The fastest growing hedge: choosing plants. Fast-growing evergreen hedge - shrubs and trees Willow for hedges, fast-growing

Each site requires a reliable fence. A fast-growing, perennial hedge will be an excellent alternative to a traditional fence; it will not only protect your property from prying eyes and uninvited guests, but will also add color to the entire area.

With thoughtful selection, shrubs will not take much time and effort to care for, and in return will provide a naturally regenerating fence that performs several important functions at once.

Requirements for fast-growing shrubs and hedges

Perennial shrub plants chosen for edging the site can be deciduous and evergreen, tall and very small, decorative deciduous, flowering and even fruit-bearing.

At the same time, a hedge based on them not only plays the role of a “green border”, it:

helps to divide the space inside into functional zones;
purifies the air, and when choosing flowering shrubs, it is a honey plant and a serious bait for pollinating insects;
changing appearance throughout the year, decorates the territory;
holds loose soil on the slopes of ravines, prevents soil erosion;
protects garden and vegetable plantings from cold air and direct sunlight.

The fastest-growing hedge shrubs themselves have several important requirements. Such plants should not only be distinguished by the speed of shoot formation, but also:

unpretentiousness, that is, without painstaking care;
frost resistance, especially in regions with harsh winters and the danger of spring return cold;
durability;
the ability to form a uniformly dense green wall;
good tolerance to regular formative pruning.

Caring for plantings will be much easier if fast-growing hedge bushes do not grow over time, leaving the boundaries of their designated areas.

True, it is not always possible to find such cultures. Therefore, summer residents use simple agrotechnical techniques to help curb the indomitable desire of shrubs to take up as much space as possible. The easiest way to limit the planting trenches during planting is to dig in sheets of slate to the depth of the root system.

Which hedge shrubs grow quickly and best satisfy the above requirements?

Types of fast-growing shrubs for hedges

Recently, evergreen species have often been used to create hedges. Such plantings retain their color brightness regardless of the season. Junipers and thujas are easy to trim and hold their given shape perfectly. However, conifers have one drawback - in most cases they grow slowly.

In deciduous crops, the growth rate is much higher than in conifers, and their high decorative value from spring to autumn compensates for the lack of foliage in winter.

What types of shrubs are suitable for perennial, fast-growing hedges? A small selection of well-known plants with photos will help you make the right choice.

Barberry

It deservedly occupies one of the first places in popularity among such breeds. Plants with shoots densely covered with dense foliage tolerate both pruning and Russian winters excellently. They can be safely recommended as fast-growing hedge plants for the Moscow region, other areas of the middle zone and even further north.

Thanks to the leaves and fruits that remain on the branches for a long time, the hedge, changing its appearance, remains attractive throughout the year. And the presence of thorns on dense branches adds to its reliability. Today, summer residents have at their disposal enough orts not only with traditional green foliage, but also crimson-purple and golden. From variety to variety, the maximum possible height of the plants, and therefore the hedge, also varies significantly.

Bladderwort

For medium-height fences, strict or free form is often chosen. The leaves of the plant are shaped like the foliage of viburnum; the lush flowering that occurs in the first half of summer is no less impressive than that of viburnum or spirea. In addition, the average growth of this winter-hardy and completely picky shrub per year is about 40 cm.

With regular trimming, a perennial hedge made of fast-growing shrubs is not so densely covered with flowers, but acquires additional density and solidity. If the bladderwort is not trimmed, the width and height of the crown can reach 4 meters.

Snowberry

For small decorative fences and borders there is no better shrub than snowberry. A hedge based on a plant grows up to 80–120 cm, and although it does not have sufficient density, it is interesting at any time of the year.

From the end of the vein until mid-summer, white or pink flowers appear between the oval bluish-green leaves. Then, in their place, unusual fruits appear, similar to lumps of snow. They remain on the bush even in winter.

Hawthorn

Hawthorn is incredibly popular among landscape designers. The photo of a fast-growing hedge shrub shows that the plant not only meets all the requirements for such crops, it remains decorative from spring until late autumn.

