Hedges have been used in gardens around the world for decades and can easily be found in local tree nurseries. While largely used for decoration, growing hedges is also popular for creating a privacy barrier, distinction between property lines, or even as the border along a road. This hedge fence is often considered a form of “live fencing” which allows the use of live species to create or supplement man made barriers. Therefore, these plants can be used alone or interwoven into wire, wood, or other fencing material. The types of hedges that you plant in your yard will mostly depend on what function you want them to carry. If you want to create a decorative marker for the edge of your property opt for smaller landscape hedges that reach knee height. However if you want to seclude your yard from your neighbors view, choose tall privacy trees and hedges such as evergreen bushes, bamboo, or holly which all contain densely interwoven branches. Browsing through our pictures of hedge plants will help you to decide what foliage you should incorporate into your designs.
Although tall trees and bushes are great for providing privacy, some homeowners are looking more for decoration than screening and may lean towards a dwarf trees and hedges or smaller bush to accent the foundation of their homes. Some trendy small hedges for landscaping in 2022 include spirea and lilac which are both great for foundation planting as the sprout elegant flowers during the spring. Other flowering hedges perfect for growing along the edges of your home or distributed throughout your garden are lavender plants which produce dazzling purple buds that give off a luscious fragrance. Lavender is a very strong durable plant, capable of withstanding many growing conditions and even drought. A rose hedge is another plant that can produce beautiful sweet smelling flowers. The actual rose flowers can range from red, yellow, white, or even pink so it is easy to find a beautiful species that will add color and decoration to your yard. Visit our online plant nursery for more information about species specific conditions for a wide variety of hedge tree or shrubs.
Other types of laurel plants include both Japanese and English yews which are often considered classic hedge plants because they are popular plants for shaded areas and are very tolerant of a variety of different types of soils. The hicks yew, a particular type of English evergreen, often grows in a columnar shape that can be trimmed to fit a variety of designs. They can be created into elegant triangular column hedge bushes for landscaping around doorways or shaped into rectangular patterns to line walkways. Another type of yew, the Japanese boxwood hedge is also often used to decorate along the foundation of a house or as a privacy screen. This type of hedge is perfect for use in more exotic Asian or Japanese garden ideas because to produce striking dark green needles with vivid red berries that provide an elegant contrast in any yard. Both Japanese and English yews can grow up to 20 feet tall but are slow growers and take years to reach maximum height. However because of the slow growing rate of these tall hedge plants, they are easy to care for and maintain.
Even a quick glance through our gallery of diy landscaping photos with hedges will show you the vast array of options you have when utilizing these trees and bushes in your garden plans. You can choose from a variety of different sizes, shapes, species, and colors of hedges as well as trim and prune these plants to your desired specifications. Evergreens and deciduous shrubs are popularly used for decorative hedges and are often trimmed into exact sizes and shapes, depending on what type of theme the homeowner is integrating into their yard. If used for decoration, evergreen hedges can be fashioned into statues or simple geometric shapes, while ones that are used as privacy screens typically do not contain intricate designs or patterns. Hollies and boxwood are the most used type of evergreen privacy hedge because they have broad prickly leaves that do not shed during the fall or winter. In particular, the English laurel hedge is a classic plant that grows to tall heights, is easy to care for, and requires little sun, plus their needles can be used as decorative mulch!
Although bamboo hedges are perfect landscaping plants for shade provide your property with privacy, they can be tricky to grow and require a lot of direct sunlight. For this reason it can be difficult for the do it yourself homeowner to grow and maintain this plant in their yard. A good alternative is the leylandii hedge which grows upwards of 115 feet, but can be trimmed to meet any desired size. They provide excellent protection from the wind, increase privacy, and also work well as a security barrier. The hawthorn hedge is another plant that is optimal for security purposes in your yard, as they are known for their thorny leaves. Although they sprout beautiful red buds and white flowers in the spring, these tall thorny bushes will likely deter invaders, animal and human alike. If you would prefer a shorter hedge that is easier to prune and trim you may want to opt for a hornbeam, as it only grows about one foot per year. However, the flowering hedge plants like the hawthorn bush, hornbeams provide a wealth of color as its leaves convert to a reddish orange tinge during the fall.
While these slow growing evergreens can be the best types of shrubs for hedges because of their ease of maintenance, some diy homeowners are looking for a quicker fix for their privacy woes and landscaping needs. If a homeowner is growing a hedge for privacy, they often prefer their shrubs or trees to grow to maximum height in a short amount of time. The eucalyptus, one of the fastest growing hedge for privacy, grows up to 6 feet per year and blossoms with beautiful blue and green foliage that give off a delicious aromatic scent. Other fast growing hedges that are commonly used for hedges include the silky dogwood which produces clusters of stunning white and blue fruit and the purpleleaf sandcherry which turn a gorgeous purple color during the autumn months. Bamboo another plant that is often used for privacy screens. Bamboo plants can be placed very close together to form an immediate shield from neighbors, or if you choose a faster growing species, can be placed 3-5 feet apart which will allow them to spread to form a screen.
