A member of the pine family, hemlocks grow quickly and do best when planted alone or in groups. In smaller home gardens, the pruning-tolerant hemlock can be cultivated as an evergreen hedge.
The hemlock is a popular hedge plant because of its rapid growth
The Canadian hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) is an attractive eye-catcher for every garden with its slender growth, irregular branching and horizontal or slightly hanging branches. Native to North America, the pine family grows as tall trees and is often used for group planting in parks and large gardens. The dwarf and hanging varieties can also be planted in smaller gardens. For lovers of evergreen conifer hedges, hemlock is a good alternative to poisonous yew and thuja.
What to consider when planting hemlock hedges
The shrub-like varieties are particularly suitable for hedges. They only reach heights of about 1.5 meters, but are a bit more expensive to buy than the fast-growing trees. Depending on the size of the plant (60-100 cm), 2 or 3 of them can be planted over a meter length. The young hemlocks can increase in height by around 50 cm per year if the following location and care instructions are observed:
- Tsuga canadensis does not like very dry and sunny locations,
- she prefers slightly damp semi-shade,
- sheltered areas are recommended
- humic, slightly acidic soil is optimal.
How to prune hemlock hedge
The hemlocks are known for their pruning tolerance. The hardy wood often grows with several stems, the annual wood branches out very well after pruning. Pruning takes place in the spring and, if necessary, also in the fall. The side shoots and the tops are trimmed so that the plants are encouraged to branch out.
tips
In its native North America, the hemlock grows up to 30 meters high and can live for 1000 years. Particularly powerful specimens have trunk diameters of up to 2 meters.