Hedge plants

The hedge - a kind of border, framing a certain area, made by planting climbing, tree, shrub plants. It divides the cottage, garden plots, agricultural land, allocates separate small zones in the local area. To create living fences used a huge number of types of vegetation - both decorative, beautifully blossoming, and used in food, medicinal purposes.

Hedge Functions

The living fence is not just a beautiful, multifunctional fence, but also an original element of landscape design, designed to harmoniously complement the existing architectural ensemble. Such planting has been used by man for many centuries, and methods of caring for them are constantly being improved.

The living fence not only looks good, being the pride of the owner, but also perfectly cleans the air from poisonous substances that are inevitably present in the air near big cities, gives shade, which is important both for humans and animals, prevents erosion, soil erosion, overdrying it. Curly species allow "crawling" on the old bare fence, originally masking, giving an aesthetic appearance.

In the past, fruit plants used for human food were planted as live obstacles, but the crop with very dense plantings is quite small.

Features of the site design hedges

The landing site is chosen external perimeter of the site or a small area that you want to make the most private.

The height of the structure can be quite different:

• curb - landing height of less than 0.5 meters;
• low - 0.6-1.0 meters;
• average - 1.1-1.5 meters;
• high - over 1.6 meters.

The most popular are the combined barriers, for the creation of which are used plants of several species that vary considerably in height.

There are also several types of landings:

• evergreens - they look beautiful all year round, almost unchanged;
• deciduous - lose foliage in autumn, look good in summer;
• blooming - have the maximum decorative effect during the flowering period;
• curly - able to trudge, clinging to any support.

On the device hedges are distinguished:

• single-species - consist of vegetation of one species;
• trellis - consist of trees growing in a row, whose branches are intertwined;
• combined - are a complex multi-tiered landing.

According to the methods of care distinguish freely growing fit and molded. The latter require constant trimming, giving them a certain geometric shape.

Advantages, disadvantages of hedge

“Living” fencing has a number of positive and negative properties that should be considered before planning the creation of this type of green space.

The main advantages:

• living fence can hold water in the ground. It protects the soil from draining by the winds, the snow in this area melts a little slower, because moisture is absorbed by the earth more;
• the fence protects those in the area from street dust, filters harmful exhaust produced by vehicles;
• crops, young plants are mechanically protected from the winds - their leaves suffer less from the breakage of stalks, leaves, blowing off flowers, fruits;
• in the hot season, such barriers prevent the rapid spread of fires in the fields, if they occur locally;
• living fence protects from cold winds, prevents snow drifts on the tracks;
• livestock finds beneath it a saving shadow, weather protection;
• Here birds often settle, destroying insect pests of agricultural vegetation;
• wood, plant residues resulting from the thinning of the fence serve as fuel for the stove, fireplace, are used for the manufacture of handicrafts, a variety of household needs.

But there are also negative sides:

• decorative hedge occupies a significant part of the useful area of ​​the site, which could be used for growing vegetable crops;
• the high barrier obscures the lower plantations, takes away some of the nutrients from the soil;
• There are inevitable problems with digging the soil - close to living fences, processing is done as carefully as possible so as not to damage the roots;
• if the snow in such places is not cleaned on time, some of the sowing will be wetted and rotted;
• additional ways are required for the removal of crops and waste from the site;
• In addition to useful living fences, harmful birds settle, which destroy crops, damage crops, and rodents;
• good crop rotation is also problematic.

Well-thought-out geometry of landings will relieve the owner from a lot of problematic moments, emphasizing the beauty of the existing landscape.

Plant selection: fast-growing trees, shrubs for a green fence

To create hedges, many types of fast-growing trees and shrubs are used, such as thuja, barberry, boxwood, sloe, dwarf spruce, honeysuckle, heather, mountain ash, lilac, hornbeam, irga, ivy, mulberry and many others.

Barberry

From the barberry it turns out a beautiful, reliable, thick and prickly wall, through which even a cat will not crawl. Due to the dense, deep root system, it is often used to strengthen the slopes. The barberry is actively expanding, because it is important to remove all excess seedlings immediately after detection, it is often damaged by powdery mildew, rust, and therefore disease prevention is required. The main species used: Amur, common, Thunberg barberry. The fruits of most species are edible.

