Hedges have been an integral part of gardens since the earliest times and encompass a vast range of ideas. Their main purpose though is to divide up space; be it marking the boundaries of a garden or dividing up the area within them. Many people shy away from hedges on the grounds that they take too much work to maintain or will take to long to establish. While it is true a formal hedge needs cutting at least once a year and you have to allow time for the plants to grow nothing provides the same sense of structure to a garden, just look at Hidcote Manor!
Choosing a hedge plant
When deciding on a hedge it has to be remembered that you are going to need a lot of the same plant and its going to be there for a long time. Cost and availability are clearly going to be important, particularly if a long hedge is planned. It also has to be suitable to its location: is the soil limy, shallow, free draining, water-logged? Also is the site exposed or sheltered, in open sun or shade? A good hedging plant needs to be hardy and suited to its location, the last thing you want is to lose chunks of you hedge the first hard winter, but also has to be amenable to being treated as a hedge. Most hedges are keep clipped and a good hedging plant needs to be a mass of dense smart leaves; as an open habit will never look good. The size of the leaves also matters as large leaves that look tatty when cut with shears; meaning they are best suited to informal hedges and screens, unless you have he time and patience to trim them carefully with secateurs.
Mixed hedges
Nobody said a hedge has to be only one type of plant, in fact most hedges usually end up with some lodgers in them over time. The red flowered climber Tropaeolum speciosum is often seen scrambling through yew hedges to great effect and wild clematis and ivy are seen doing the same thing in field hedges. So long as the hedge is sufficiently established and the climber not too vigorous a great range of combinations will add to a hedge. But you do not need to restrict yourself to mixing in climbers; the plain green of a hedge can be broken up but the inclusion of variegated plants in the mix. Care has to be taken to ensure one doesn’t swamp the other but say a plain green hedge with variegated buttress can lift an otherwise ordinary hedge. Mixed hedges are also sometimes used to recreate a more natural hedge for wildlife. For example 75% Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), 10% Field Maple (Viburnum opulus), 5% Beech (Fagus sylvatica), 5% Field Maple (Acer campestre) and 5% Holly (Ilex aquifolium) spaced 300mm apart, or 500mm apart in a pair of staggered double row 400mm apart, will produce a pleasing effect. Better still have a good look at the near by hedges and copy those, being careful not to be tempted by elder (Sambucus racemosa) as it’s short lived and tends to swap its neighbours and you will probably end up with self seeding themselves anyway!
Formal or Informal
Does a hedge have to be cut? The traditional image is of carefully trimmed walls of green, but where a more gentle appearance is called for a natural unkempt look can be more fitting. In a larger garden a screen of bushes can serve to define areas. For example a wild flower area could be separated from the remainder of the garden by an uncut screen of hawthorn and if needs be the side facing a more formal area could be keep cut. Even smaller gardens could benefit from an edging of lavender left to grow over the edge of a path to soften it.
Wildlife and hedges
There is no doubt that wildlife benefits from gardens, it is a two way street, and shrubs provide valuable cover and nesting sites so a hedge will benefit the wildlife in the garden which in turn adds to the garden. To this end any hedge cutting must be avoided if it could disturbed nesting birds, which in the UK, at least, is a criminal offence. In the UK the RSPB recommend that hedge are not cut from early March until the end of August for this reason, but these are guidelines and some years bird nesting could extend beyond this time frame.
Establishing hedges
A hedge is a long term investment in a garden so prior to planting the area needs to be well prepared. The ground needs to be clear of any perennial weeds which will be very difficult to eradicate once the hedge is growing. Any drainage problems have to be sorted out and with plants which will not tolerate water-logging, like Yew, it is prudent to install effective land-drains in all but the most free draining soils. As hedges are made up of closely packed large shrubs they tend to be greedy neighbours as their roots spread out looking for food and moisture and in some instances setting a barrier between them and any adjoining planting may be a sound investment, corrugated sheeting, builders damp proof membrane or cheap pond liner would suffice.
