Hedge Plants A hedge is a wall composed of plants. Some are purely decorative, while others serve primarily a practical function. Hedges are generally used for privacy to define a person’s boundary but they are also effective to buffer the sound of the traffic or your neighbors. Hedge plants used decoratively are often trimmed to precise sizes and shapes and include evergreen and deciduous shrubs. Such shrubs may also serve the practical function of affording a property some security. Here are some options to get you started if you are interested in creating a living wall: Almost any row of densely growing hedge plants will enhance security to some degree. If you need a higher level of security, but still wish to stick to hedge plants rather than fences, select shrubs or small trees that have thorns (e.g., hawthorns and natal plum), or at least prickly leaves (e.g., holly). But security is not the only practical function that hedges can serve. Hedges may also be used to create privacy screens or windbreaks, in which cases small trees are often used (either exclusively or mixed with shrubs). The plants in such privacy screens or windbreaks are commonly allowed to grow naturally, rather than trimmed to a particular size and shape, unless the grower wishes to combine decorative and practical functions. Below I discuss examples of hedge plants. Ill begin with hedge shrubs. Note that not all hedge shrubs should be meticulously trimmed so as to form sculpted, even surfaces with straight lines. Only three of the shrubs discussed below are typically trimmed in this fashion (forming the classic hedge): Boxwood Privet Yew Evergreen Hedge Shrubs Japanese holly (Ilex crenata): looks more like a boxwood shrub than holly shrub, bearing small, oval leaves. Many cultivars of this broadleaf evergreen are available; for hedge plants, most people select those that reach 3-4 in height, with a similar spread. English holly (Ilex aquifolium), with its prickly leaves, makes a better hedge plant if you wish to combine security with aesthetic considerations. Some hollies grow tall enough to serve as privacy screens. Boxwood Shrubs are a classic hedge. Other broadleaf evergreens suitable as hedge plants include the mountain laurels. A bonus with mountain laurels is that they bloom in late spring-early summer. Dont try to trim laurels as you would boxwoods. Among needle-bearing evergreens, yew bushes are perhaps the most popular hedge plant, partly because they tolerate shade. Some yews grow tall enough to serve as privacy screens. However, yews are slow growers. ** Special note for residents in Bermuda: In Bermuda there are many choices to use as a hedge. Some hedge plant options are: Hibiscus Surinam cherry Privet Match-me-if-you-can Pittosporum Mock orange Oleander Eugenia Spruce Check with your local plant nurseries to see if you can grow any of the stated hedge plants in your area. Its also recommended that you take note of hedge plants in your surrounding neighborhood for ideas and options on what can grow in your landscape.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 13:03:19 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015