Do you find neatly trimmed green hedges rather boring? Then a romantic, colorful rose hedge might be right for you. Such a hedge not only offers a wonderful sight during flowering, but - if you have selected the right varieties - also an excellent privacy screen.
Not all rose varieties are suitable as a hedge
Which roses are suitable for a hedge planting?
Not all roses are suitable for hedge planting. Above all, you should choose varieties that grow broadly bushy, i.e. as tall as they are wide. The higher the chosen roses, the better the privacy protection. Slender, upright roses, on the other hand, are rather unsuitable as a hedge. In terms of color choice, you can design a single-color hedge or combine different flower colors and shapes with each other. An attractive contrast is not only achieved through an interesting choice of colors, but also through the combination of different flower shapes.
Wild roses and wild rose hybrids
The very vigorous and robust wild roses and their offspring are particularly suitable for hedges. Not only do these rose varieties have the advantage that they can easily grow in less suitable locations, they also provide plenty of food for insects and nesting places for songbirds in their dense bushes. In autumn, wild rose hedges delight with many varieties with autumn colors and with a rich hanging of pretty rose hips, which can often also be used in the kitchen.
Many wild roses form runners
Some wild roses, such as burnet and rugosa roses, form offshoots. What is more of a disadvantage in a rose bed, on the other hand, now has the advantage that hedges become nice and dense. Even slopes and embankments can be fixed well with these types of roses. Foothills at the edge of meadows and lawns are not a problem, they can simply be mowed away.
shrub roses
This term summarizes shrubby roses that grow between one and three meters high. They differ from the noble and bed roses by their greater vigour. Depending on the variety, shrub roses are wonderful for group or hedge plantings, even for higher hedges on the property line. An important distinction for design and care is whether a shrub rose blooms once or repeatedly.
Historical roses
Historic or old roses include all varieties that existed before the first hybrid tea roses were introduced in 1867. They grow like shrubs and usually bloom only once a year. Old Roses include Gallica, Damask, Alba, and Centifolia roses, among others. Damask roses are slightly taller than Gallicas and are famous for their fragrance. Alba roses grow large, have conspicuously grey-green foliage, are frost hardy and tolerate partial shade - making them ideal for hedges.
Create a rose hedge
When creating the rose hedge, it is important to pay attention to the correct distance between the individual plants. These should be set so close together that the hedge forms an impenetrable thicket, but not so close together that they rob each other of light and food. In addition, infections with fungi or pests are promoted by planting too densely. As a rule of thumb, the ideal planting distance in rose hedges is half the later height of the fully grown plant - for example, varieties that grow up to two meters high should be planted about one meter apart.
tips
When planting hedges, you should plant varieties that tolerate shade well, as hedges naturally create many shady spots.