In order to choose the best plants for a hedge, it is important to consider their appearance and location. Trees that make good hedges include California lilac, Arborvitae, Field maple, and Hydrangea paniculata. These trees can all provide privacy and beauty to your landscape. Read this article to learn which ones are best for a hedge. In addition, we’ll discuss what makes them good hedge plants.
Arborvitae
The American arborvitae is one of the fastest-growing trees and will reach a mature height of 40 to 60 feet. Arborvitaes can tolerate a wide variety of soil conditions, but they prefer clay or sandy soils for optimal growth. They are also resistant to heavy ice and snow, and their glossy, dark green foliage remains attractive all year long. The two-toned arborvitae is also an excellent choice for a hedge because of its fast growth rate – about 1 foot per year!
The slowest-growing variety of the arborvitae is the Emerald Green. This variety will take much longer to grow to its maximum height, but once it has reached that height, it will provide privacy to the second story. Emerald green arborvitae requires minimal pruning. Arborvitae is a versatile plant that is good for rain gardens and formal hedges. But if you want a fast-growing plant for a hedge, consider the other options first.
The common yew can be pruned to shape the size you desire. The English and Japanese yews grow taller than the arborvitae, but they don’t like regular shearing, so if you live in a deer area, you might want to select a different species. Another popular choice is the Japanese yew, which is deer-resistant and has small, aromatic leaves.
Field maple
This shrub is a native of Europe, where it grows to heights of twenty to twenty-five meters. Its bark is brown to gray and nettled. Young branches form cork strips that are cut compatible. Its leaves are three to five-lobed, blunt, and opposite, and are dark green and finely hairy. The leaves change color in autumn, turning yellow. If you want a hedge that lasts a long time, choose this plant.
Another great plant for hedges is the field maple. The field maple is native to North America and Europe, and is an excellent choice for gardens. Its leaves turn various shades of red in the fall, and it will tolerate a variety of soils. It does not require any fertilizer, but you can add compost or mulch to keep it fertile. However, don’t mulch the tree against its trunk or it will invite insects.
Hedge maple is also native to Europe and western Asia. It grows well in average soil and tolerates a degree of drought. Its compact habit and low maintenance requirements make it an ideal hedge plant. Despite its low maintenance, field maple is a great choice. In fact, it is the most popular choice for hedging in Britain. You can get it in various sizes and shapes, depending on the shape of your yard.
Hydrangea paniculata
H. paniculata has large, conical clusters of pink to white flowers. It thrives in zones four to eight, but will grow in Zone 3 if winter protection is provided. It prefers full sun to part shade and can tolerate a moderate amount of cold. Blooms appear on new wood and fade to a pink color in warmer climates. This plant is low-maintenance and a great choice for a low-profile hedge.
A dense hedge will require pruning to maintain its shape. Plant shrubs at the narrower end of their growth range. Shrubs that grow too wide will start to overtake sidewalks. Pruning shrubs is a time-consuming and tedious task that may limit the number of blooms on the plant. Another good choice for a hedge is a camellia. This evergreen shrub will bloom in the winter, and it grows tall and wide.
If you want to have flowers that bloom all season long, you can choose the mophead variety. Its large, fluffy blooms are quite impressive, and their color is sensitive to soil pH. The alkaline variety will have pinker blossoms, while acidic varieties will have bluer blooms. A reblooming version of this plant blooms all year round. Its blooms will keep your garden looking beautiful.
California lilac
The California lilac is an excellent choice for a hedge. This native plant grows to be eight feet tall and six to twelve feet wide. It is difficult to transplant, so it should be planted in a permanent location with good drainage and full sun. You can propagate this shrub by making semi-hardwood cuttings. This plant is not deer-resistant, so you will need to protect it from deer with a fence or by cutting the damaged ends off.
The California lilac is one of the most beautiful and fragrant shrubs available today. It is a hardy native to the West Coast and is drought-tolerant. The flowers are fragrant and appear in late spring. These shrubs grow up to 10 feet tall, though they can also be a low-growing groundcover. Although the flower is primarily blue, there are also varieties in lavender and white.
