Shrub hedges are row plantings that allow the plants to develop freely. They are extremely valuable for nature because, in addition to filtering noise, they also filter dust and exhaust fumes. They also ensure intimacy in the garden and keep unpleasant wind out. You can find out which shrubs you can plant as a hedge in the following article.

Privet is a popular hedge plant

Hedges with native shrubs

Create a hedge with native bushes to keep the biological balance on your property in balance. Unlike exotic shrubs, these wild animals offer a diverse range of food. Another advantage: these enclosures are very resistant, since the plants are perfectly adapted to the prevailing weather conditions.

Popular shrubs that can be planted in a row as a hedge include:

  • Hazelnut,
  • hawthorn,
  • dogwood,
  • Liguster,
  • euonymus,
  • wild roses,
  • hornbeam,
  • sloe
  • elder

as well as various others.

Flowering hedge shrubs

These look particularly attractive because the look of the hedge changes constantly over the course of the year. The blossom is followed by the lush, dense dress of leaves, from which the fruits stand out attractively in autumn.

Flowering hedges can be wonderfully tailored to your individual preferences. You can choose a single plant species or combine different shrubs. If you plant flowering shrubs and evergreen bushes alternately, the hedge still offers good privacy protection even in the winter months.

A small selection of flowering shrubs that are suitable for hedges:

  • weigela,
  • cinquefoil,
  • bloodcurrant,
  • dogwood,
  • wooly snowball,
  • cornel,
  • Lilac,
  • scented jasmine,
  • Buddleia.

Evergreen bushes

What these have in common is that they also wear their decorative foliage in winter and thus offer year-round privacy. Hedge shrubs such as cherry laurel, yew, medlar or cypress and various others meet these requirements.

Bushes like the barberry only shed their leaves in the spring, just before they start to sprout again, and they sprout again immediately afterwards, so that they are only bare for a very short time.

Planting and maintenance of hedge shrubs

Regardless of which shrubs you choose, you should create the hedge in spring or autumn. It is essential that the planting distances are observed. A rule of thumb:

  • 2.5 plants per linear meter for cut hedges,
  • 1 shrub every 50 to 150 centimeters for natural hedges.

pruning

Cut hedges need to be trimmed once or twice a year. Natural hedges are only thinned out and rejuvenated from the fourth year.

Water

Regular watering is recommended during dry periods in midsummer.

tips

To curb weed growth under the shrubs, you can underplant them with ground covers. The use of geotextiles (mulch fleece) is also possible.

Category:

Garden design