SolveYourProblem
Hedges Article Series
I
Want To Create
The Perfect Hedge
How
to Choose the Perfect Hedge
So you’ve decided to plant hedges. They do
serve many important purposes. Hedges can mark your property
boundaries, provide a windscreen and also give you more privacy
in your yard. They are also a nice alternative to fencing if
you prefer a more natural look for your garden.
Once you’ve made the decision to go with hedges, you need
to choose the right one for your yard. When selecting the perfect
hedge for your yard, there are important things like purpose,
size and climate to keep in mind. Here are five tips for choosing
just the right hedge for your garden space.
1. Figure out Your Purpose
The first thing you need to decide is what purpose your hedges
are going to serve. Are they for privacy? Are they to keep
pesky creatures out of your yard? Are they to act as a windscreen?
Or are they merely to outline your property boundaries? Your
purpose might be a mix of these things or all of these things.
You need to take the time to consider why you’re planting hedges.
The purpose is important because it will determine the types
of plant you can use for your hedges. Certain plants are effective
for all of these purposes so to purchase and plant the right
hedge, you need to know what you need or want from your hedges.
2. Assess Your Climate
Your location and climate will also have an impact on what
kinds of plants you can use for hedges. Your garden center
should be able to advise you on what sort of plants will do
best in your climate. You can also research different planting
options online. You’ll be amazed at how much information you
can find on shrubs and plants if you spend a bit of time browsing
the Internet.
3. Consider the Look of Your Garden
You will need to choose the right kind of hedge depending
on the look you are going for in your garden. If you are hoping
to mold your hedges into different elegant architectural shapes,
then you will need to choose a hedge plant that will allow
you that shaping flexibility. On the other hand, if you want
something simple and not so ornate, you can choose a dense
plant that responds well to clipping, but which does not suit
the complex shapes of architectural hedges.
4. Think outside the Box
In the past, there were only a few plants that could be used
for hedging. You can create your own informal hedges with a
mix of plants that are not commonly used in hedge planting.
You can also mix the formal, clipped hedges with older, more
flowing looks.
5. Be Realistic
While you may have the best intentions when planting a new
hedge, you need to be realistic about the amount of time and
energy you can devote to this new addition to your garden.
Hedges have many benefits, but they do require care and maintenance.
Unlike fences, you will be to stay on top of caring for and
trimming your hedges. If you don’t have the time to maintain
your hedges properly, you might want to look at other fencing
options.
If you do really want hedges, but don’t have a lot of time
to devote to your garden’s upkeep, then choose a variety that
requires minimal care and exertion. Trimming can be the most
time consuming part of hedge care so if you know your time
is limited, choose a hedging option that only requires a clean
line trimming and not an architectural hedge.
When you do go to choose your hedge plants, choose small plants
because they will grow and establish themselves more quickly
than more developed and expensive plants. This will also mean
a denser and more compact hedge than the open hedges that are
often the result of starting with larger plants.
All of this might seem like a lot of prep work for choosing
a hedge, but doing this research and considering all of these
factors before you plant your hedges will save you a lot of
time in the long run. Knowing things like your needs or purpose,
your time limitations, your climate and the look you are going
for in your garden, will really help narrow down your hedge
choices.