Periwinkle

Periwinkle - curly evergreen dwarf shrub. With it, get the "green walls" height of more than one and a half meters. The plant is notable for its amazing vitality - it is not afraid of frost, it feels great even on nutrient-poor lands, tolerates the dry season well, and is able to grow in sunny places and in the shade. To create a hedge, trellis will be needed; in the first year of life, seedlings should be covered for the winter so that young roots do not freeze.

Euonymus

Euonymus has many varieties, but most often used are climbing species. The plant is poisonous, which should be considered if there are small children in the family. Rubber gloves should be worn when planting. Motley species of euonymus are planted on the sunny side, varieties with white, yellow foliage - in the shade, as the leaves can fade. Seedlings root, covered with foil, to create a fence will require support, pruning is done in late winter - early spring. Popular varieties: Forchun's euonymus - harlequin, blondy.

Privet

Living fence of privet or "wolfberry" combines beauty and functionality, being a close relative of the lilac. It grows rapidly, especially after pruning, forms impassable thickets up to three meters high. Of privet often form not only the walls, but also the whole sculptural compositions of the most bizarre forms. Plants are planted as close as possible to each other, preferably in a well-lit place on all sides, on soils that have good drainage. Before planting in a trench put manure, another organic.

Hawthorn

Hawthorn is a deciduous shrub that has many trunks, an excellent honey plant with edible fruits. It is unpretentious - tolerates frost well, prolonged drought and shade. Hawthorn wood is very plastic, which allows it to form all sorts of figures from its branches. In summer, the plant is covered with green leaves, which by the autumn acquire a red-orange shade, the fruits of many species are used in food, are raw materials for medicines. Common species: ordinary, black, odnopestichny, Siberian.

Heather

Heather is a low, honey-bearing shrub with narrow leaves of a green, silver, red-orange color scheme. The plant blooms in early August, but the flowers themselves remain dry until winter. Heather is able to grow in the poorest soils, but for lush flowering, maintaining high decorativeness, it is desirable to fertilize the earth. This plant is low, because it is used only for creating borders, it is recommended to plant it in early spring, it can be grown with seedlings, layering, dividing rhizomes or from seeds.

Hydrangea

Hydrangea is suitable for the formation of medium and low living walls. The plant prefers fertile soil, has large leaves, inflorescences. The tree hydrangea is planted at the age of about two years; it requires regular watering, especially during the dry season, and frequent fertilization during budding. Pruning is also done several times over the summer, and once every two or three years - thinning, removal of the oldest shoots. Dried inflorescences can be cut or left as a winter garden decoration.

Deytion

Deytsiya - blooming, but almost odorless plant. The fence from it comes out very elegant, but high - up to three or four meters. Deytsiya unpretentious - perfectly tolerates polluted urban air, but abundant flowering will be only in loose, nutritious soil, in a well-lit place. The plant is afraid of cold, but quickly restored with partial freezing. All varieties are suitable for living walls, but especially Deutzia Lemoine, rough, elegant, less often - Amur, small-colored. Bookmark produce in the spring, planting each plant in a separate pit.

Spruce

Spruce is a very popular evergreen plant for a garden hedge. The heights are varied - they are used as undersized varieties as well as ordinary ones. They are usually planted on the north side to protect the garden from cold winds, almost without shading it. Spruce grows slowly, but always looks fresh. Its shades - green, blue, golden yellow, if you plant these plants in a certain order, you get an amazingly beautiful composition. Spruce fence protects well from prying eyes, with high-quality, timely pruning, looks aesthetic all year round.

Irga

Irga is a plant belonging to the apple-tree subfamily, but its fruits are berries. The roots of irgi deeply penetrate the soil, because no drought is terrible for it. Some species have significant frost resistance, they bloom profusely, very beautifully. Berries irgi have a taste of cinnamon, and the plant itself, due to root processes, forms a dense wall in the second or third year. Planting is done in late autumn or spring, the first time requires abundant watering, and later - a garter, because the branches are often bent under the weight of ripe berries.