Maintaining a hedge
Hedge cutting became much easier once the powered hedge cutter became widely available but still most hedges will need cutting at least once a year; so it is best to plan ahead to make the task as easy as possible. First off make sure you not only leave room for the hedge to grow when you first plant it, but leave plenty of room to get in to cut it. Most plants will only create leaves where there is sun so cutting the hedge so it slopes slightly in toward the top will help get light all the way down to the base, this is less of an issue with plants like Yew which seem un-bothered by shade but most will tend to develop an unsightly sparse bottom! While on the topic of hedge cutting you should consider how high you actually need your hedge, yes a 6 metre high hedge will no doubt afford you great privacy but is also going to create an awful lot of shade, and in the UK you are also in danger of falling fowl of the high hedges act! This aside you have to consider the practicalities of cutting the monster, a 1.8 metre high hedge will still block the line of sight but the top can still be cut from the ground or a small step. Steps always present plenty of opportunity for accidents without powered hedge cutter being thrown into the equation.
Clearing up after the cutting is also a time consuming exercise and specially so if the clipping land in a herbaceous border, so throw a dust sheet over the plants and the sheet can then be gathered up with the clippings contained. Once you’ve cleared up remember you removed a lot of nutrients with all your cutting and so the hedge will benefit with a feed of a slow acting fertiliser in spring.
Choosing a hedge plant
When deciding on a hedge it has to be remembered that you are going to need a lot of the same plant and its going to be there for a long time. Cost and availability are clearly going to be important, particularly if a long hedge is planned. It also has to be suitable to its location: is the soil limy, shallow, free draining, water-logged? Also is the site exposed or sheltered, in open sun or shade? A good hedging plant needs to be hardy and suited to its location, the last thing you want is to lose chunks of you hedge the first hard winter, but also has to be amenable to being treated as a hedge. Most hedges are keep clipped and a good hedging plant needs to be a mass of dense smart leaves; as an open habit will never look good. The size of the leaves also matters as large leaves that look tatty when cut with shears; meaning they are best suited to informal hedges and screens, unless you have he time and patience to trim them carefully with secateurs.
Mixed hedges
Nobody said a hedge has to be only one type of plant, in fact most hedges usually end up with some lodgers in them over time. The red flowered climber Tropaeolum speciosum is often seen scrambling through yew hedges to great effect and wild clematis and ivy are seen doing the same thing in field hedges. So long as the hedge is sufficiently established and the climber not too vigorous a great range of combinations will add to a hedge. But you do not need to restrict yourself to mixing in climbers; the plain green of a hedge can be broken up but the inclusion of variegated plants in the mix. Care has to be taken to ensure one doesn’t swamp the other but say a plain green hedge with variegated buttress can lift an otherwise ordinary hedge. Mixed hedges are also sometimes used to recreate a more natural hedge for wildlife. For example 75% Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), 10% Field Maple (Viburnum opulus), 5% Beech (Fagus sylvatica), 5% Field Maple (Acer campestre) and 5% Holly (Ilex aquifolium) spaced 300mm apart, or 500mm apart in a pair of staggered double row 400mm apart, will produce a pleasing effect. Better still have a good look at the near by hedges and copy those, being careful not to be tempted by elder (Sambucus racemosa) as it’s short lived and tends to swap its neighbours and you will probably end up with self seeding themselves anyway!
Formal or Informal
Does a hedge have to be cut? The traditional image is of carefully trimmed walls of green, but where a more gentle appearance is called for a natural unkempt look can be more fitting. In a larger garden a screen of bushes can serve to define areas. For example a wild flower area could be separated from the remainder of the garden by an uncut screen of hawthorn and if needs be the side facing a more formal area could be keep cut. Even smaller gardens could benefit from an edging of lavender left to grow over the edge of a path to soften it.
Wildlife and hedges
There is no doubt that wildlife benefits from gardens, it is a two way street, and shrubs provide valuable cover and nesting sites so a hedge will benefit the wildlife in the garden which in turn adds to the garden. To this end any hedge cutting must be avoided if it could disturbed nesting birds, which in the UK, at least, is a criminal offence. In the UK the RSPB recommend that hedge are not cut from early March until the end of August for this reason, but these are guidelines and some years bird nesting could extend beyond this time frame.
