In the spring, I have a plan. :-D Between our front drive and our neighbours is a tatty, weed filled strip of grass - (it would be an insult to grass to refer to it as lawn). Our new neighbours never cut it, so I always have to do it, and they let their cats and dog poop on it when they are to lazy to take them out, and again, even though we have asked, they don't clear up after them. So, the plan....I intend to mark out the middle, remove the turf, improve the ground, add some sort of kerb or edging, and plant a selection of prickly, evergreen shrubs. I know it isn't going to be cheap, but I can start with small plants and let them fill the gap. Probably going to need 20 or so plants. I know have access to a wholesale nursery through the company I work for, so I should be able to save some cash there. I imagine I will go for pyracatha, berberis, holly and the like. I want it to look nice, as well as provide a hedge to keep the cats from pooping. Do any of you have any idea of perfect shrubs for this sort of job?
Chinese Holly, if you can find it there .... http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook/trees/ilco.html The points on the leaves are as sharp as needles and will go thru the sole of those rubber flip-flops right into your foot. They are almost impossible to get rid of, but we did. There were 4 along the front sidewalk, it took us about 3 years to get them completely dead and gone but had to do it before Amanda could go out there.
Well there's our own holly too of course but here's a few others for you to think about. White thorn Catclaw Barberry Gray thorn Wolfberry Hawthorn (but it's not evergreen) There's bound to be many more but my brain has ceased up.
Lovely ideas. I don't want it to sound like I want to harm the kittycats, just put them off really. And provide a barrier so next doors dog doesn't roam around our front garden. I shall write up the list you have all suggested and get myself to the wholesale nursery.
EJ I know you'd never harm the cats but I think it's a great idea to stop them doing their business in that area. Anyway the shrubs are bound to look and smell better than what's being deposited there at the moment!!
