The best hedges: clipped and espaliered
Trimmed hedges
One of the best hedges is considered to be clipped or shaped. They are created by systematically cutting plants in a free form. By trimming green hedges, they can be given any configuration - from strict rectangles to a rounded shape.
A hedge can also be made in the form of a stone wall or given a fantasy shape - arches, clear geometric shapes, animals.
A trimmed green fence comes in different heights - from a 30-centimeter fence to a living wall higher than 3 m.
As you can see in the photo, such a hedge consists of one or two rows:
To create a molded green fence, select plants with small foliage to provide a dense surface for the fence. Establishing a molded hedge is more expensive because more planting material is needed.
Caring for a trimmed fence is also more difficult; it requires special knowledge and sufficient practice in the field of formative pruning of plants.
Maintaining clear forms of fantasy figures is quite expensive, since it is almost impossible to do this work yourself using a trimmer or chainsaw and you will have to invite a specialist.
Trellis fence
Most types of hedges require a certain amount of space. On a small area, when saving space is a priority, a trellis fence will help out.
When growing such a hedge, cross-shaped interlacing of shoots of bushes or low-growing trees is regularly produced. To create a thick but not wide trellis, plants are planted at a close (no more than 20 cm) distance from each other.
What plants are suitable for such a hedge?
A trellis green fence formed from hawthorn, yellow acacia, willow or rowan looks great. When choosing a trellis fence, you should take into account that it needs regular trimming.
How to care for a green fence and hedge
When caring for flowering weaving, you must constantly take into account and observe the peculiarities of caring for it: it is much more difficult to care for this structure than for plants growing freely in the garden. The hedge requires constant care - fertilization with organic substances, systematic watering, timely trimming.
But if you do not pay the necessary attention to trimming and pruning the plant structure, it can grow very large. If you miss the moment, it will be almost impossible to regulate its growth , and, unfortunately, you will have to completely cut off the planting.
Pruning order in the first season
Deciduous varieties of bushes and woody plants that have formed a living structure are carefully pruned immediately after planting, leaving 15 cm of its upper part above the base of the cutting to speed up the maturation of the shoots.
There are two types of seedlings: the first is with free rhizomes, and the second is seedlings grown in plastic containers.
The top part of plantings of the first type in the first season should be trimmed to exactly half of their current actual height. And seedlings of the second type, grown in special containers, are pruned to a third of their height.
The photo shows a variant of a combination of hedge elements of different sizes and colors.
Pruning rules in the second season
Every year, from May to August, the formed living weave is trimmed four times per season. To increase the frequency and density of branching of the plant fence, in the next year of life of the plant structure, light pruning is done, which also gives it an extremely correct shape.
The following types of bushes require maximum pruning of the upper parts up to 15 cm from the level of the plane: honeysuckle, thuja, godskin, turf, blackthorn.
The third part of the regrown stems is cut off on the following hard-leaved plants: cotoneaster, hornbeam, barberry, boxwood, beech.
Absolutely no pruning is required: juniper, snowberry, privet, cypress. In such branched structures, only a few individual branches are cut off, which give the fence an untidy background and are not included in the overall mass.
The haircut is done after 2-3 years.
To give the green fence a beautiful, neat look, the plants will be trimmed regularly in the future. For this purpose, the branching is cut off from the sides, and the upper shoots are slightly trimmed.
Deciduous bushes and trees are always pruned in early spring - before the first leaves appear. Evergreen coniferous plants are pruned in late spring or early autumn.
Important! When shortening the foliage of a living fence, the crown of the tree is laid slightly wider than the top part, so that the branches below receive full sunlight and can grow and develop.
A living structure of evergreen and small-leaved ornamental plants is trimmed with large scissors or an electric saw, and pruning shears are used to trim and trim plants with large leaves.
The photo shows an example of curly pruning of bushes: you can give the vegetation any shape.
Frame and cascade types of hedges (with photos)
Frame fence
Installing a fence on a frame is a convenient option for external fencing of a site. The frame will be a high fence, a self-made wooden lattice or a small mesh.