There are two types of California lilac, the ‘Radman’ and ‘Dark Star’. The ‘Ray Hartman’ cultivar is a hybrid of the two parent species and grows to a height of twenty feet. The latter is more compact and bushy, with blue flowers growing in clusters along its branches. The ‘Red Baron’ cultivar is another popular choice.
Old Man Saltbush
There are numerous reasons to consider using Old Man Saltbush plants for a hedge. This species has a wide range of uses, including windbreaks, privacy hedges, and forage for animals. Its silvery-grey foliage is attractive and its flowers bloom throughout the year. Unlike many other plants, male and female saltbush plants produce different flowers. This unique plant can also be used as a windbreak, as it is resistant to frost and drought and tolerant to saline soil. However, it’s not suitable for acidic soils, deep sandy soil, or areas of frequent flooding.
If you’d like to use Old Man Saltbush as a hedge, make sure you select a rich and free-draining potting mix. This shrub is known for growing straight up, and is sometimes pruned to encourage outward growth. Old Man Saltbush plants can tolerate a range of soils, but they do not thrive in disturbed soil. Regardless of how you plant your saltbush, make sure it gets a good location with full sunlight, and water it with a solution of seaweed.
One advantage of Old Man Saltbush plants for hedges is their ability to reduce carbon emissions. Old Man Saltbush will sequester atmospheric carbon into its soil when grown in a hedge, converting between 15 and 20 tons of carbon per hectare after three years. The United Nations’ Carbon Emission Trading Scheme has recognized the Old Man Saltbush as a suitable hedge plant, as it will sequester up to 20 tons of carbon per hectare once it’s grown to maturity. This makes Old Man Saltbush a perfect choice if you are trying to cut your carbon emissions.
Laurels
Laurels are among the most popular trees in gardens, but they are not perfect. They can suffer from problems with their leaves, such as spotting and decay. Common laurels also have a disease called silver leaf, which can cause the entire hedge to turn orange. Unfortunately, there is no cure for this disease, and it can spread from one tree to another. Common laurels can also be dangerous, since their cyanide content can kill herbivores like dogs. Laurels are an excellent natural sound barrier, though.
Laurels can be found in a variety of different sizes, including bare-root, root-ball, and potted. They can be grown in containers, and can also be bought as topiary trees and instant hedging. You can choose between a 20-litre or smaller pot for best results. Both varieties have their benefits. Laurels grow into a dense, bushy hedge, which requires annual pruning.
Laurels are best planted at least two feet apart, although some species won’t sprout from leafless branches. For this reason, if you have a laurel hedge, you won’t have to start from scratch. You can trim them at a height of two feet, but keep in mind that they will still grow a dense hedge. Therefore, it’s important to know when to trim them.
Yew bushes
If you’re looking for a low-maintenance, trouble-free shrub to use as a hedge, try Taxus x media ‘Brownii’. It grows to be about two to four feet tall and spreads to about the same height. It tolerates partial shade, full sun, and is an excellent choice for gardens or cities. Another variety, the Capitata, forms a dense pyramid that can reach a height of 40 feet, and the Densiformis is a 4 foot tall arching mound.
This tree is hardy, but requires good drainage. In areas with poor drainage, yews can be susceptible to winter burn. There are no serious insect or disease problems, though they are susceptible to twig and needle blight and root rot. Weevils are also a potential problem, especially in areas with a dry summer climate. But if you’re not too concerned about insects, yews can be pruned easily with a hand-held hedge clipper. They’re good for screens and backgrounds.
Another good choice for hedges is the Common Beech. Also known as Fagus sylvatica, this tree is a good choice for sunny gardens, but they won’t grow as densely as yew. They’re hardy to Zone six. The Toronto Botanical Garden, for example, has a beech hedge in its gardens. Beech is less dense than yew, but it won’t be as high maintenance.