Many property borders made of classic hedge plants quickly look like impenetrable, green walls when cut accurately. If you value a somewhat natural and less strict look in your garden, you can plant colorful shrubs with different flowering times as blooming privacy screens.

Forsythia is ideal as a privacy screen

Planning flowering hedges from shrubs according to different aspects

There are a large number of different plant species that have proven themselves as solitary and hedge plants in the garden with their winter hardiness and shrub-like growth. When planning a flowering shrub hedge, however, the following factors must be taken into account so that there are no surprises and tedious transplanting activities after the work is done:

  • the growth height of the selected shrub species
  • the exact flowering time of the selected plant species
  • the ecological added value of certain species
  • the scent given off by the flowers

If shrubs that grow at different speeds and heights are to be cut back to a certain height anyway over the years, less attention should be paid to the growth factor when choosing plants than if the blooming privacy hedge should take on a more natural shape. However, important factors are flowering time, ecological added value and the scent of certain plant species.

The selection of suitable shrubs

Basically, for a blooming privacy screen, plant species with more pastel-colored, light flowers are preferred. Intense, dark red tones, such as the flowers of some weigela species, also set interesting accents, but can also be perceived as a disruptive factor in a hedge. Many garden owners also prefer the following species when planting high shrubs as privacy screens, as they bring color to an otherwise largely bare garden in the spring as colorful shrubs:

  • Forsythia (known as Easter shrub in Austria)
  • ornamental currant
  • ornamental quince

Shrubs such as the winter snowball, witch hazel or cornel flower even earlier, before the new leaves sprout. The latter already offers a rich supply of pollen for the bees and their newly created brood on exceptionally warm late winter days. Fragrant honeysuckle, butterfly bush and various types of jasmine exude a beguiling scent during their respective flowering periods, which some people can, however, also perceive as penetrating.

It is better not to arrange hedges made of flowering shrubs in a straight line

Some blooming screen plants, such as forsythia, can be brought into shape over the years and several topiaries in a similar way to a privet or beech hedge. A privacy hedge made of flowering shrubs usually looks more aesthetic if the naturally rounded growth habit of the shrubs is taken into account when planting. While natural privacy hedges made of classic hedge plants such as cypress and cherry laurel species are usually planted in a straight line, flowering hedges made of different shrubs benefit from a slightly offset planting, where different flowering times and color spectra come into their own. However, you should plan for the additional space required at the side, since flowering shrubs take up a little more space than hedge plants that grow like columns.

Cut back colorful shrubs in the garden vigorously

Once the flowering shrubs in the garden have reached the desired height, they don't require much maintenance other than occasional fertilizer and watering. However, you should not underestimate the growth potential of a privacy hedge from tall shrubs: Older specimens of forsythia can form new shoots once or twice a year with growths of up to 1 m in length. You can therefore reach for the hedge trimmer (€77.00) in spring and autumn and be bold when cutting back.

tips

If you integrate fruit trees such as the service pear or the elder into your blooming privacy hedge, you will benefit not only from the abundance of flowers but also from a rich harvest of vitamin-rich berries.

Category:

Garden design