Plants can be directed to grow vertically or horizontally along the frame. When creating a fence on a frame, you should remember that the roots of climbing plants require regular watering.
Look at the photo to see what a frame hedge looks like in a dacha:
Cascading hedges
Multi-row cascading green fences are painted with some fantasy touch. They combine freely growing and molded “steps”. Such hedges are created from various types of shrubs and trees.
Also, a multi-row hedge combines plants of the same species, but of different varieties, with different colors of foliage or needles. Combinations of purple and green beech or green and variegated holly look good in a multi-row cascading hedge.
Planting multilayer living fences requires quite a lot of space, but they more effectively protect the site from highway noise, polluted atmosphere, prying eyes and uninvited visits.
Below are photos and names of other types of hedges.
Choosing plants for a molded hedge
Green fences of geometric shapes, achieved through regular trimming, look incredibly beautiful. However, not all of the deciduous crops listed above can withstand such a procedure. Which shrub is suitable for a formal hedge?
For plantings that will have to maintain strict forms determined by pruning for many years, it is most important to choose plants with frequent branching shoots and small, quickly renewed foliage. This will help create a semblance of a dense living wall, border, arch over the gate and other structures.
Not only does trimming hedges not harm such crops, but the crown of shrubs becomes denser from year to year and better copes with the protective function of the fence.
Another feature of strict forms of shrubs suitable for planting is their small annual growth. The choice of plants in this case is considerable. This:
- numerous species and varieties of barberry, distinguished not only by height, but also by the color of dense foliage.
- hawthorn and bladderwort with green or purple foliage;
- cotoneaster;
- alpine and golden currants;
- privet;
- thuja occidentalis;
- euonymus;
- japonica.
No matter how resistant the plants are to shearing, they should be subjected to this procedure extremely carefully, having a certain skill in such work.
Having decided to grow a rectangular and then a more rounded fence on your site, you will have to stock up on patience and special hedge scissors.
What other hedges are there?
Free growing hedges
If, when creating a green fence, the hedge is made up of plants that practically do not need to be trimmed, then such a hedge is called free-growing.
Since this fence is practically not subject to correction, it grows in an arbitrary direction. The only thing a free-growing hedge requires is rejuvenating sanitary pruning.
Pay attention to the photo - this type of hedge can be made by single-row or multi-row planting of ornamental, fruit and berry bushes or low-growing trees:
The advantage of such a hedge is that it does not require regular and labor-intensive pruning. It happens that one of the plants accidentally dies during planting, but for a free-growing hedge this will not be a big problem, unlike a molded hedge. A dead plant in this hedge can be easily replaced, since it was originally composed of many different crops.
A huge variety of species and shapes of beautifully flowering shrubs, varying in height, allows you to create an expressive composition. Plants for it are selected so that they have different timing of the beginning of flowering and its duration, and differ in the shape and color of the inflorescences and foliage.
Then the hedge will repeatedly change its color scheme throughout the season. A free-growing hedge, composed of various types of shrubs, is very popular as a landscape decoration in a landscape style.
Since a free-growing hedge does not require regular trimming, it will be an excellent option for a summer cottage, especially since it is quite easy to arrange it yourself.
Such hedges have a wild and slightly neglected appearance, and the use of several types of shrubs creates an additionally unique romantic image from an old novel. For a free-growing flowering fence, honeysuckle, serviceberry, barberry, etc. are suitable.
Hedges of different heights
Living green hedges at the dacha come in different heights; according to this indicator, three types of enclosing plantings are distinguished:
- Borders up to 100 cm high - suitable for outlining the contours of lawns, flower beds and paths
- A hedge 100-150 cm high - to divide the area into functional zones
- Living wall with a height of 200 cm and above - for planting along the boundaries of the site
To enclose flower beds and paths in flower beds, very low borders of low-growing shrubs, whose height does not exceed 50 cm, are arranged.
