A perfect plant for a hedge? Of course, thuja! For decades, green thuja walls have appeared in gardens very often and in many different roles.Quite cheap plant has qualities that perfectly meet the requirements for hedges.
As it expands, it creates a dense, opaque cover that takes up little space and does not require too frequent trimming.The disadvantage of a thru-wall is that its surface looks too monotonous.However, this problem is not difficult to deal with by using various arrangement ideas, for example by changing the shape of a hedge or by composing one surface from different varieties with colored needles.
After pruning, which stimulates the plants, the hedge usually grows back quickly. It is worth using this period to try out new forms.Another interesting idea is to leave single vertical shoots in the form of a tree with a spherical crown.
Arched gates and windows are an interesting decoration of the hedge. They are not only aesthetic. They also make it possible to lead or extend the viewing axes, making the garden look more attractive. Forming cuts perfectly tolerate yews and hornbeams, while thuja is much worse.The group of hedge plants is quite large, so it is worth taking advantage of this we alth.Laurel trees with thick and shiny evergreen leaves cover the garden all year round, just like the increasingly popular Photinia tree.However, both shrubs can suffer severely in very cold winters.
Our native vital species, such as hornbeam and yew, are better suited to a natural garden. When choosing plants, let's consider whether we need a year-round cover. After all
in winter we will not sit outside on the terrace or in the garden.Falling beech or field maple trees in spring cover with fresh green, in summer they form a thick wall, and in autumn they delight with fiery colors.
The garden can also be surrounded by a row of flowers. However, this should be considered. Most shrubs only bloom for a few weeks. For the rest of the year, they look completely different, often not very attractive. They also need more space, as they cannot be shaped into a slender wall.
They are often replaced by shrubs that tolerate pruning. These are i.a. tawuły and hawthorns. Half measures are not the best solution.However, it is best to take a decisive step towards a natural hedge, remembering to allocate a sufficiently wide area for it. An interesting idea is to combine a hedge with cover elements, e.g. gabions, boards or wicker.
12 hedge plants
Field maple Acer campestre
Advantages: Our native species perfectly tolerates cutting, heat and stronger gusts of wind.Feels good in almost any surface.In autumn the leaves have a beautiful yellow color.
Disadvantages: It grows very much, so a second cut is needed at the end of summer. It sheds its leaves in autumn, which is why it does not cover the garden in winter.May be prone to mildew attacks.
Notes: Annual growth 30-40 cm. 3-4 plants should be planted per 1 meter. Optimum hedge height 1.5-4 m.
Berberys Berberis
Advantages: Thorny shrubs are an obstacle that is difficult to overcome for uninvited guests. They protect bird nests from robbers.In sunny places, the 'Atropurpurea' variety changes its color particularly intensively.The hedge is also dense after shedding leaves before winter.
Disadvantages: Planting and cutting can only be done with thicker gloves.
Notes: Annual growth 15-25 cm. 3-4 plants should be planted per 1 meter.Optimum hedge height 0.5-1.5 m.
European hornbeam Carpinus betulus
Advantages: Easily adapts to any type of ground, both in the shade and in the sun.Seasonal leaves stay on the shoot until spring.Grows well even after hard pruning.
Disadvantages: It is recommended to cut twice a season. In winter, the hedge loses its full opacity. In spring it is often attacked by pests.
Notes: Annual growth of 20-40 cm. 3-4 plants should be planted per 1 meter.Optimum hedge height 1-4 m.
Laurowiśnia Prunus laurocerasus
Advantages: A beautiful shrub with large, shiny, always green leaves.It protects the garden effectively even in winter.Valuable varieties include 'Herbergii', 'Etna' and 'Novita'. Only requires one cut a year.
Cons: Freezes easily. In winter, the plant is mostly harmed by the sun and wind. It has poisonous fruit that can be removed by cutting after flowering.
Notes: Annual growth of 20-40 cm. 2-3 plants should be planted per 1 meter.Optimum hedge height 0.5-1.5 m.
