A well maintained, healthy and aesthetically pleasing hedge can improve the appearance and functionality of your property. A hedge at the front and side boundaries of a property can be utilized as a buffer against traffic,general neighborhood noises and unattractive things. A well positioned hedge can also accentuate the layout of your garden and focus attention on the house and its surroundings.Those hedges placed strategically within the property boundaries have the ability to highlight pathways and divide specific areas within the garden and are extremely useful as a blind against necessary but unattractive elements of the garden such as tool sheds.



Plants that are commonly chosen for use in hedging vary in style, size and leaf structure. Taller hedges require plantings of species such as holly, thorn bushes or even wattle. Roses, camellias and barberry bushes are ideal for less formal, unstructured hedges. Shorter, lower growing plants that make great hedges include the varieties of box or smaller pine specimens, whilst a variety of fruiting trees such as apple, cherry, plum and quince can also serve as an effective and productive hedge, particularly when used around a vegetable garden. Nut trees are also popular for this use. Formal "clipped" and squared off hedges are almost always comprised of varieties of privett, which are relatively easy to train into the desired formal structure. For a more "original" look, other species of shrubbing plants, when positioned close together, can make successful hedges.

When you are planting out a hedge, the same amount of care and attention is required as for all other plants. Correct preparation of the soil is vital to optimize the health of the plants. A hedge with gaps or unhealthy straggly plants is an eyesore. Garden plants, for instance, should be of the same size when they are planted out to ensure equal growth. Correct spacing of the plants to achieve the close hedge has to be planned, as does the actual layout and structure of the hedge you wish to achieve.

If you are after a straight hedge, it is advisable to excavate a trench to the required size of the hedge. Ensure that one side is straight and set the plants so that they are aligned against this straight edge. The depth of the trench is dependent upon the requirements of the plant. Some plants will need to be planted more deeply than others. The size of the plant is also a determining factor in this.

Generally, should be planted closer together than if they were to be used as a specimen plant. Those that spread outwards like bougainvillea shrub will be planted further apart than those whose growth is more upright. You should seek the advice of a gardening expert to ensure that your hedge is planted appropriate to the different species.