All ornamental plants from which hedges are formed require different amounts of light for their growth and development. In relation to sunlight, they are conventionally divided into three large groups: light-loving, shade-tolerant and shade-loving.
The entire territory of the summer cottage is divided into separate functional zones using hedges of medium height. For a green fence in this case, it is best to use low-growing ornamental shrubs and perennial herbaceous plants so that they do not subsequently interfere with the view of the site.
Hedges can be taller than human height, they reach a height of 250 cm and look like a real living wall. Such hedges are preferable when the area is surrounded by a fence - the plants should be higher than it.
In this case, they are planted on the outside, in front of the fence. This option is especially recommended when the fence faces the street.
Functional hedges
An external hedge is designed to delimit one's own territory from the street or neighboring area. It can be multi-tiered.
It is not advisable to use fruit trees or shrubs to plant an external green fence.
During the period of fruit ripening, such a fence will be the object of close attention of birds and various animals.
Look at the photo - for such a hedge, it is best to plant a thorny bush (barberry, hawthorn or rose hip):
A green fence made of thorny bushes will not allow unauthorized persons to enter the site in the absence of the owners.
A plot of land divided into different functional zones looks cozy and beautiful, and the beds do not suffer from the invasion of uninvited guests. An internal hedge separates the living area from the utility yard, and the recreation area from the vegetable garden with beds.
On a spacious plot, using hedges of varying heights and densities, you can create a special space for relaxation - a “green room”. Borders for flower beds are made of small height, and the enclosing green “walls” are made of densely planted tall plants with small foliage.
The last section of the article is devoted to what plants are suitable for creating a hedge in the country.
The best plants for a hedge
Let's look at a number of the best plants for hedges.
Barberry Thunberg
This is a small shrub with a spherical openwork shape and long shoots. Its height is up to 50 cm, but can be higher, and its width reaches up to 1.5 m. Sharp spines give it the role of a good guard. Winter hardiness is high. Grows well in fertile soils. It requires moisture and needs to be watered during the dry months. Grows in sun and partial shade. Trim it 2 times a year.
Euonymus
Valued for its openwork and dense crown. In summer the leaves are dark green. Its height is about 1 m, its diameter can reach up to 2-3 m. It has high winter hardiness and grows on fertile soils. Pruning is done in early spring. Loves light, but tolerates partial shade.
cotoneaster
A popular shrub in hedges, reaching a height of 2-2.5 m. It has fleshy leaves with a slight waxy coating. An unpretentious plant with good winter hardiness. It is not picky about soil and moisture, although in the first year it needs watering. Grows in both sun and shade.
Thuja
Depending on the variety, it can be short or tall. Without cutting, the height can reach up to 20 m. The frost resistance of thuja is not bad, but you need to look at the variety. It is not demanding on soil, but does not tolerate stagnant water. However, in moist soils, its crown is denser. Can grow in sunny or partial shade. In partial shade its crown is denser. Responds well to spraying.
Hawthorn
The shrub is valued for its beautiful foliage and bright, healthy fruits. The plant, depending on the variety, can be from 2 to 7 m. There are many thorns on the branches. Good winter hardiness. Hawthorn flowers and fruits are healing. A light-loving plant that prefers heavy but well-drained soils, it is not demanding of water.
Spirea
Graceful shrub. Depending on the variety, the height reaches 1-2m. Good frost resistance. Loves moist soils, but at the same time tolerates drought well. Responsive to feeding. Grows in sunny places and in partial shade.
Turn
Dense thorny bushes provide good protection from uninvited guests. Despite being the ancestor of the plum, the sloe has spines. It is sometimes called that, prickly plum. Its height reaches 3 m, frost resistance is good. The disadvantage of this shrub is a lot of lateral shoots. Nothing valuable should be planted next to it.
Mock orange (a type of jasmine)
An ornamental shrub with fragrant flowers that make delicious tea. Depending on the variety, it can be 1-2.5 m. It has high frost resistance, is not picky about soils, but does not tolerate saline soils and stagnant moisture. Grows in sunny places and in partial shade. My living fence is made from mock orange.