By choosing one of the tall types of hawthorn, you can surround your house and garden with a dense green wall, which actively attracts bees in the spring, and by the end of summer pleases with clusters of ripening fruits.

On the branches of many varieties of hawthorn there are peculiar lignified outgrowths that look like long thorns. They will help make the fence not only tall and attractive, but also impregnable.

Derain white

An amazing tall, fast-growing shrub in all respects, it is good for fences with a height of 120 to 180 cm.

Due to the wide crown of the plant, it needs regular and fairly frequent pruning. But a grown hedge in winter, thanks to the bright reddish tint of the shoots, will be an excellent reference point.

In spring, it blooms on a shrub with variegated foliage in silver-green, pink-green or yellow-green tones, and by autumn, white spherical fruits appear in place of white clusters.

Caragana or yellow acacia

This ornamental plant is extremely winter-hardy, unpretentious and can easily do without regular watering.

Yellow locust can be used as a small tree or fast-growing hedge shrub. The fit in this case turns out to be dense, flexible, and decorative. The height of such a fence can reach 4 meters. The plant holds its shape well and does not tend to form a lot of shoots. It will be useful in the garden as an excellent honey plant.

Park and polyanthus rose

Hedges made from park and bushes look incredibly beautiful, lush and stylish.

Plants by their very appearance create the atmosphere of a Victorian garden, while such hedges are not given a strict shape, but only support the decorative appearance of the bush. However, we must remember that all roses tend to produce shoots, which are carefully cut out.

A luxurious hedge in a free style is obtained from various types of spirea, mock orange that responds well to pruning, as well as lilacs traditionally grown in summer cottages. All these crops bloom excellently and survive the winter without loss.

Blackthorn and other thorny fast-growing shrubs for hedges

It is not surprising that crops with thorns are often chosen for green garden fencing. A thorny perennial hedge of fast-growing species, even with insufficient density and lack of foliage, turns into an insurmountable obstacle not only for people, but also for street animals and livestock. With a fence like this you can have peace of mind!

One of the thorniest shrubs used in landscaping, only slightly inferior to rosehip. This is a thorn or blackthorn with oval dark green foliage and round bluish-blue tart drupe fruits. A frost-resistant bush that tolerates shearing perfectly in a couple of years turns into part of a dense, uniform hedge, which can not only delimit the territory, but also perfectly strengthen the slope of a ravine or reservoir.

Fences made from bushes have no less effect:

, which branches well when pruned, is unpretentious and produces abundant root shoots;
Japanese quince, suitable for creating low decorative borders.

Chokeberry and serviceberry

To create high garden fences, in addition to protection that provides owners with tasty fruits, shadberry and chokeberry are planted. These plants are capable of forming a hedge up to 3 meters high and higher.

They are winter-hardy, undemanding to growing conditions and delight the eye not only with festive white blooms, but also with clusters of edible fruits, as well as foliage that changes color by autumn.

Plants for forming a hedge - video

All plants on the site play a certain role and are selected by the gardener in accordance with the task. Fast-growing bushes for hedges are ideally suited for simultaneously hiding the garden area from prying eyes and beautifying it. To quickly green up an area, you need plants that will fit harmoniously into the overall composition, will not require constant care, and will be resistant to frost and short haircuts.

To make a hedge unpretentious and decorative at the same time, you must first select photos of plants, study the descriptions of the groups, make possible combinations, and only then start planting. Gardeners prefer to purchase fast-growing varieties so that in a couple of years the green fence will acquire a presentable appearance.

Advantages of green fencing:

The plants selected are very different: coniferous, deciduous, ornamental, flowering and even fruit. Perennials that are resistant to adverse conditions are suitable, plus they must have a dense crown, uniform growth, resistance to pests and frosty winters.

