Hedges not only add beauty to your lawn, but they serve multiple purposes. Hedges can be planted around your home's foundation to create an insulating effect from cold winds. They can be planted to create a hedge barrier along driveways, between houses and around the edges of your yard. Hedges are used as a wall against drifting snow or to give added privacy. Some can ward off certain types of insects. No matter what the purpose of your hedges, here are five hedging tips for your yard or garden.
1. Hedge Selection
It's important to select hedges carefully instead of buying the first ones you come across. Some grow very fast while others will take several years just to grow a couple of feet. Privet hedges, for example, grow quickly but they need pruning often. Beech hedging has a medium growth rate, but can grow up to 5 meters high. The box hedge is a lower luxury hedge that grows about 50 centimeters to 1.5 meters with a slow growth rate. The hawthorn hedge blooms in May with pretty white flowers. It has a fast growth rate and grows from 1 to 2 meters high. There are many others to choose from, such as the pyracantha, griselina, escallonia, laurel, etc.
2. Winter, Summer or Both
Another important issue to consider is whether you want the hedging to keep its foliage during cold months. Some hedges called evergreens do keep their foliage all year long. To name just a few evergreen hedges: holly, box, escallonia, laurel, lavender, leylandii, pyracantha, western red cedar and yew. Privet, hornbeam and beech hedges are semi evergreen.
3. Bare Root, Cell Grown, Pot Grown or Root Balled
Depending on the time of year, some hedging can be ordered in bare root form, meaning the roots are exposed instead of in soil. These must be planted immediately. Cell grown hedges are in the in-between stage. They are not sold as bare root plants, but the roots are not as developed as a pot grown plant. These typically have a higher success rate because the roots are intact when sold. Pot grown hedges have already been planted in a pot and partially grown when you purchase them. They usually cost more, but have more chance of success since the hedge has already been cared for during the initial growing stage. Larger hedges may be root balled, meaning they have been dug up from the ground and the root wrapped in a sack of some sort.
4. Hedge Coordination
When planting hedges, measure the space that's available so you'll know which hedges to plant and how far apart to plant them. Allow enough growing and root space for each hedge. When hedging around a home's foundation, plant far enough out from the foundation to allow proper root growth. Take time to plan your hedge planting with height/width, foliage characteristics, colors and leaf type in mind. You can plant flowers along with your hedges to accentuate them. Use the Web to research what each hedge will look like when planted with certain flowers.
5. Planting Solutions
Follow the planting directions carefully and use RootGrow or bonemeal to ensure healthy growth. Be sure to check whether the hedge should be planted in sun or shade. Prune the hedges after about every 12 inches of growth and be sure to water often until the hedge is established (at least the first couple of years). Pruning will help to train the growth patterns of your hedges if you want to achieve a certain look for your yard. Be sure to cover new hedges during hard freezes. They will not survive until well established. Also, spread mulch, straw or wood chips over the roots after planting. This will protect the new roots from the hot sun while also preventing the growth of weeds.
Check online hedging sites for the best deals and selection. Type in specific names of hedges to find what you need, such as beech, box, laurel, pyracantha, privet or oleaster. Be sure to read all about each type of hedging before ordering. You'll be enjoying beautiful new hedges on your lawn very soon!
