Front garden plants?

Hello, I am looking for some advice on what to plant in my front grden. We moved to a new house last year and currently the front garden is just (pretty scrubby) lawn. We have a low wall, about 10 ft long, and I'd like to plant some hedging type shrubs along it to give us some protection from the main road. We get a lot of sun in this garden - when we have any! Any suggestion of a pretty hardy plant that will survive the traffic and the sun but will grow quite big?

Thank you!

 

Hi Bookwormy

I live in cornwall where my front garden is south facing but I have to deal with lots of very strong sea winds (but not traffic fumes though), 

 

You dont say if you want a low or high hedge - I would suggest something along the lines of hebes (low), euphorbia (low-Mid), forsythia (great spring colour - you can grow a series of these into a hedge - great for spring colour), grasses (low-mid)

Hope this helps - if I think of any more, I will post again.

Santolinas, silvery grey, scented foliage; berberis nana, purple mounded foliage; all low. Abelias, autumn flowers virtually evergreen and choice of foliage ; potentiallas for summer flowers; I agree with grasses that provide movement and height; choisyas with yellow or green foliage and sweet smelling flowers in spring/early summer; buddleia Harlequin with variegated foliage; Olearias, Berberis Darwinii (orange flowers in spring), philadelphus (scented flowers in June), hibiscus (flowers in September) and what about the hollies? A hedge need not be about the usual hedging plants. I grow a "hedge" along the side of my veg patch comprising euonymous emerald n gold, variegated box, potentilla, a good blue rosemary, Lonicera nitida Baggesons Gold (love this one) and a couple of half standard prunus cistena crimson dwarf. It looks pretty good, I think, with all year round interest and colour with easy maintence. I would let my imagination go wild...

Wow! thast great, thank you both for the ideas!

Photinia Red Robin grows quite big and is evergreen in winter. Eleagnus Gilt Edge is also evergreen, so is cotoneaster lacteus (which has red berries in winter that birds like), lonicera nitida and escallonia (which has pretty red or pink flowers). As you have a main road I imagine you don't want the hedge to disappear in winter!

http://www.hedgesdirect.co.uk/   is a good site to look at.

something prickly if it is a low wall as it deters "invaders", and altogether make it colourfull, its the best way to get neighbours to talk to you, and walk down the road and see what THEY grow,or grows well in the area.The other replies must have given you lots to go on!

Yes, lots of food for thought - thanks to you all!

I've got Escallonias growing as a shrub height hedge. Evergreen, pretty hardy, & flowers. I've seen them trimmed more neatly than mine into a denser hedge. J.

I'm a fan of Elaeagnus ebbingeii as a hedge. You can let it grow into a shaggy kind of hedge, or prune it to a sharp edged hedge. If you "forget" to trim it for a year or so, it responds really well to hard pruning treatment. It grows reasonably quickly, but not to the extent that it's problematic. Plus you get fabulous scent from it when it's in flower even though the flowers themselves are very inconspicuous. And it's evergreen too!