need to do a bit of hacking back before you can even start planting - worth taking a crowbar along to test the soil!

  You could consider Rosemary 'Miss Jessop's Upright' or Bay, as they are both drought tolerant (though the Bay leaves might be too large for the scale). Rosemary gives you flowers as well and would thrive in that NI climate!
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  Paul McNulty January 4, 2012 at 8:34am

  Only a 12" width of useable soil isn't great, what's the quality like? I'd imagine that between building a car park and an ashphalt road, both with kerbs, there's likely to be a whole load of compacted rubbish in there. Perhaps do a bit of exploratory work first and consider clearing it out and adding decent soil; the hedge won't have much chance of establishing well otherwise. Is it worth putting in a leaky hose for the first couple of seasons? I know you say it's easy to water but is this the client promising to look after it, which often means ten minutes (or less) with a hose when they occasionally remember!

  One other thing to consider is you mention it's a car park on one side? Is this going to be a problem with cars parked tail-in to the hedge and running their engines, I've had this cause dead patches in a hedge at a doctor's surgery before, as people let the engines run whilst their passenger went in to book an appointment or pick up a prescription!

  I put in a euonymous hedge around a swimming pool once; they wanted evergreen, variegated and no more than 18" height, with little leaf-drop and minimal clipping. That's worked well, and it's survived the rigours of kids, footballs etc. Personally I hate Lon. Nitida (sorry Claire!) as it needs very regular clipping to keep from getting straggly, and that's more work that would require more cost to the client over time.
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  Phil Voice January 4, 2012 at 10:38am

  Reply from Melissa on Twitter:

  @MMGardenDesignMelissa Morton

  @LandscapeJuice ... And no doubt necessary to consider pollution issues - dare I suggest Golden Privet (Ligustrum Ovalifolium Aureum)?
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  Stuart @ Eco Garden Maintenance January 5, 2012 at 12:57pm

  What an excellent idea. Ivy is tolerant of dry and poor soil, and its evergreen. Might be a bit too vigorous though ?
  
  Sue Bell said:

  As the area is so narrow, what about a metal mesh frame supporting ivies. You could use forms with coloured leaves for variety. They are drought tolerant, can be small leaved if you pick the right varieties, have insect-friendly flowers and are easy to trim. Some suppliers even provide ready-made panels.