Honeysuckle Capricole

Honeysuckle variety Kaprifol perfectly withstands frost, reaching more than five meters in height, is a rich honey plant. The plant feels good on wet soils, sunny places, it has dense foliage and tasty berries. Saplings are first grown at home in flowerpots, planted in the spring or autumn in open ground. When disembarking, you should install strong supports for the hedge - they are made of wood or metals; the hedge can also rest on a common fence. For the finished fence need painstaking care - regular cutting to shape, watering, fertilizing.

Willow

The living willow fence looks very elegant, the tree grows quickly, forming a high-grade high wall in three years. Willow is frost-resistant, there are about 600 species of it, but most often they are used as holly, silver, Babylonian, purple, Hakuro Nishiki. Planting takes place from early spring to late autumn, sunny places are preferable, fertilizer is not necessary, but abundant watering is important in the first year of life. Seedlings are placed under an inclination of 45 degrees, fixed with props, rods. Twisting, tying crosswise, it is recommended one year after planting.

Campsis big-flowered

Campsis or trumpet flowers - a perennial flowering deciduous vine. The plant is unpretentious, frost-resistant, but loves heat and light, blooms from June to the end of September. Campsis is growing extremely fast, because it is important to cut it in time, send shoots in the right direction, remove old branches, freeing up space for new ones. The plant is often used in mixed plantings, planting in the foreground other low-growing perennials that cover the base of the vines. During the first year the vine grows more than a meter.

Cotoneaster

Cotoneaster is divided into two varieties: deciduous and evergreen. The most often cultivated cotoneaster is shiny - it is planted in partial shade, on sandy soil, in which there is no stagnation of moisture. The plant is used to create walls with a height of 1-1.8 meters, borders and islands, up to 60-80 cm tall. It is recommended to plant a cotoneaster in a maximum of one or two rows. Planting of specimens with open roots occurs in the spring, before bud breaks, or after the leaves fall, just before frosts. Planted plants with a closed root system can be from early spring to late summer.

Cypress Lawson

Lawson's cypress belongs to the cypress family, has scaly needles, falling shoots, a cone-shaped crown, a developed system of roots. An evergreen plant perfectly adapts to adverse urban conditions, poor soils, but with strong frosts, young shoots often freeze out, because in the middle lane it should be covered with lapnik. Cypress recommended often, abundantly watered, loosen the soil, in time to pruning. The plant is suitable for high walls, mixed plantings.

Kupressciparis Leylanda

Leyland kupressiparis has an evergreen cone-shaped crown with hanging shoots. The plant can reach more than 27 meters in height, crown can grow to five in width. Seedlings are grown in flowerpots, and when their roots have developed enough, they will be planted in open ground. Kupressotsiparis grows well in the shade, young trees require frequent watering, more adult enough rain. During the season, such a hedge adds more than a meter in height, because pruning is necessary.

Lavrovishnya

Very beautiful obstacles are obtained from the laurel cherry tree - it looks like a ficus and laurel. All types, except for medicinal, grow extremely slowly, because the latter is used frequently. The plant is highly resistant to frost, shade, but requires a lot of water, with the long absence of which ceases to bloom, bear fruit. The first pruning is done at the end of the summer, in the second year of planting life, after - twice a year. Some species give edible fruits, almost not damaged by parasites, diseases. Lavrovishnya is not only sheared, but also bent, twisted around supports, grids.

Mottled Shrub

Potentilla shrubbery or "Kuril tea" is suitable not only for creating garden decorations, but also for brewing tea infusion. The plant is very tenacious, unpretentious, frost-resistant, up to one and a half meters. If the shrub is properly mowed, it will remain very decorative all year. Popular varieties: kobold, goldfinger, deydaun, princesses. The plant prefers a light, fertile land, planting in the ground is made when the seedlings are two years old, the soil surface is mulched with sawdust. Sanitary pruning is carried out in the spring.

