Looking for Privacy? Plant Something!
Remember the old saying, "fences make good neighbors?" It's true for hedges and screen plantings, as well. You can create a border, barrier or hide a view you find less than desirable by choosing appropriate plants for a softer, green "fence" that will add interest to your yard.
A hedge and a screen planting differ in that a hedge generally is made up of one type of plant, planted in a row with the same height and depth throughout. A screen planting incorporates more than one type of plant and has more informal look and covers more space horizontally than a hedge.
There are several things to consider when choosing plants for a hedge or screen planting:
- Is your home's architecture and landscaping formal or informal? Your planting should match. A privet hedge, for example, is ideal for a formal setting while a screen of spirea imparts a natural, informal look.
- Know how much space you have to work with, both vertically and horizontally.
- Determine if you want evergreen plants or deciduous plants (which loose their leaves in fall).
- Be realistic about your maintenance time - generally, formal hedges require regular grooming to look nice, while bushes such as spirea or forsythia provide a natural look with fewer trimming needs.
- Keep in mind the sun and shade conditions where you will be planting. A formal hedge that is partly in full sunshine and partly in full shade will not "fill out" equally along the length of the hedge.
Your local nursery or garden center will stock bushes and other plants that are appropriate for hedge and screen plantings in your area. Be sure to read the tags that come with the plants to determine their growing needs and especially how tall they will grow.