Types of fast-growing shrubs

Deciduous crops are actively growing, some varieties grow up to 1 m per year. Decorative seedlings with small foliage are suitable for a living fence. Many of them bloom for several months. The priority fast-growing shrubs for hedges are bladderwort, spirea, turf, barberry, and mock orange.

Bladderwort and spirea

Diabolo

Viburnum foliage is a spreading bush up to 2-4 m in height. There are also dwarf options for borders. It is valued for its decorative foliage with a jagged edge, snow-white inflorescences and small vesicular fruits, which distinguish the vesicular carp from other plantings. Depending on the variety, the crown may change color to golden or reddish by autumn. For better growth, it is recommended to use fertilizers; rotted manure and compost are suitable for it.

This is an ideal plant that requires minimal care. It grows on dry soil, does not have any special requirements for sunlight, adds 40-50 cm per year, and is good for pruning. A colorful combination can be achieved by alternating the Diabolo variety with a brownish-green crown and the hard-leaved Luteus.

Spiraea is a shrub that makes a magnificent flowering hedge. Such plants are not formed into clear boundaries, but are allowed to grow freely. Attracts attention with lush snow-white blooms, which are set off by rich green foliage. Both single-row and multi-row plantings are possible. In some plants, as they grow, the lower part of the trunk becomes exposed. In this case, a row of low-growing flowers is planted in front of them; it would not hurt to use organic matter here too) for active growth and flowering.

Cotoneaster brilliant and white derain

Cotoneaster is the best example for growing a dense fence. The height can reach 2 m. The decorative value of cotoneaster is in the foliage, which by autumn changes from a rich green tint to burgundy. The fruits are small black or red peas that adorn the shoots at the end of the season. It has been growing in one place for more than half a century, tolerating drought, pruning and frost quite well. To form a dense curtain, it is recommended to remove 1/3 of the annual shoots.

White dogwood has decorative leaves with a light edge. Tall derain shrubs grow up to 2.5 m. The plant is shade-tolerant, is not afraid of dampness, and in the spring it is covered with elegant cream inflorescences. With proper care, re-blooming in the fall is possible. The white derain changes its outfits several times a season, and each time they are magnificent. At first, the abundant flowering pleases, then the variegated foliage and autumn crimson, and in winter, against the background of a snow-white blanket, reddish shoots are dazzled. It will not be difficult to create balls, cubes, hemispheres and columns from the crown.

Tree hydrangea and mock orange

Tree hydrangea has a more restrained growth, but it is absolutely unpretentious, grows and blooms in almost any conditions. Its leaves are ovoid in shape with jagged edges. The buds form on the shoots of the current year, so it is not afraid of a short haircut in the fall and in the spring before the sap begins to flow. The inflorescences, reaching 15-20 cm in diameter, delight with their beauty from July to frost.

Adult plants in the middle zone overwinter without shelter.

Mock orange goes well with hydrangea. There are both tall varieties on sale, reaching 3 m (Airborne, Flight of Moths), and low-growing varieties up to 0.7 m (Moonlight). Beautifully flowering unformed hedges are composed of coronal mock orange, Caucasian and grandiflora. A strong aroma is characteristic of Lemoine and Airborne. When planting in a single row, it is recommended to place seedlings at a distance of 0.5 m. In severe winters, the shoots may freeze, but after pruning the crown quickly recovers.

Evergreen shrubs: beauty all year round

Evergreen hedges are formed from coniferous shrubs and combinations with deciduous plants.

The advantage of coniferous plantations:

tolerate pruning well;
clean the atmosphere;
have high sound insulation;
remain decorative throughout the year;
grow in one place for tens or even hundreds of years.

Popular types of conifers for creating a hedge:

The disadvantage of evergreen specimens is their slow growth compared to deciduous plants, but some varieties of conifers meet the necessary requirements and allow you to grow a green fence for several years.

Popular deciduous evergreen shrubs for hedges:

Thorn bushes guarding the garden territory

Thorny bushes provide the advantage of protecting the site from unexpected guests and animals.

Planting options:

Video with an idea for beginners.

