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Hedging

Hedges are a great addition to any garden as they look great and are very stylish.  As well as their ornamental uses, they can be used in place of a wall or fence in order to block out wind or noise.  They are also fantastic for providing privacy.  Hedges can be used as living “frames” in the garden around garden beds or along pathways and they can be used as a means of separation – dividing one area of the garden from another.  Hedges have been used in garden for hundreds of years, and are still popular today as they allow for unique architectural looks to be created.

Plants that are Suitable for Hedging

There are many plants that can be used to create a hedge in your garden.  Some popular ones are:

• Lilly Pilly – this is a bushy shrub with dark green leaves.  It grows up to 6m high. It tolerates pruning well but it can be slightly susceptible to frost.
  
• Syzygium – this is an Australian native that may also be known as Australian rose or bush cherry.  It has shiny green leaves and can grow up to 10m or even 15m high.
  
• Pittosporum – there are several different kinds of pittosporum that are useful for hedging, so which variety you choose will depend on factors such as how high you want your hedge.  This plant is very popular in Australia.
  
• Xylosma – this is one of the best hedging plants, particularly for larger gardens, as this plant thrives on pruning.  It is able to tolerate sun or shade and it is extremely hardy, able to grow in most soils.
  
• Japanese Box – this is a hardy and compact shrub with dark green leaves.  It is great for warmer regions and it grows up to 1m high.
  
• English Box – this is one of the best known hedging plants, and it is popular worldwide.  It has dense, green foliage, and grows up to 1m high.  It prefers cooler weather but it can grow in warmer environments if it is shaded.

Growing and Maintaining your Hedge

For a really dense and bushy hedge, it is best to use young plants.  It may appear that it will take forever to grow a hedge if you use smaller plants, but using more mature plants can make it difficult to achieve the required amount of denseness.  However, if you wish to use larger plants, it is important to plant them fairly closely together so that there is an overlap of foliage. 

Once you have planted your hedge, cut each plant back by approximately half.  This may seem overly drastic, but taking this step will force new growth to appear from the very base of the plant, ensuring that the hedge grows and is dense right from the ground to the top of the hedge.  If you do not do this, it may look like the hedge starts too high up and you will be able to see the trunk of the plant.

To keep the shape of your hedge and to encourage your plants to grow as hedges, you will need to trim the hedge regularly.  Options for trimming include electric hedge trimmers, garden shears, and wavy bladed shears.

Hedging plants will come with instructions on how they should be planted and cared for and it is vital that these instructions are followed if you wish to end up with the best hedge possible.

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