Mahonia

Magonia forms a low friable fence, beautifully blooms, giving a lot of delicious berries, is a fragrant honey plant. In summer, its leaves are green, becoming red-maroon by winter. The shrub grows slowly, unpretentious, frost-resistant, resistant to drought, not afraid of pests. In hedges it is most often linked with higher or lower plants. Landing is preferably done in the shade; pruning is done in the spring, but not necessarily annually. Species: Japanese, hollow, creeping.

Juniper

Evergreen juniper creates magnificent obstacles, bringing with it to the site a real forest scent. It is great for shorn hedges, combining well with hardwoods. The most common types: Chinese, scaly, Cossack, ordinary, virgin. Different breeds grow from one and a half to 25 meters high, their needles are green or bluish-blue. Most often, juniper is used to decorate large areas, it is unpretentious, but excessive stagnation of water can destroy the seedling. Landing is made in spring or autumn.

Holly

From holly it turns out a prickly, impassable, evergreen construction. The plant has dark shiny leaves, beautiful berries, it grows well in partial shade and in the sun. The landing is made in April or October, the hedge reaches an “adult” size in the fourth or fifth year of life. Most varieties of holly are not suitable for excessively cold regions, as they are easily frozen. This kind of living fence slowly increases in growth, is damaged by front sights, they cut it off once a year.

Balsam fir

The plant has a conical shape, soft needles, with a pleasant aroma, can reach 23 meters or more in height without cutting. Формирование изгороди производится из саженцев в возрасте не менее пяти-семи лет, предпочтительно в апреле либо сентябре. Землю вокруг молодого ствола обильно присыпают опилками, накрывают лапником, так как в первый год после посадки пихты часто вымерзают. Высаживать лучше в полутени, выбирая хорошо дренированную, удобренную почву, желательно вблизи любых водоемов, но застоя воды пихта бальзамическая не переносит.

Плющ садовый

Garden ivy fencing is the most unpretentious design, even a novice gardener will be able to grow it without problems. The plant requires shelter in extreme cold, it is badly affected by the winds. Disembarking takes place in the springtime, preferably at elevations. The first year of ivy grows slowly, after - a little faster. Frequent watering of ivy is not necessary - in a hot period, once a week is enough, in a more rainy season you can not water it at all. Ivy is convenient to draw ugly garden buildings - fences, sheds, gazebos, etc.

Bladder

The most common variety is the calypodia. It is a deciduous shrub up to three meters high, it is lush, very voluminous, has toothed leaves and fluffy fragrant inflorescences. Flowering, fruiting begins at the plant over four years. So that the color of the leaves is uniform, the bamboopole is planted in sunny areas, away from fruit trees. The soil is preferred light, loose, well-drained, landing is done in May. The plant is well adapted to the polluted air of big cities, it filters it qualitatively.

Rowan

To create hedges used weeping, black-fruited mountain ash. The plant is unpretentious, perfectly tolerates frost and drought, its berries are edible. Rowan propagated by cuttings, planted in the spring in a well-lit place. The haircut is done two or more times in the first year, in the next - less often, it will take at least three to four years to form the fence. Before planting, it is advisable to fertilize the soil well, the intended contours of the future fence - to fix the frame of the sticks so that the shape comes out correct.

Lilac

Lilac is a versatile option for creating live fences, it grows quickly in the spring and summer period, decorating the garden in white, pink, purple, blue or purple flower clusters. The soil for lilac is preferable to well-drained, dwarf varieties are planted thickly, larger - a little less. The older the plant, the more viable it is - seedlings older than two years are purchased for planting. The first haircut is made two years after planting, it is done in early spring or after flowering. The soil around the young specimens sprinkled with sawdust to the roots are not frozen.

Snowberry

Snowberry is an unpretentious plant with small white inedible berries, hanging on the sprigs even in winter. Some species have red or black berries, but in the middle lane they are rare. The snowberry is recommended as an unformed hedge, reaching a height of 1.6 m. Often it is used in mixed plantings with rowan, roses. Planting is done in pots, because in the open ground shoots will have to wait a long time, for three years the plant reaches a height of one meter. Any kind of soil, even calcareous, stony soil will be suitable for the snowbreaker.