Maintaining a hedge
Hedge cutting became much easier once the powered hedge cutter became widely available but still most hedges will need cutting at least once a year; so it is best to plan ahead to make the task as easy as possible. First off make sure you not only leave room for the hedge to grow when you first plant it, but leave plenty of room to get in to cut it. Most plants will only create leaves where there is sun so cutting the hedge so it slopes slightly in toward the top will help get light all the way down to the base, this is less of an issue with plants like Yew which seem un-bothered by shade but most will tend to develop an unsightly sparse bottom! While on the topic of hedge cutting you should consider how high you actually need your hedge, yes a 6 metre high hedge will no doubt afford you great privacy but is also going to create an awful lot of shade, and in the UK you are also in danger of falling fowl of the high hedges act! This aside you have to consider the practicalities of cutting the monster, a 1.8 metre high hedge will still block the line of sight but the top can still be cut from the ground or a small step. Steps always present plenty of opportunity for accidents without powered hedge cutter being thrown into the equation.
Clearing up after the cutting is also a time consuming exercise and specially so if the clipping land in a herbaceous border, so throw a dust sheet over the plants and the sheet can then be gathered up with the clippings contained. Once you’ve cleared up remember you removed a lot of nutrients with all your cutting and so the hedge will benefit with a feed of a slow acting fertiliser in spring.
Hedge Plant Selector
Spacings are for guidance only, wider spacing will use fewer plants but will take longer establish. Normally use 450 mm to 600 mm tall plants, larger plants can be spaced further apart.
All the plants in this list will tolerate lime and grow in any reasonable garden soil.
Acer campestre
| Common Name | Formal Hedge | Informal hedge | Evergreen | Shade | Foliage Colour | Flower colour | Single row spacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Field maple | Yes | No | Green | Pale green | 450mm |
A native plant that makes a good hedge, though more commonly used mixed with other plants. Very tolerant of soil and aspect it turns a very attractive pale gold in autumn.
Berberis darwinii
| Common Name | Formal Hedge | Informal hedge | Evergreen | Shade | Foliage Colour | Flower colour | Single row spacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darwin’s barberry | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Green | Orange | 600mm |
Makes a good impenetrable evergreen hedge 0.9m to 1.2m high. If left unclipped you get yellow spring flowers and blue berries in autumn. If clipped do so after flowering.
Buxus sempervirens
| Common Name | Formal Hedge | Informal hedge | Evergreen | Shade | Foliage Colour | Flower colour | Single row spacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Yes | Yes | Yes | Green | 450mm to 600mm |
The classic for dwarf compact hedges for edging and dividing up areas. The more vigorous forms will make 3.6 to 4.5 m high if wanted. The plant seems to attract snails!
Carpinus betulus
| Common Name | Formal Hedge | Informal hedge | Evergreen | Shade | Foliage Colour | Flower colour | Single row spacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hornbeam | Yes | Partial | Green | 450mm |
Like beech but more tolerant of heavy soils. A native plant it makes an excellent hedge in exposed locations.
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana
| Common Name | Formal Hedge | Informal hedge | Evergreen | Shade | Foliage Colour | Flower colour | Single row spacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawson’s cypress | Yes | Yes | Green | 450mm to 600mm |
Makes a good dense hedge but likes adequate moisture and good drainage. C. ‘Fletcheri’ makes a good dense hedge and being slower growing than the type takes longer to form a hedge but is less demanding of clipping there after.
Corylus avellana
| Common Name | Formal Hedge | Informal hedge | Evergreen | Shade | Foliage Colour | Flower colour | Single row spacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hazel. Hazelnut | Yes | Partial | Green | 600mm |
A native plant that is very tolerant of soil and aspect. Makes a good hedge on its own or mixed with other natives.
Crataegus monogyna
| Common Name | Formal Hedge | Informal hedge | Evergreen | Shade | Foliage Colour | Flower colour | Single row spacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawthorn, May | Yes | Yes | Partial | Green | White | 300mm |
The native Hawthorn is the commonest hedging plant in England forming many miles of hedgerow. It is very tolerant of dry and wet soils of all types in any situation. It makes a tough impenetrable hedge, often mixed with other native species. Very tolerant of being cut hard back.
X Cupressocyparis leylandii
| Common Name | Formal Hedge | Informal hedge | Evergreen | Shade | Foliage Colour | Flower colour | Single row spacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leyland cypress | Yes | Yes | Green | 600mm |
The rapid growth of this plant has lead to its over use and abuse by people looking for fast hedge. If keep regularly trimmed it make a good dense hedge but if left to grow it soon becomes a problem. Like most conifers it will not grow back from old wood and has a reputation for being poorly rooted. For an even faster result plants can be planed in a staggered double row spaced at 900mm apart with 450mm between the rows.
