Boundaries

 
Most of us have the desire to create visible boundaries.  This gives us a sense of privacy and security and it stakes out our plot of land on which we create the garden of our dreams.
 
If you have a small garden the boundaries form a large part of that garden and you may be able to see it from every direction.  In a large garden the boundaries merge into the background, but in the small garden the boundaries can dominate.
 
A walled garden can look wonderful, whereas drab wooden fences and large, overgrown hedges hardly add to the charm of the garden.  Don’t see your boundary as ‘set in concrete’ and assume that it can’t be improved.  Fences can be replaced and hedges can be removed, although both can be labour intensive and expensive.  In the first instance you need to establish whether your neighbour owns, or jointly owns the boundary.  If this is the case it might be an idea to get together with your neighbour and  plan how best to improve the boundary.
 
It is also necessary to establish whether there are legal limits to boundary heights in your area.  Those kind of restrictions are more likely to occur in front gardens on ‘open-plan’ estates.  Although restrictions need not inhibit good garden design, it is a good idea to check whether there are any restrictions, before planning a new boundary.
 
What type of boundary you plant is largely down to personal choice.  If you like hedges, bear in mind that many of the classic hedges like beech or leylandii are probably too large and invasive for the small garden.  The classic box hedge is one of the best, it clips well and can be trimmed to any size you like, but make sure you get the right variety if you want dwarf hedging.  ‘Suffruticosa’ is one of the best, or the quick growing ‘Lonicera nitida’.  Some of the small Berberis can be clipped small – the red leaved Berberis thunbergii ‘Atropurpurea Nana’ looks lovely.
 
If clipping hedges isn’t your thing you might try the grey leaved Senecio ‘Sunshine’ or the golden Philadelphus coronarius ‘Aureus’ – but this is not evergreen.  Viburnum tinus can also be kept to a reasonable height and it is winter flowering.  Roses make lovely hedges and you have the added bonus of scent, but they don’t look very attractive in winter.  Also, if they are a thorny variety, it is not a good idea to plant them if you have small children or get a lot of passers by.
 
Lavender and Rosemary make wonderful hedges, but they become untidy with age and will need replanting.

As you can see there are endless possibilites when it comes to choosing boundaries.