Spirea

Spirea, there are about 90 different species, it blooms beautifully in spring, without causing much trouble. The height of the finished fence - about 1.5 meters, it is thick, impassable for most animals. Soil for spirea is acceptable to anyone, and falling varieties do not even need pruning. There are also species that preserve brightly colored foliage all year round. Popular species: Japanese, argut, frobelis, bomald, meadowsweet average. The laying of the fence is recommended in October, in the sod-peat soil, initially requires abundant watering.

Boxwood

Boxwood or buksus suitable for free-growing fences, and for strict geometric shapes. It is easy to care for, can live up to 500 years. Frost-resistant types have green foliage, thermophilic - motley. For landing in the ground fit the copies at the age of 3-7 years, they are planted in a trench, from early May to October, a maximum of a month before the onset of cold weather. Watering is necessary only during droughty periods, the hairstyle is made from spring to late autumn every 5-6 weeks. To obtain a rectangular fence needed wooden frame. It is important to know that all parts of boxwood are very poisonous, because children are not allowed to go to it.

Thuja Brabant and Smaragd

Thuja is an evergreen tree actively used in landscape design. Impassable high fencing of it perfectly protects against dust, alien invasions and excessive noise. Low-growing varieties are used for the arrangement of borders. Thuja Brabant for the winter becomes brown-brown, but the opacity of the fence at the same time preserves, for the season the tree adds up to 40 cm in height. The recommended age of seedlings for the formation of a fence is more than three years. Thuja Smaragd is green all year round, has a conical shape, but grows slowly. The fence of it has a jagged top edge, which further complicates unwanted penetration into the area. Young plants require abundant watering, more adults also do not want to overdry.

Forsythia

The hedge of it is formed in the autumn, the forsythia is very hardy, it blooms in dazzling yellow, much earlier than others, before the appearance of the first foliage. Forsythia prefers sunny areas where there are no strong winds, drafts. To create fences selected varieties with the most dense crown. The plant looks good in mixed plantings, it is fertilized for lush blooming twice a year. Watering is needed in particularly dry seasons, pruning - as needed, but the frozen, old branches are cut off necessarily.

Chubushnik

Chubushnik or garden jasmine - an incredibly fragrant plant, during flowering, it emits a sweet, intoxicating scent. Chubushnik fences are elegant, but lush, reaching 2.7 meters, flowers of white and cream color. It is recommended to land on sunny places with fertile soil that should not be swamped. Formation of planting is possible from two to three-year-old seedlings or cuttings, in autumn or spring. Rejuvenating pruning is necessary every two years - then the flowering will be as lush as possible, thinning is necessary in spring, annual additional feeding before the beginning of the growing season.

Mulberry

Of all the mulberry species, white or black is used most often to create living walls, but there are about 18 species in total. It is resistant to cold, can live up to 200 years, has a sprawling crown, incredibly tasty berries of a white or black-violet color scheme. Planting is preferable on well-drained loamy soils, preferably on the south side, the soil must be mulched so as not to freeze the roots. Sanitary pruning is done in winter; shaping is done on one and a half meter shtamb. For abundant fruiting annual fertilizer is needed.

Rosehip

Rosehip goes out very prickly, it smells delicious in the flowering period, after giving useful, edible fruits. Designers often use "wild" dog rose - it is more unpretentious. Popular varieties: wrinkled, gray, Scottish rose, fragrant. Planting is formed from three-year seedlings with developed roots, but the use of cuttings is also permissible. So that the root system does not grow all over the site, it is limited to pieces of slate, dug to a depth of 50-60 cm. Young specimens are watered every four days, adults only in drought, fertilizer is produced every spring.

Climbing Plants for Hedge

Curly annual vegetation for living fences has one major drawback - it needs to be re-planted annually, to make supports in order for the design to be even. Perennials deliver less hassle. She will not be able to protect the site from outside intrusion, and only hide it from prying eyes. To create such an obstacle, sweet peas, honeysuckle, bougainvillea, Kobeya, nasturtium, ipomey bindweed, etc. are used. The main advantage of planting: the decorative appearance appears quite quickly - in just a couple of months, it looks beautiful to the frost. Deciduous vines shed their "outfit" in late autumn, waking up early in spring.

