recent talks around Pyracantha have spurred my interest in starting a larger discussion about NW species with hedge potential, info on hedges ,or those with a working track record. Feel free to add something even if you don’t live in the Pacific Northwest though.
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Are you specifically thinking of hedge species that produce fruit? I have plans for a che (Maclura tricuspidata) hedge eventually, but that’s a few years away since I’ll be growing them from cuttings mostly, and I started my first few this year.
In any case, I’m looking forward to following along with this thread.
Feijoa makes a wonderful hedge.
fruit would be a plus, though anything with classical hedge attributes is the aim, i.e heavy branching, suckering ,blooming tendencies, strong nurse plant potential for diverse plant and animal habitat. tender perennial or self seeding annuals for ground level coverage, plants with different root structures for rhizosphere stimulation . Nitrogen fixing , shade casting over story nurse trees…but anything really. I just want to hear what people have been doing out there.
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Che and Feijoa are both interesting!
Do you have any info about how large the albert series grow? I am pinched to gift/kill or place my albert feijoa but cannot place anything larger than 10 high by 8 wide. Maintenance (trimming) is not an option. Will be out of state for a few years.
They all grow at around the same rate. Which is to say -slowly.
8-10 feet will take many years — atleast 8 years or more.
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@mike-n Since you live in the Willamette valley, I think you may find helpful matter in reading about English hedgerow techniques. English field maple is smaller than Bigleaf & sturdier than Vine maple. There are a couple native hawthorns (Douglas & Columbia) which would likely meet some of your goals.
I have a city lot & planted two Douglas hawthorns, bought from Plants of the Wild, in the strip between street and sidewalk. Some delinquents walking by tried to break off a branch or twig, only to find they don’t break easily & have thorns. Both trees are doing well & are covered in black fruit in their third season in this ground. (Fruit is edible but not compelling to pick and use.)
I also planted one Scouler willow, which turned out to be male - a pussy willow. (Unlike apples, roses or hawthorn, willow trees are either male or female.) Scouler willow is more tolerant of drier conditions than most willows, and its branches will contribute to wood chips as it grows, for I must trim it to not interfere with passing cars or those walking by. I did this purposely.
In my limited experience both these species would be candidates for a hedge, if I wished to create one.
You might also consider several roses, especially the wilder/older types, which require little care to establish.
Oregon crabapple grows wild in the PNW - even near Spokane in creek bottoms or north facing slopes - and tends to create its own thicket. It might require root pruning to limit it to a hedge, but the roots could be re-planted (in the cold months while dormant) to extend or repair your hedge.
Once you have begun your hedge, birds will help you with biodiversity, offering Virginia creeper and hollyhock seed thru their droppings. Maybe pyracantha.
Maybe American rowan/mountain ash & Oregon ash, and holly.
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Let’s be honest, what they will mostly offer is the dreaded Himalayan blackberries
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Someone else mentioned feijoa but I think it cannot be understated. For a hedge I would want it to be evergreen, so fruit is also a priority for me. I know arbutus unedo (strawberry tree) also performs well in that area and also is showy and evergreen. Not to mention these two attract some pollinators.
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Goumi. Nitrogen fixer and fruit. Low maintenance bush.
You bring up one of the many reasons I like living where I am. Here the birds actually have spread Virginia creeper and hollyhock.
It is too dry for dreaded blackberries to spread. I know one yard where they were planted, unwatered for a summer, & they died.
While I no longer live in the PNW, I did for decades. I would advocate for using native plants that would benefit birds and pollinators. You don’t state the sun exposure but I always planted salal, evergreen huckleberry and flowering red currant. The later will bring grateful hummingbirds to your yard.
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Salal, evergreen huckleberry, oregon boxwood.
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Ceanothus or California lilac is a great evergreen, drought tolerant, nitrogen fixer, native and pollinator. Not fruiting but does so much as a support species.
Salal, oregon grape, evergreen huckleberry, rhododendron, Camelia and Holly may be other interesting options to investigate.
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