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URBAN HEDGES PART TWO: BAMBOO TRELLIS
by
TheLastLeafGardener
(IC: blogger)
Welcome to Part Two of my postings on urban hedges, hedges which are designed to help those who have a garden in the city achieve some privacy.
Before I get into my topic I want to take a moment to mention that I had a few problems posting part one of this series, and the result was that it was posted twice! I hope this does not disrupt anyone's newsfeed, and I thank Lulu, Miriam as well as Yair for their efforts to resolve the glitch that I had in posting! And now without further do, I give you part two!
The type (shelving-style) of urban hedge that I discussed in part one is directly outside the door which leads from my garden into my apartment. The urban hedge which I am speaking about in this entry is a bit north of the shelving-style hedge. (Please refer to image one to give you a sense of perspective: the trellis hedge is indicated by a circle which is superimposed over the image, while the square indicates the approximate location of the shelving hedge, which it is off camera in this picture).
The bamboo trellis (seen in image two) is an urban hedge variety which can sustain the weight of the small bird feeders (referred to in the first paragraph of part one) when they are adhered to it with a hook. (Image Three.)
However, this is also a hedge birds seem to enjoy perching upon (rain or shine) even when they are not nibbling from a feeder (as seen in pictures four through eight)!
But humming birds did not seem to alight anywhere near the trellis, even though I hung red ribbons (photo nine) there to "lure" them (as per the suggestion of a place that sold me the humming bird feeders which I discussed in an entry on HT on July 3rd 2013).
In any event, when I first put up my bamboo trellis hedge, to my knowledge there were no wild birds visiting my garden and my intent for installing the hedge in the first place was to get some privacy from gawking neighbors who lived in the building two doors west of me. Their terrace can be seen in image ten.
In bygone years prior to Juan V putting a trellis urban hedge in its locale, I had amazing basil triplets which "stood" in my "fireplace planter" as seen in image eleven. This served the purpose of an urban hedge while providing a great scent to my garden as well as ingredients for basil infused gin and tonics!
However, I was only able to procure this basil type for three years before the grower stopped producing them and that's when I sought alternative hedges for this location in my garden. A few attempts at this endeavor (pre-trellis) included putting my Black Mondo grass triplets in the fire-place planter as well as the use of passion vine. The results can be seen in in images twelve and thirteen. (FYI, Black Mondo grass is too low for this purpose, and passion vine, while it becomes lush quickly, is an annual that can become invasive!)
Therefore, I decided to look for a perenniall that might be good as a hedge, and this is when Juan V's idea of using my left over bamboo plant stakes to create a trellis-as-hedge was born.
The bamboo trellis was created by tying stakes together and then placing terra-cotta pots below the structure to plant "something" to grow that would ultimately trail up the trellis (this can be seen in photo fourteen and fifteen).
Our first thought was to use honeysuckle, as not only it would trail nicely up the bamboo trellis, but it is a perennial which is known to be hearty. Unfortunately the honeysuckle got a case of the mildew, and I had to pull it out. I replaced it with a lovely annual known as the Cardinal Climber which trailed quickly up the trellis and created a lovely hedge as evident in images sixteen and seventeen.
Some months later, when I winterized my garden (my annual ritual which I'll discuss at some point here on HT), the cardinal climber had to be pulled out, so Juan V and I placed boughs of evergreens inside the terra-cotta pots to form a winter urban hedge which can be seen in photos eighteen and nineteen.
BUT currently in NYC, we are in the throes of a HEAT WAVE, and a wintery urban hedge with Christmas decor seems a long way off, except for the reminder by the "Christmas in July" fireworks (image twenty).
As of this posting my bamboo trellis is a backdrop for my Lemon-Lime Cypress twins and echinacea plants (image twenty-one) creating a lovely urban hedge!
Before I get into my topic I want to take a moment to mention that I had a few problems posting part one of this series, and the result was that it was posted twice! I hope this does not disrupt anyone's newsfeed, and I thank Lulu, Miriam as well as Yair for their efforts to resolve the glitch that I had in posting! And now without further do, I give you part two!
