Gardening Q&A<\/p>\n
By Larry Sombke<\/p>\n
Q: I want to create a visual barrier along the edge of my property. I don’t want to put up a fence. Are there any shrubs that make a good fence?<\/strong> Gardening Q&ABy Larry SombkeQ: I want to create a visual barrier along the edge of my property. I don’t want to put up a fence. Are there any shrubs that make a good fence?Answer: There is an old adage that…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":138,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\r\n
\nAnswer: There is an old adage that good fences make good neighbors. But a good fence does not have to be a chain link steel cage around your yard.
\nThe best alternative is to plant a living, natural hedge with a variety of large and small shrubs and trees both deciduous and evergreen. This lovely natural hedge will look a lot more like a hedgerow you might find along the edge of a meadow in the country. It will be low maintenance, bloom on and off from spring to late summer and provide colorful foliage in the fall.
\nHere’s a list of shrubs and small trees, many of which are a regular part of woodland hedgerows, that make a great hedge:
\nShadblow (Amelanchier). Shadblow is a small upright tree, 15 feet tall, that produces white flowers in early spring, berries for the birds and yellow leaves in the fall.
\nWitch Hazel (Hamamelis). Witch Hazel is a multi-branched, small tree that grows only six feet tall. The American witch hazel produces small yellow flowers in fall; the Chinese produces yellow flowers in late winter.
\nRedbud (Cercis canadensis). Redbud is the largest small tree in this group, growing 15 to 20 feet tall. It produces purple flowers in spring and yellow leaves in fall.
\nViburnum. There are at least a dozen different viburnums that make great hedge trees up to 10 feet tall. They produce white flowers in spring and berries for the birds in late summer.
\nRhododendron. Rhododendron is the nicest evergreen shrub for your hedge. Some rhodies grow as much as 20 feet tall, but most are in the four to six foot range with purple, white, red, or yellow flowers in spring and early summer.
\nMt. Laurel (Kalmia). Mt. Laurel also provides evergreen leaves along with clusters of white, red or pink flowers in early summer. Grows only about four to eight feet tall.
\nLilac (Syringa). Lilacs tend to get up to 15 feet tall, but their flowers are worth their extra size. Korean lilacs such as ‘Miss Kim’ are prettier at only six feet tall.
\nBeauty Bush (Kolkwitzia). Beauty Bush grows up to 10 feet tall and produces some of the prettiest pink flowers in early summer.
\nMock Orange (Philadelphus). Mock Orange produces fragrant white simple flowers that do resemble oranges in their look and smell. A very fast and reliable grower.
\nWeigela. Weigela is another vase-like shrub that grows only up to eight-feet tall and produces tubular shaped red or pink flowers in early summer that are a magnet for hummingbirds.
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\nPlanting combinations<\/strong>
\nThe design of your hedge could be as simple as lining the shrubs up in a row and plopping them down in the ground. I am sure it would look just fine and it would express your personality. After all, it’s not like someone designs the planting scheme for hedges out in nature.
\nA good design would be to place the shadblow on the far end, the redbud in the center and the witch hazel on the near end. They should be placed far enough apart so that at their mature size, the leaves don’t quite touch.
\nNow your hedge has white flowers, red buds and yellow flowers at different spaces and at different times of the year. Next, place the Rhododendron and Mt. Laurel in a cluster near the redbud which will grow larger and form a little canopy.
\nPlace the Lilac, Beauty Bush and the Mock Orange clustered under the Shadblow, which will also grow larger and create a canopy for these two shrubs.
\nFinally, place the Viburnum and Weigela in front of, and on either side of, the Witch Hazel. None of these hedge pieces grow too large and they will form a nice chorus of color at different times of the year.
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\nGrowing the hedge<\/strong>
\nThe first secret to successfully growing a living hedge is to give the hedge some room to grow. This is not a hedge you will prune to fit to your area. I think you will be happier with a hedge where the plants can grow to their full height. Your living fence will need to be at least 10 feet wide and as long as it needs to be.
\nSpace your shrubs far enough apart so that when they reach their full size, they begin to grow into each other. A lot of people make the mistake of planting their shrubs too close together and then have to remove one or replant them when they are way too large.
\nFor instance, If you are planting Beauty Bush and Mock Orange next to each other, set the plants 10 feet apart. I know, it seems your small shrubs look a little lonely set that far apart, but in two to three years they will be nearly full grown and you will be glad you made the extra room.
\nA living hedge needs a fairly sunny location, even for rhododendron and Mt Laurel, which are known to like shade. All the rest of these plants need sun to grow and thrive, and even shade-loving shrubs like a little sun so that they can bloom at their best.
\nPrepare the soil for your hedge the same as you would for a vegetable garden or perennial bed. Mark out the area; remove as much grass as you can along with weeds, sticks and stones. Spread a two to four inch thick layer of compost over the area and till it all to a depth of eight inches.
\nPlant the small tree or shrub in a hole that is just slightly wider than the root ball or slightly wider than the area needed to spread out the roots if it is a bare root plant. Set the plant in the hole at the same depth as it was in the container or just so the crown of the plant is at soil level.
\nSpread a two to four-inch thick layer of shredded organic mulch over the entire area to keep the weeds down, hold in moisture and to keep the soil cool. Organic mulch also makes your hedge look good and natural.
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\nWhen to plant<\/strong>
\nEither spring or fall is a good time to plant. Summer is possible but the heat and dryness can cause the plants to suffer quite a lot while they are struggling to get their roots established.
\nSpring is a great time to plant for several reasons. First, the selection of getting all the best quality plants in the best cultivars you are interested in. The shrubs are usually still dormant or only beginning to bud out in spring, which means the plants won‘t be shocked as much when you plant them.
\nFall is also an excellent time to plant a hedge for a number of reasons. The heat of the summer is over and the shrubs will have generally cooler weather when they first get started settling in. There won’t be as much heat stress on them at a fall planting time. Fall is also a good time to plant because many nurseries will hold sales, reducing the price on shrubs and trees to cut down on their inventory over the winter.
\nLarry Sombke is a guest on WAMC and the editor\/host of his blog website www.beautifuleasygardens.blogspot.com. He is a landscape consultant and the author of “Beautiful Easy Flower Gardens.” Send your garden questions to him at lsombke@beautifuleasygardens.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"