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by J.E. Klett and R. Ford^* (5/20)

Quick Facts…

• Plants used for hedges should be uniform and healthy.
• Pruning can help renew a hedge that has been neglected.
• For less maintenance and minimal pruning plant an informal hedge.

Using closely planted shrubs to create a hedge adds functional beauty to a landscape. A hedge can be used as a windbreak, living fence, a barrier for noise abatement or as a foundation backdrop. Formal and informal landscapes can both benefit from hedge plantings. Understanding species selection, planting procedures and pruning are important when planning and maintaining a hedge.

Selection

Shrubs for hedges should be healthy and uniform. When selecting plants for a hedge, consider the area’s location, exposure, space for growth and desired landscape effect. Shrubs such as privet, arborvitae and viburnum respond well to shearing and are a good choice for a formal landscape. For informal landscape plantings use lilac, dogwood or juniper to achieve a more natural look. For year- round screening, use evergreens such as yew, juniper or hardy forms of boxwood.

Consider budget, availability and immediate needs when selecting materials. Large ball-and- burlap shrubs are more expensive and more difficult to handle, but will have a mature look more quickly. Shrubs in small number five to number fifteen plastic containers are less costly but need more time to grow into a dense hedge. Using bare-root nursery stock makes a hedge planting more affordable. Not all retail nurseries carry bare-root stock— check with local nurseries in early spring.

Planting

After a site has been selected for the hedge planting, consider the height and spread that the area can accommodate. Improperly placed shrubs may overtake walkways and yards, or crowd access ways, easements, and  property lines. Planting and spacing shrubs according to their mature height and spread will reduce maintenance problems later. Also be cautious when planting near or under utility areas.

Hedges which will be sheared, or kept formally, are planted closer together. Natural, informal hedges are planted at a wider spacing and allowed to grow together. For help with spacing refer to the included table; in which plant sizes are based on height and spread on three average years of growth. All hedge material will need to be planted into soil that has been amended to meet the various species requirements. Refer to Colorado State University Extension fact sheet 7.235–Choosing a Soil Amendment. Don’t forget that adequate watering is necessary to establish plant material. In the first season use a soaker hose, or drip irrigation with mulch to reduce drying from sun and wind. Success with bareroot nursery stock will depend on planting early in the spring and maintaining proper soil moisture. To learn more about specific planting techniques refer to Colorado Master Gardener Garden Notes 636.

Pruning

Hedges can be maintained in either a natural or or formal form referred to as sheared hedges. Proper pruning is important for training and maintaining a healthy hedge. All hedges need regular pruning in order to maintain shape and increase density. Allowing hedges to follow their natural habit or form will require less maintenance which is ideal for an informal landscape. Pruning to remove old, broken, diseased or unfavorable growth is sometimes needed. Species used informally are spaced so natural habit and form can be preserved.

Sheared hedges require more maintenance. Shearing trains and helps. maintain the proper shape of the hedge so that a dense growth habit can develop. Privet, boxwood, yew, and currants are shrubs that respond well to shearing and are often used in formal landscapes. Once a hedge has been trained, the frequency of pruning will depend on species and landscape use. Commitment to a pruning schedule will make the difference between a beautiful or an overgrown hedge.

If shrubs have gotten too large, it is possible to rejuvenate certain species. Plantings of lilac or honeysuckle, for example, can be pruned using renewal and thinning cuts on the old wood. Some species are easier to maintain with renewal pruning than others. Overall success with a hedge will depend on understanding and coordinating proper pruning on a regular basis.

Table 1. Deciduous and Evergreen Shrubs for Hedge Use

Sambucus canadensis‘Aurea’8-12’6’sungood fruit, white flower, new foliage yellow

*based on three years of growth

^*J.E. Klett, Colorado State University Extension specialist and professor, horticulture and landscape architecture; R. Ford, former undergraduate environmental horticulture student. 9/11. Revised by Linda Langelo, Horticulture Coordinator, Sedgwick County. 5/20.

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