Feedback on a living fence?

I plan to plant Rose of Sharon’s, Daylilies, Purple Coneflowers and spring blooming bulbs along the inside of the sidewalk. I already have the seedlings I will need and only need to purchase the bulbs. Should I plant a few contrasting shrubs like burning bush amongst them or just stick with the Rose of Sharon? I just find privacy fences very dull and costly to maintain and think a blooming fence will look beautiful. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Feedback on a living fence?
Sounds beautiful! I think you should have both plants, since the Rose of Sharon will stop blooming in late summer and then you'll have the fall color of the burning bush. When they are all established, you should have some color all through the growing season.
Reply:We have a 150' Rose of Sharon hedge as a privacy fence in our front yard. It works great. I would recommend 1 continuos hedge because once they start growing, the ROS's can get pretty big and I wouldn't want to have to worry about trimming them so they don't overtake the other plants. We bought 100 plants (1.5' apart) from some cheap mail order company and within a year it was a nice hedge. The second year it was taller than me. The only drawback is that after they flower, seeds get everywhere and you have little ROS's growing all over. This isn't a big deal if you are mowing next to the hedge, but if you have a garden next to it, it gets very annoying. They also attract Japanese Beetles if you have them in your area.





Some other ideas - we did trellises with Kiwi and Grapes as privacy screens on the other sides of our property. These work well but take longer to grow and get pretty week in the winter.
Reply:a rose of sharon won't do much if you are looking for privacy.





you should get the flowering boxwoods that grow to 8' and more.





I think you should just plant a few things at a time and add on just a pinch each year. this way you won't over plant and you can decide what you might want when you see how everything grows.