what best to plant ...

[Phil Pascoe]

to cover this up? I can't pull the hedge down, 1/ because it's landlocked, and 2/ because we haven't the inclination. The ground behind it is higher and apparently no one legally owns it. Why there's a bloody great post on top of a hedge, who knows?

 

[SammyQ]

Phil, is "hedge" in Cornish a fence or a sloping surface? Because, I am used to a hedge being green and growing (bushily) upwards? In the case of the ground shown in your photos, I would invest in a couple of dozen vigorous 'groundcover' plants, low, thick, and flowering.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

It started its life as a hedge between two fields, hence it's not of any particular quality. Actually, thinking about the ground behind, it's more of a retaining wall than a hedge. There is a bed 2' - 3' wide at the base which makes it look worse.

 

[mwinfrance]

Phil, is "hedge" in Cornish a fence or a sloping surface? Because, I am used to a hedge being green and growing (bushily) upwards?

Me 2 ..looks like a bush behind a larch lap fence on top of a rubble mound. maybe if you say that with a Cornish accent..it comes out sounding like "hedge". Cover ? Kudzu

 

[deema]

I’m your shoes I would go onto land registry web site and for about £5 you can use a cursor on the map to identify pieces of land to see who owns it. There are pockets of unregistered land, if it is one of those I would start the process of claiming ownership. That used to be using it, ie mowing it, putting plants in it, having a picnic on it. Photos of you doing it to start the evidence pack. Land adds value to your property!

 

[mwinfrance]

Clever idea that ^^^
That kind of "consulting of land registery" is free here ( cadastre ) at any mairie ( town hall ) ..Good way to find out who owns "so called" "abandoned property, / land" if you are interested in buying it. There is a "variant" on "claiming it via use", but takes about 30 years or so ( of "use" )..and can be tricky and fruitless. IIRC.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

We had it looked into when we purchased - it doesn't appear to belong to anyone, although my neighbour who bought theirs six years before were told it belongs the the people in the row behind it. I don't want it, but I'm not prepared to claim ownership of it in case it collapses. From the posts on the fence it seem to be mine anyway. So much stone has fallen out of the facing over the years it does look more like a heap. All I'm really interested in is suggestions what best to plant on it to tie it in and cover it up - it'll be someone's else's problem in the long term.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I doesn't look quite such a heap from a different perspective.

 

[Ttrees]

How bout planting some hemp, pretty sure it would be seen as
your property should some constable take an interest

 

[mwinfrance]

From the posts on the fence it seem to be mine anyway

Here that would be the case, as I pointed out to our parisian ex-neighbours ( thank **$* they are gone )..Buttresses our side..our wall. All the walls around our place..our walls.

 

[mwinfrance]

How bout planting some hemp, pretty sure it would be seen as
your property should some constable take an interest

keyboard ...coffee

 

[Tris]

If you don't mind bees whilst it's in flower you could do worse than cotoneaster horizontalis. Planted at the bottom it can be persuaded to go up the bank by pinning the stems in the right place with some fence wire 'staples'. It will root as it goes, flowers and has berries, evergreen and needs little or no pruning

 

[Amateur]

Whatever you do don't get, "Titchmarsh" in
Youll have a bigger balls up than you have now and it will cost you ten grand and embarrass you with half of Cornwall turning up to see whats going on.

 

[Linus]

As previously suggested honeysuckle but that dies back in winter, or try ivy. It's evergreen and will climb and bind. Mix with honeysuckle or virginia creeper for summer colour?

 

[Tris]

There's some good variegated ivies- hedera helix 'Gold Child', 'Sulphur Heart', or 'Oro di Bogliasco'. Small ones planted top and bottom would fill in the space well. 'Sulphur Heart' is very vigorous but less likely to root in well

 

[rob1693]

Some of the sedums are excellent for ground cover, like the ones used on living roofs

 

[Phil Pascoe]

If you don't mind bees whilst it's in flower you could do worse than cotoneaster horizontalis. Planted at the bottom it can be persuaded to go up the bank by pinning the stems in the right place with some fence wire 'staples'. It will root as it goes, flowers and has berries, evergreen and needs little or no pruning

I'm all for bees, despite one of mine nearly killing me. I work upon the theory that while there's something more interesting around they'll leave me alone. 35 Years of epipens and I've not yet had to use one.

 

[Tris]

You're a braver man than I, Phil.
Always like to see bees working, and for the most part they are fine. There's a nest of wild bees in a chimney at work and a few years back it must have had an aggressive queen, they were a complete nuisance that season and I ended up looking (more) like the Elephant Man a couple of times

 

[scockram]

Talking of bees, how about planting some comfrey? Bees love it and it's an excellent ground cover. Also makes a great homemade fertilizer for the rest of the garden.

 

[scockram]

Can't quite tell from the photos, but how much sun does the bank/hedge receive? If it's a reasonable amount then Aubrecia and Phlox should do well there. They both trail down a wall or slope and look spectacular when in flower, this time of year.