Hedges do the work of fences or walls in a garden or yard, but they are cheaper than the hardscape. Hedge varieties can hide ugly areas, serve as privacy screens for yards on busy streets, or block the wind while also making the area greener and more attractive. What hedge plants to choose? Plants used for hedges should be chosen to fulfill the purpose of the hedge, so clarify your intentions before you decide. Read on for a list of hedge plant ideas.
Types of Hedging
Hedges can be as tall or as short as serves your purpose.
Some hedge shrubs grow taller than 100 feet tall (30 m.) while others don’t get
taller than you are. If you want a line of short hedge plants to mark the edge
of a patio, you’ll want to use different hedge varieties than when you are
trying to block 50-mile-an-hour winds.
Plants used for hedges might be deciduous
or evergreen.
The former can provide a seasonal screen but leave the view clear in winter.
Evergreen hedge varieties provide year-round coverage. Again, what hedge plants
to choose? That depends on the reason for the hedging.
Hedge Plant Ideas
Before you pick hedge plants, consider why you want to plant
this hedge. Once you figure out the whys, whens, and wherefores, you can turn
to hedge plant ideas.
Most people expect windbreak hedges, screens and privacy
hedges to offer protection or privacy all year long. That means plants used for
hedging should be evergreen and dense.
One favorite conifer for hedges is Leyland cypress. It grows about 3 feet (1 m.)
a year and can top 100 feet (30 m.) tall. These are great for windbreaks.
Western red cedars are similar evergreen conifers and can get even taller. If
you prefer a leafy evergreen hedge, try cherry laurel or Portuguese laurel; both are lovely
hedge varieties that shoot up to 18 feet (6 m.).
Ornamental Plants Used for Hedges
For more decorative types of hedging, consider using
flowering shrubs. Pyracantha is a rapid-growing thorn bush that
makes a great defensive
hedge. It has white flowers in summer and bright orange or red berries in
autumn and winter. In fact, most flowering bushes can make hedge plants.
You can also use flowering herbs like
lavender or cistus for a shorter ornamental hedge. Ceanothus, with its indigo flowers, is a
lovely native for a hedge, while escallonia has scarlet flowers that last all
summer long.
Hedges do the work of fences or walls in a garden or yard, but they are cheaper than the hardscape. Hedge varieties can hide ugly areas, serve as privacy screens for yards on busy streets, or block the wind while also making the area greener and more attractive. What hedge plants to choose? Plants used for hedges should be chosen to fulfill the purpose of the hedge, so clarify your intentions before you decide. Read on for a list of hedge plant ideas.
Types of Hedging
Hedges can be as tall or as short as serves your purpose.
Some hedge shrubs grow taller than 100 feet tall (30 m.) while others don’t get
taller than you are. If you want a line of short hedge plants to mark the edge
of a patio, you’ll want to use different hedge varieties than when you are
trying to block 50-mile-an-hour winds.
Plants used for hedges might be deciduous
or evergreen.
The former can provide a seasonal screen but leave the view clear in winter.
Evergreen hedge varieties provide year-round coverage. Again, what hedge plants
to choose? That depends on the reason for the hedging.
Hedge Plant Ideas
Before you pick hedge plants, consider why you want to plant
this hedge. Once you figure out the whys, whens, and wherefores, you can turn
to hedge plant ideas.
Most people expect windbreak hedges, screens and privacy
hedges to offer protection or privacy all year long. That means plants used for
hedging should be evergreen and dense.
One favorite conifer for hedges is Leyland cypress. It grows about 3 feet (1 m.)
a year and can top 100 feet (30 m.) tall. These are great for windbreaks.
Western red cedars are similar evergreen conifers and can get even taller. If
you prefer a leafy evergreen hedge, try cherry laurel or Portuguese laurel; both are lovely
hedge varieties that shoot up to 18 feet (6 m.).
Ornamental Plants Used for Hedges
For more decorative types of hedging, consider using
flowering shrubs. Pyracantha is a rapid-growing thorn bush that
makes a great defensive
hedge. It has white flowers in summer and bright orange or red berries in
autumn and winter. In fact, most flowering bushes can make hedge plants.
You can also use flowering herbs like
lavender or cistus for a shorter ornamental hedge. Ceanothus, with its indigo flowers, is a
lovely native for a hedge, while escallonia has scarlet flowers that last all
summer long.