Escallonia cultivars
| Common Name | Formal Hedge | Informal hedge | Evergreen | Shade | Foliage Colour | Flower colour | Single row spacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Green | White through pink to red | 450mm |
As a formal hedge its smallish leaves repond well to clipping to form a neat hedge. As an infromal one it makes very attractive one and which will form hedges in a range of sizes depending which of the many cultivars are grown. Trim after flowering if necessary.
Fagus sylvatica
| Common Name | Formal Hedge | Informal hedge | Evergreen | Shade | Foliage Colour | Flower colour | Single row spacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common Beech | Yes | Partial | Green | 450mm |
This ever popular hedging plant is a hardy evergreen, happy in any soil but heavy waterlogged ones. When cut as a hedge it retains it leaves until they are replaced by the new leaves in spring. If grown as a pleached hedge you get the smooth silver trunks.
Fagus sylvatica Atropurpurea Group
| Common Name | Formal Hedge | Informal hedge | Evergreen | Shade | Foliage Colour | Flower colour | Single row spacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copper Beech, Purple Beech | Yes | Partial | Dark purple | 450mm |
As the plain green form but with dark purple leaves in summer.
Hedera helix
| Common Name | Formal Hedge | Informal hedge | Evergreen | Shade | Foliage Colour | Flower colour | Single row spacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ivy | Yes | Yes | Yes | Green | 450mm |
Though not an obvious choice Ivy can make a very good hedge; it is easy to grow being happy in any reasonable garden soil, hardy and very tolerant of shade. To start it off some form of cheap fence is need for it to grow up, chestnut palling or cheap trellis will suffice, and once it gets going it can be clipped with shears once or twice a year. The fence will rot with time but by them the plants should be self-supporting. A vast range of cultivars are available to chose from.
Ilex x altaclerensis ‘Golden King’
| Common Name | Formal Hedge | Informal hedge | Evergreen | Shade | Foliage Colour | Flower colour | Single row spacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holly ‘Golden King’ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Variegated green and gold | 450mm |
Makes an attractive variegated hedge like the native holly and has it strengths and weaknesses but is if anything a little slower growing.
Ilex aquifolium
| Common Name | Formal Hedge | Informal hedge | Evergreen | Shade | Foliage Colour | Flower colour | Single row spacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common holly | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Green | 450mm |
A popular and native which makes a good intruder resistant hedge. It doesn’t transplant very well so it is normally sold in pots and its relative slow growth makes it expensive. It will make a hedge any where from 1.5 to 6.0 m high. It has two draw backs, apart from possibly its slow growth, its very sharp dead leaves it scatters across neighbouring borders and its attractiveness to rabbits which love its green bark.
Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’
| Common Name | Formal Hedge | Informal hedge | Evergreen | Shade | Foliage Colour | Flower colour | Single row spacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lavender | Yes | Yes | Yes | Grey | Violet | 300mm |
This aromatic herb has long been used to create low hedges and will grow on most soils, though it prefers a free draining one, where it gets plenty of sunlight. It never makes a very dense hedge and resents being cut back into dead wood. Probably at its best when allowed to grow as an informal border edging and just clipped over once the flowers fade to keep it tidy. For a quicker hedge the plants can be planted 400mm to 450mm apart in a staggered double row 200mm apart.
Ligustrum ‘Aureum’
| Common Name | Formal Hedge | Informal hedge | Evergreen | Shade | Foliage Colour | Flower colour | Single row spacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Privet | Yes | Yes | Partial | Variegated green and gold | White | 300mm |
Once a byword for suburbia privet has fallen out of fashion these days but is still makes a good hedge. Semi-evergreen, only lossing its leaves in the coldest areas, it is tolerant of most soils and aspects. It will come back from being quiet hard pruned and will make a hedge anywhere from 0.6 to 3.0 m high. Buy plants 300 to 600 mm high and cut them back to 225 to 300 mm on planting. For a quicker hedge the plants can be planted 400mm to 450mm apart in a staggered double row 200mm apart.
