How to Choose a Hedge
A hedge can create a great sense of privacy in your yard. To choose the right hedge, consider the following:
- What purpose do you want the hedge to serve? If your hedge is simply an attractive landscape addition you may choose different plants than if you want to create a tall, nearly impenetrable border.
- What style is your home? For a traditional or modern style home, a more formal hedge will look great. A more casual grouping of bushes used to form a "hedge" may be more appropriate for a country-style home.
- How much time do you have to maintain a hedge? A traditional privacy hedge, such as a privet, will require grooming with a hedge clipper or sheers several times during the growing season to maintain its neat, formal appearance. Using a more casual line of bushes, such as lilacs, honeysuckle or other flowering shrubs will require less work.
- How tall do you want the hedge to be? If you want an impenetrable, six foot tall hedge, a variety of privet planted in full sunlight may be the answer. This same popular hedge plant can be groomed to much shorter - and even taller - heights.
Again, read the tags on various hedge plants and do your homework and planning carefully. A tall hedge will block the sunlight along the hedge line, limiting that space in its shadow to plants that like shade or partial shade. - What will grow best in your area? You will want to choose hedge plants that will grow well in your area. Your local garden center will have plants appropriate for where you live. Read the tags on these plants and ask questions.