Lawson's Cypress Chamaecyparis
Advantages: The always green conifer has a variety of colors, such as blue-green 'Alumii', blue 'Columnaris', yellow 'Stardust'.It grows well in shaded places and is quite resistant to fungal diseases.The hedge tightly covers the garden all year round.
Disadvantages: Older plants do not tolerate strong pruning. How many conifers have a little old-fashioned look.
Notes: Annual growth 10-20 cm. 2-3 plants should be planted per 1 meter.Optimum hedge height 1.5-4 m.
Larch Larix
Advantages: Once popular, today little used hedge plant.European and Japanese larch have nice young suckers and cones, as well as bright yellow needles in fall.A he althy, vital plant likes sunny locations and is very resistant to attacks by pests and diseases.
Disadvantages: Larch sheds its needles in autumn and loses its sheltering properties.
Notes: Annual growth 15-25 cm. 3-4 plants should be planted per 1 meter.Optimum hedge height 1.5-4 m.
Common beech Fagus sylvatica
Advantages: The leaves of the green and red beech remain on the shoots for a long time.That is why the hedge remains quite dense in winter.Beech is shaded and tolerates pruning well.
Disadvantages: The periods of summer drought are harmful to the plant. Weakened, they are exposed to mealybug attacks. The hedge requires cutting twice a season. The beech is more demanding than the hornbeam.
Notes: Annual growth 30-50 cm.3-4 plants should be planted per 1 meter. Optimum hedge height 1-4 m.
Ligustr Ligustrum
Advantages: A rather cheap shrub blooms in June and July.White fragrant flowers gathered in panicles are liked by insects.In autumn, black fruits are eagerly eaten by birds. The privet 'Atrovirens' creates a dense, strongly branching hedge.
Disadvantages: Partially evergreen shrub loses leaves after heavy frost. Most often it requires two cuts per season.
Notes: Annual growth of 20-40 cm. 3-4 plants should be planted per 1 meter.Optimum hedge height 1-2 m.
Głogownik Photinia
Advantages: The always green bush is gaining more and more popularity. The 'Red Robin' variety is particularly effective, with young red-colored leaves.The branchy plant is not very sensitive to drought and heat.It grows well in almost any type of soil.
Disadvantages: The plant is sensitive to frost. Seedlings are quite expensive compared to other plants.
Notes: Annual growth of 20-30 cm. 2-3 plants should be planted per 1 meter.Optimum hedge height 1-2 m.
Common yew Taxus baccata
Advantages: Our native conifer feels very well in both shaded and sunny places. It is not very sensitive even to a very strong cut.The plant only needs one cut per season.Evergreen needles provide year-round cover for your garden. Also suitable for low hedges.
Cons: It grows quite slowly. The bark, needles and fruit are highly poisonous.
Notes: Annual growth 10-20 cm. 3-4 plants should be planted per 1 meter.Optimum hedge height 0.5-2 m.
Western Thuja occidentalis
Advantages: A popular coniferous plant, quickly forming a dense (also in winter) wall covering and stopping the wind. Nice varieties: 'Smaragd' with a slender shape and golden 'Sunkist'. The plant only needs one pruning per year.
Cons: Hates hard cut. It is prone to attacks of fungal diseases.Drought causes browning of the needles.Thuja is a poisonous plant.
Notes: Annual growth 10-30 cm. 2-3 plants should be planted per 1 meter. Optimum hedge height 1.5-4 m.
Bambus Fargesia murielae
Advantages: This species of bamboo has a bushy habit and is not an expansive plant.Evergreen blades bring an Asian aura into the garden.It grows well in a quiet, sunny or semi-shaded place.
Disadvantages: Leaves curl in dry and frosty weather. It requires two cuts: one before vegetation begins and one in summer.
Notes: Annual growth to 2 m. 2-3 plants should be planted per 1 m.Optimum hedge height 1.5-2.5 m.
