Plants for a deciduous hedge are usually those that are undemanding, grow quickly and tolerate pruning well. As a result, they branch out strongly, creating a decorative and dense barrier. The availability and low price of seedlings are also important. The most common plants for deciduous hedges are beech, hornbeam, privet, barberry, and also boxwood. What are their advantages and disadvantages, which one is the best for a hedge?
A broadleaf hedge
Fig. depositphotos.com
Hardwood hedges create natural barriers in our gardens that have different functions. A deciduous hedgecan be typically decorative, it can have a separating character, and it can also fulfill a defensive function of the property. It all depends on what plants we use to create a deciduous hedge. You also need to determine what function and size the hedge should have.Plants for a deciduous hedgein our country are primarily beech, hornbeam, privet and barberry, and you should also mention the irreplaceable boxwood. All of these plants respond very well to pruning, so they can be led as high as you want and keep them.
Common beech
The Common Beech(Latin Fagus sylvatica) is a powerful tree, ideal for creating molded deciduous hedges. It responds perfectly to the cut, which allows you to keep the beech within the hedge you want. Beech is aplant for a deciduous hedge- dense and narrow. A properly maintained beech hedge can be 2-4 m high and only 30-40 cm wide! The beech tolerates shade well, but has high soil requirements.It grows best in fertile, calcareous, moderately moist soil. Both the pure species and its varieties (eg 'Atropunicea', 'Zlatia') are suitable for hedges. If we want to set up abeech hedge , it is best to get beech seedlings specially prepared for this purpose in the nursery. Such a beech seedling should be straight, 60-100 cm high. They are planted very densely (even every 20-25 cm), preferably in one row.
Common hornbeam
Common hornbeam(Latin Carpinus betulus), just like beech, is irreplaceable for narrow and tall deciduous hedges. Its greatest advantage is that it grows in heavily shaded places, although then it thickens a little less. The narrow columnar 'Fastigiata' variety is also recommended for creating a hedge. The hornbeam hedge grows best in fertile, fairly moist, sandy loam soils. It has a very desirable feature for hedges, namely it branches densely from the trunk, which makes a hornbeam hedge exceptionally dense.Hornbeam reacts very well to cutting, it can be performed several times during the growing season. The first cut is made in early spring, and the next, when the new growths start to stand out from the hedge. The only downside is the slow growth, so it is recommended to plant tall and fully grown seedlings to get the hedge effect faster. The best seedlings are 60-100 cm high. We plant them as densely as beech, i.e. every 20-25 cm in one row.
Privet
It seems that there is no more popular species for a deciduous hedge than the privet (Latin Ligustrum vulgare). Its ability to expand with each cut is only compared with the yews. The tiny ligusters remain on the shrub for a long time, and sometimes in mild winters some of the leaves do not even fall off. The flowers are white and the fruit is black. Attention - the fruits of the privet are poisonous!
One of the greatest advantages of the privet is its low soil requirements. The privet can grow in all conditions, which makes theprivet hedgeextremely versatile.The privet is also resistant to air pollution. The cultivars 'Atrovirens' and 'Lodense' are most often used for a privet deciduous hedge. The cultivar 'Atrovirens' creates tall and compact hedges. Whereas 'Lodense' creates lower hedges up to 1-1.5 m high, it is also a good variety for creating low fringes or borders. Privet should be planted in the so-called five, keeping the space between plants about 20 cm.
Barberry
Barberry(Latin Berberis sp.) Is very suitable for defense hedges thanks to its thorns. The multicolored leaves of individual varieties allow for the creation of interesting, colorful compositions in a deciduous hedge. The most popular are the varieties of Thunberg barberry (Berberis Thunbergii) with red or purple leaves, often colloquially referred to as red barberry.
Thunberg's red hedge of barberry
Fig. depositphotos.com
Teplants for deciduous hedgesalso have red fruits, which are an additional decoration in autumn and winter. Remember, however, that fruit will only appear on un-trimmed hedges, because pruning barberry removes shoots with flowers, so the bush does not bear fruit. Almost all species of barberry bloom in May and early June, have yellow, fragrant flowers. Barberry has low cultivation requirements. They can even grow in poor and sandy soils. The only requirement is a lot of sun,barberry deciduous hedgemust be in a sunny place. One of the best species for a barberry deciduous hedge is Thunberg's barberry and Ottawa barberry. These species grow up to max. up to 1.5 m in height. On the other hand, barberry is perfect for tall hedges, over 2.5 m.
Evergreen boxwood
There is probably no more popular shrub for deciduous hedges thanevergreen boxwood(Latin.Buxus sempervirens). Keeps dark green leaves all year round, reacts very well to pruning, likes shaded places, although it also grows well in larger sun. Young plants should be covered before winter and the plant should be watered abundantly. The best time to plant boxwood is early May or August.
Katarzyna Matuszak