The type (shelving-style) of urban hedge that I discussed in part one is directly outside the door which leads from my garden into my apartment. The urban hedge which I am speaking about in this entry is a bit north of the shelving-style hedge. (Please refer to image one to give you a sense of perspective: the trellis hedge is indicated by a circle which is superimposed over the image, while the square indicates the approximate location of the shelving hedge, which it is off camera in this picture).
The bamboo trellis (seen in image two) is an urban hedge variety which can sustain the weight of the small bird feeders (referred to in the first paragraph of part one) when they are adhered to it with a hook. (Image Three.)
However, this is also a hedge birds seem to enjoy perching upon (rain or shine) even when they are not nibbling from a feeder (as seen in pictures four through eight)!
But humming birds did not seem to alight anywhere near the trellis, even though I hung red ribbons (photo nine) there to "lure" them (as per the suggestion of a place that sold me the humming bird feeders which I discussed in an entry on HT on July 3rd 2013).
In any event, when I first put up my bamboo trellis hedge, to my knowledge there were no wild birds visiting my garden and my intent for installing the hedge in the first place was to get some privacy from gawking neighbors who lived in the building two doors west of me. Their terrace can be seen in image ten.
In bygone years prior to Juan V putting a trellis urban hedge in its locale, I had amazing basil triplets which "stood" in my "fireplace planter" as seen in image eleven. This served the purpose of an urban hedge while providing a great scent to my garden as well as ingredients for basil infused gin and tonics!
However, I was only able to procure this basil type for three years before the grower stopped producing them and that's when I sought alternative hedges for this location in my garden. A few attempts at this endeavor (pre-trellis) included putting my Black Mondo grass triplets in the fire-place planter as well as the use of passion vine. The results can be seen in in images twelve and thirteen. (FYI, Black Mondo grass is too low for this purpose, and passion vine, while it becomes lush quickly, is an annual that can become invasive!)
Therefore, I decided to look for a perenniall that might be good as a hedge, and this is when Juan V's idea of using my left over bamboo plant stakes to create a trellis-as-hedge was born.
The bamboo trellis was created by tying stakes together and then placing terra-cotta pots below the structure to plant "something" to grow that would ultimately trail up the trellis (this can be seen in photo fourteen and fifteen).
Our first thought was to use honeysuckle, as not only it would trail nicely up the bamboo trellis, but it is a perennial which is known to be hearty. Unfortunately the honeysuckle got a case of the mildew, and I had to pull it out. I replaced it with a lovely annual known as the Cardinal Climber which trailed quickly up the trellis and created a lovely hedge as evident in images sixteen and seventeen.
Some months later, when I winterized my garden (my annual ritual which I'll discuss at some point here on HT), the cardinal climber had to be pulled out, so Juan V and I placed boughs of evergreens inside the terra-cotta pots to form a winter urban hedge which can be seen in photos eighteen and nineteen.
BUT currently in NYC, we are in the throes of a HEAT WAVE, and a wintery urban hedge with Christmas decor seems a long way off, except for the reminder by the "Christmas in July" fireworks (image twenty).
As of this posting my bamboo trellis is a backdrop for my Lemon-Lime Cypress twins and echinacea plants (image twenty-one) creating a lovely urban hedge!
Enjoyed the project?
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Published July 18th, 2013 6:01 AM
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3 of 8 comments
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TheLastLeafGardener on Jul 19, 2013Even though I know what you say, "weather is just something we gardeners have to contend with," @Barb Rosen I very much appreciated being reminded of it! Sometimes, when birds stop visiting, or something dies in my garden, I look to reasons for what I coulda, woulda, shoulda done that might have changed a situation; even if severe weather has been the norm or a predator (hawk) has been in the midst! My issue of responsibility is not rooted in "it's all about me," but rather in a painful childhood "trauma" where I believed a situation could have been resolved, if only . . . Nature provides a chance for acceptance as well as appreciating events IN THE MOMENT for everything is passing and fleeting. Thanks again, Barb for taking the time to remind me of this with your comment about weather and gardens!
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Judy on Apr 21, 2014I had planted a beautiful coral honeysuckle years ago and the aphids attack it to death, literally. If you try honeysuckle, you might find a hardy golden yellow type that thrives well and is very full and beautiful. Really enjoyed your little bit of heaven in a very crowded environment. Gardening is so good for the the soul. Love what you have done.
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