Ligustrum ovalifolium
| Common Name | Formal Hedge | Informal hedge | Evergreen | Shade | Foliage Colour | Flower colour | Single row spacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common Privet | Yes | Yes | Yes | Green | White | 300mm |
Once a byword for suburbia privet has fallen out of fashion these days but is still makes a good hedge. Semi-evergreen, only losing its leaves in the coldest areas, it is tolerant of most soils and aspects. It will come back from being quiet hard pruned and will make a hedge anywhere from 0.6 to 3.0 m high. Buy plants 300 to 600 mm high and cut them back to 225 to 300 mm on planting. For a quicker hedge the plants can be planted 400mm to 450mm apart in a staggered double row 200mm apart.
Lonicera “Baggesen’s Gold”
| Common Name | Formal Hedge | Informal hedge | Evergreen | Shade | Foliage Colour | Flower colour | Single row spacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honeysuckle baggesen’s gold | Yes | Yes | Gold | 300mm |
A gold form of Lonicers nitida. It can be used with the plain green form to create some interesting effects.
Lonicera nitida
| Common Name | Formal Hedge | Informal hedge | Evergreen | Shade | Foliage Colour | Flower colour | Single row spacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shrubby honeysuckle | Yes | Yes | Yes | Green | 300mm |
A very popular fast evergreen plant which can make a very dense hedge 1.2 to 1.35 m high. Its fast growth does means it needs regularly clipping, up to four times a year, but it is very tolerant of being cut hard back. It’s not terribly hardy and can damaged by cold winters so it is best where there is some shelter.
Photinia ‘Red Robin’
| Common Name | Formal Hedge | Informal hedge | Evergreen | Shade | Foliage Colour | Flower colour | Single row spacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas berry red robin | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Green with red shoots | White | 450mm to 600mm |
This evergreen New Zealand shrubs has started to become popular for hedging and makes a good hedge from 900 up to 1500 mm high. It is adaptable happy in most soils and situations it is best cut back once the red foliage starts to turn bronze, so getting the bright red shoots in spring.
Prunus lusitanica
| Common Name | Formal Hedge | Informal hedge | Evergreen | Shade | Foliage Colour | Flower colour | Single row spacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portuguese laurel | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Green | White | 450mm to 600mm |
Can make a neat and close evergreen hedge with glossy dark green leaves. Its relatively large leaves mean it is best trimmed with secateurs though shears cut ones can still look very smart if you lack the time and/or patience.
Rosmarinus officinalis
| Common Name | Formal Hedge | Informal hedge | Evergreen | Shade | Foliage Colour | Flower colour | Single row spacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rosemary | Yes | Yes | Yes | Grey green | Blue | 300mm to 380mm |
Its open habit make it better as an informal hedge but makes a scented hedge up to about 900mm. Though tolerant of most soils it does best in a warm sandy soil and can be bit tender. Avoid cutting into old wood and ide3ally plant in spring.
Taxus baccata
| Common Name | Formal Hedge | Informal hedge | Evergreen | Shade | Foliage Colour | Flower colour | Single row spacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yew | Yes | Yes | Yes | Green | 450mm to 600mm |
The classic dense evergreen hedge and probably the best. Often over looked on the grounds of its much exaggerated slow growth it is reckoned a Yew hedge can out last a brick wall. They tolerate most soils and situations including heavy shade and will make a hedge in 10 years if clipped regularly to encourage dense growth. A native plant is is very toxic to both humans and other animals. Its Achille’s heels is it will not tolerate waterlogging and so when planting it drainage should be installed in all but the most free draining soils.
Taxus baccata Aurea Group
| Common Name | Formal Hedge | Informal hedge | Evergreen | Shade | Foliage Colour | Flower colour | Single row spacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Yew | Yes | Yes | Yes | Variegated green and gold | 450mm to 600mm |
A gold variegated form of the classic hedge material. They tolerate most soils and situations including heavy shade and will make a hedge in 10 years if clipped regularly to encourage dense growth. A native plant is is very toxic to both humans and other animals. Its Achille’s heels is it will not tolerate waterlogging and so when planting it drainage should be installed in all but the most free draining soils.
Viburnum tinus
| Common Name | Formal Hedge | Informal hedge | Evergreen | Shade | Foliage Colour | Flower colour | Single row spacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laurustinus | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Green | White | 600mm |
Makes a good hardy evergreen hedge, V. ‘Eve Price’ is a particularly good dense form. Grows well on both chalk and non-chalk soils and tolerates both shade and maritime exposure.
