Trees To Prune Into Hedges: What Trees Make Good Hedges
Hedges serve many purposes in a garden. These living walls can block the wind, ensure privacy, or simply establish one area of the garden from another. You can use shrubs for hedges; however, you can also try making trees into hedges. What trees make good hedges? Read on for some ideas on using trees as hedge plants.
What Trees Make Good Hedges?
Farmers have been using trees as hedge plants for hundreds of years. Often, they would use a local tree species that grows well in the area and simply plant them close together to form hedgerows.
Today, homeowners tend to make hedges by planting one type of evergreen tree in a straight line. Popular choices for trees to prune into hedges include slender, upright evergreens like Spartan juniper or Emerald arborvitae. These trees both grow to 15 feet (5 m.) tall and 3 feet (1 m.) wide.
In many cases, evergreens are the best trees for hedges. They retain their foliage year round so your hedge can serve as a windbreak or a privacy screen during all four seasons.
If you are looking for a quick windbreak, one of the best trees for hedges is the fast-growing Green Giant thuja. Left to its own devices, Green Giant gets 30 to 40 feet (9–12 m.) tall and half as wide. Also good for large landscapes, Green Giant will need steady pruning for smaller backyards. Trimming a hedge tree can take the form of shearing.
Varieties of holly (Ilex spp.) also make great evergreen hedges. Holly is attractive, grows red berries beloved by birds, and the trees are long lived. This can prove important in a hedge.
Flowering deciduous trees make charming hedges to mark a property line or section off an area of the backyard. The look of the hedge changes from season to season.
Gardening tips, videos, info and more delivered right to your inbox!
Sign up for the Gardening Know How newsletter today and receive a free download of our DIY eBook "Bring Your Garden Indoors: 13 DIY Projects For Fall And Winter".
You could use any combination of fruit trees for a flowering hedge. Don’t forget to consider trees like bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora), summersweet (Clethra alnifolia), border forsythia (Forsythia intermedia), or Chinese loropetalum (Loropetalum chinense).
Many homeowners decide to include a mix of different trees and shrubs into a hedge, as this offers protection from losing the entire hedge in case of a tree disease or devastating pest. If you mix evergreens with deciduous and flowering trees, you are also increasing your landscape’s biodiversity. This creates a habitat for a wide variety of beneficial insects, birds and animals.
Teo Spengler has been gardening for 30 years. She is a docent at the San Francisco Botanical Garden. Her passion is trees, 250 of which she has planted on her land in France.
-
Native Berry Bushes That Are Oh-So-Yummy – 10 Sustainable Backyard Berries To Grow
If you haven’t made room in your yard for native berries, you’re missing out on some of the healthiest, most reliable fruiting shrubs. Here are 10 native berry bushes you’ve got to try
By Bonnie L. Grant
-
8 Flower Seeds To Sow In Fall That Are Butterfly Magnets: Plant A Beautiful Pollinator Oasis
Create a vibrant butterfly sanctuary by planting fall seeds that attract and support precious pollinators.
By Melanie Griffiths
-
Best Trees For Carbon Sequestration And Climate Change
Let’s keep planting trees. They are our best bet for capturing carbon and may help with our global warming issues.
By Teo Spengler
-
7 Invasive Trees You Should Never Plant In Your Yard Or Garden
What are some invasive trees you should never plant in your yard? Click here to find out.
By Teo Spengler
-
How Close Can You Plant A Tree To A Stump?
Looking to plant new trees near old stumps or where stumps have been removed? Click here to learn how.
By Teo Spengler
-
Messiest Trees That Drop Debris Everywhere
Want to know which trees will create the biggest messes in your home landscape? Click here to find out.
By Amy Grant
-
How To Get Rid Of Tree Sprouts In The Yard From Nearby Trees
Learn the simple way to keep pesky tree seedlings in your lawn from becoming saplings.
By Teo Spengler
-
7 Common Tree Care Mistakes That Kill Trees
Are you accidentally killing your tree? It's easier than you think, if you're committing one of these common mistakes. Click here for more.
By Teo Spengler
-
How To Tell How Old A Tree Is
Ever wondered how to calculate the age of a tree? Click here to learn all about it.
By Teo Spengler
-
When To Remove Tree Stakes From Saplings
A newly planted tree may grow strong when it’s staked, but don’t forget to remove the stakes when it’s stable.
By Teo Spengler