Creating a trellis fence

The fence on the trellis, palmetta, cordon - a separate type of molded hedge, which requires regular pruning. The width of the structure does not exceed 10-25 cm, it is appropriate to do it along the external fences, brick or wooden walls, forged supports, which are part of the garden design.

The most suitable plants for the trellis constructions are willow, raspberry, elm, hawthorn, lemongrass, apple trees, etc. Such a "flat garden" takes up minimal space, and can be in height from a 25-60 centimeter border to a real "living wall", more two meters tall.

Growing a trellis fence is quite difficult, and it will acquire an acceptable appearance at least in the third or fifth year of life. For planting, trees and shrubs of low-growing varieties are used, the most acceptable method of placement is diagonal, mesh. Plants are fixed on the lattice, their shoots are crossed in several places, spliced ​​with each other by means of grafting. The distance between individual plants with such a landing - 20-30 cm, each of them, after sufficient rooting, cut off 10-15 cm above ground level. The following year, when several shoots appear at the cut, two of them are left to grow, removing the rest. When grown up, they are crossed and connected with the processes of "neighbors", cutting over the dressing site. The following year, the two strongest escapes are again left, so they repeat for another two or three years, until the construction reaches the required height.

If the bark is cut off at the binding sites, pressing the branches of the plants in slices to each other, they will grow together, forming a single plant organism that has many root systems that are as resistant to external influences as possible.

How to plant

The method of planting living fences depends on what effect you want to achieve, size, type of seedlings. Large, almost adults, are put in separate square pits, small ones - in one common trench. The dimensions of the latter for single-row plantings are 45-65 cm, double-rowed ones are 70-85 cm, three-row ones are over 90 cm. When placed in two or three rows, the seedlings are arranged in a staggered pattern diagonally from each other.

Distances between plants in each row:

• tall - 1-2 meters, landing exclusively single row;
• srednerosly - 0.5-0.9 meters, between the rows - 0.5 m;
• stunted - 0.4-0.6 m, between the rows - 0.4 m;
• dwarf (for borders) - 0.2-0.3 m, between the rows - 0.35 m.

For arrangement of magnificently blossoming plantings honeysuckle, viburnum, dogrose, hydrangea, chubushnik, lilac and others are used. The more fertile the soil is, the sparse planting (more than 1-1.5 meters between the plants), the larger the flowers will grow, the greater their number will bloom, will bear fruit.

Excellent prickly barriers are obtained from many types of conifers, roses, gooseberries, blackthorn, etc.

Coniferous fences land as follows:

• free-growing hedges - spruce planted at a distance of two to three meters from each other, it is desirable to use already large, one and a half to two meters. Tui planted through each meter, juniper - 0.8 m.
• sheared - when using spruce, it is planted at a distance of a meter between individual specimens, 50 cm - between rows. For thuja, leave 70 cm between individual trees, rows.

After planting, it is necessary that the earth was constantly wet, the roots do not dry out. For this mulching is done.

Grooming

To make a hedge as beautiful and presentable as possible, it requires constant care - timely watering, cutting, removing dried parts, pest and disease control. The desired shape is given when the plants in it are still young. Trimming is performed in the winter for the first time, at the end of the summer - the second. Coniferous pruned in late autumn, early spring.

During the haircut there is an increase in the growth of shoots, the crown becomes thicker. Clipping fence depending on the growth rate of its components, from one to four times a year. Each new pruning is produced as close as possible to the previous one - this is how a high density of the bush is achieved, which does not sag with time, does not deform during heavy snowfall.

An excessively fenced hedge is cut first, on the one hand, and a year later, on the other. At the same time it is fertilized, watered, mulched. All types of pruning are made on patterns, high cut, standing on a bench, stairs.

The modern chemical industry offers a number of drugs applied after pruning, which suppress the growth of new young shoots.

Conclusion

Live fencing, grown with their own hands in the country, decorates the site, while coping well with the protective purpose. Fast-growing annuals and evergreen perennials create a unique element of landscape design, protecting vegetables from wind, soil - from moisture loss. There are a lot of options for creating decorative zoning landings in order to plant and grow them, but the results exceed all expectations.