Five years on, the mixed flowering hedge is delivering mixed results.

Some parts, such as the spireas (on the right in both photos), are bushy and voluminous and looking like a proper hedge should.

Others are thin and scraggly. The aronias (on the left in the first photo) are looking almost as small as they were five years ago, not at all like aronia hedges are looking on the internet. You can barely even see them in front of the flowering quinces in the background. The Dasiphora/Potentilla (on the left in the 2nd photo) have gained a bit of volume but didn’t do well under the weight of the snow this winter. Neither is bushy enough after all this time to overpower weeds under them.

Today I did yet another round of weeding under the weakest sections of the hedge. Tomorrow I’ll fill in with ground cover.

On the one hand – some of these bushes have been disappointing. On the other hand – three cheers for a mixed hedge! I’d be so much more disappointed if I’d gone for Dasiphora all the way, and all of my hedge was looking like this.