SolveYourProblem
Hedges Article Series
I
Want To Create
The Perfect Hedge
Choose
The Right Hedge for Your Landscape
Hedges
are the perfect solution for someone who would rather add
privacy to their home in a beautiful way
than install an unattractive fence. They offer benefits such
as durability, protection, and also entice wildlife to your
area. They are extremely easy to maintain, in most cases. In
some cases however, a hedge can be quite a pain. The source
of frustration in most cases does not lie as much with the
hedge as it does with the person who chose and planted it.
When you decide to add a hedge to your property, there are
certain things that you must think about before doing so. If
you simply purchase a hedge that you think will work in the
area, without researching the species, you could end up with
a headache trying to take care of it. So, before adding a hedge
to your property, make sure you choose the right type. Otherwise,
the hedge may completely take over your entire landscape area.
The
first thing to consider is what size hedge you can use. If you have a small area in your garden in which you think
a hedge would be appropriate, be sure to choose a smaller hedge.
Research the species that would work best in the area. Consider
things like amount of sunlight and width when choosing. Ask
your local expert about a particular species and explain to
them where you are planning to place it. If you choose a hedge
that is too large for the area, it will likely smother out
all other plants around it. The way this works is that the
roots of the hedge like to sprawl out underground. If the roots
sprawl too far, they can deprive other plants around it from
natural elements like water.
The
roots of a hedge are something to pay attention to in
general. Since they do sprawl underground, you may want to
avoid putting them too close to a walkway or concrete area.
They can grow beneath these things and cause the paths to crack.
This can be costly when looking at replacement and repair.
Make sure the location in which you are planting your hedge
is free from any potential pathways. This is the best way to
ensure the hedge will not cause a problem and take over your
walk areas.
When a root system sprawls, the hedge tends to get wider.
When planting, consider that your hedge will not only grow
in height, but also in width. Don’t plant your hedge close
to a road, neighbor’s home, or a pathway. This can cause problems
with your neighbors or even the local authority. If you do
choose to ignore this warning and plant your hedge close to
a boundary, be sure to maintain the hedge as necessary. You
will need to have free time to prune and shape the hedge to
avoid any problems.
The best way to ensure the hedge does not damage any other
area of your landscape is to plant it away from everything
else. You can plant the hedge separately and watch it grow
for a few years. Later, when the hedge is at maturity, you
can add other plants around it. This will allow you to know
exactly where it is safe to add things. If you don’t wait until
the hedge is mature, you will likely plant something in an
unsafe area. Planting the hedge away from everything will also
ensure that the hedge will not harm the structure of your home
or block necessary light.
Although it may seem that hedges are difficult to deal with,
the opposite is true. They are very easy to deal with, as long
as you follow a few basic rules. The responsibility lies on
each planter to research their particular species and choose
the most appropriate location for it. The hedge will be predictable
and likely grow just as the research notes. If you know this
information beforehand, you can prevent the hedge from taking
over and causing problems with other elements of your property.
So, before planting any type of hedge on your property, be
sure that you are choosing the best species available as well
as choosing the best planting location. Maintain your hedges
as necessary with pruning if they seem to be getting out of
hand.