Tips for newbies on growing hedges

It is important not only to know which plants are unpretentious, but which ones create problems as they grow. Several factors should be taken into account:

The smaller the needles and foliage, the denser the bush looks.
When choosing a place for a hedge, you need to determine the possible shadow from it, whether the plantings will shade undesirable places, including in the neighboring area.
The optimal height of the fence for visual isolation of the site is no more than 2 m. To delimit the site into zones, a bush height of 1.5 m is sufficient.
Over time, the plantings will begin to move beyond the territory allotted to them. The gardener needs to know how to restrain growth and concentrate the bulk of the bush in a certain place. The most popular technique is to limit planting trenches by burying sheets of slate to the depth of the root system.
If the bush is well formed, it can be given not only a horizontal shape, but also trimmed in the form of waves, zigzags, and geometric shapes.
Too dense plantings that do not allow the wind to pass through have a side effect: air currents pass over them, creating turbulence, which negatively affects nearby trees. For dense hedges, select bushes that do not limit the minimum ventilation of the area.

You can grow a curtain of greenery in your dacha in a few years if you know which types of plants develop most quickly and do not require special care. A beautifully designed living fence can create a unique coziness in the garden, protecting it from neighbors, noise and excess dust.

Owners of homestead areas can use various types of fencing - wooden, brick, metal, etc. But there is another attractive type - a decorative hedge, which is an excellent alternative to a banal fence.

This fashionable element of landscape design is difficult to create and maintain in an attractive condition, but despite this, hedges have become popular and widespread among summer residents and owners of private territories.

Advantages and disadvantages of hedges

A living fence will help you not only aesthetically decorate your summer cottage, but also save money, because installing a beautiful modern fence is quite expensive, plus it constantly requires maintenance - annual touch-up, protection from corrosion, etc. a living fence looks no worse usual and has its advantages:

attractive appearance;
ecologically pure;
easy change of uniform at the request of the owners;
low financial costs;
positive psychological effect on the human nervous system;
protection from prying prying eyes;
replenishing oxygen with essential oils;
protection from dust, road dirt and wind.

But, despite all the advantages, hedges also have disadvantages:

constant maintenance of the fence;
In order for the fence to look complete and attractive, the plants need time to grow.

Two-row hedge

The optimal format for a living fence is one that grows in one season and then simply needs to be maintained in shape. Often, owners of dachas and household territories choose a two-row version of the fence - an inner row of low useful shrubs (sea buckthorn, black and red currants, honeysuckle, barberry, rose hips) and an outer row with “protective” and “security” functions (decorative acacia, coniferous plant species , lilac, etc.). Living guardians of your territory will be honey locust, purple pyrocanthus, blackthorn, barberry, hawthorn, rose hip, sea buckthorn; their thorns will perfectly protect you from lost dogs, cats, and sometimes from people. These plants need space and frequent pruning.

For even greater attractiveness and durability, include climbing plants in the living fence: traditional hops, ivy, vineyard, plants of the wisteria family, a type of creeping rose.

How to choose plants for a hedge?

When choosing a plant for a living fence, you need to consider some factors:

type of living wall - trimmed or freely growing;
climatic conditions of your area;
the amount of sunlight at the location of the fence;
desired fence height;
purpose of a living fence.

If you want a trimmed type of hedge, then choose those types that are easy to trim and keep their shape for a long time. These plants are characterized by a dense crown and many leaves. The rectangular shape is better maintained by shade-tolerant plant species, such as hornbeam or yew.

To add originality and creativity to your hedge, you can mix different types of clipped plants - privet, yew, barberry, hawthorn, etc.

Free-growing plants are good because they do not need pruning to maintain their shape. You can plant beautifully flowering species of such plants - spirea, mock orange, deutia, or plant species with compact crown shapes - Canadian spruce, common juniper.

Taking into account the height of plants, experts distinguish the following classification of hedges:

A hedge goes well with a metal, wooden or stone fence. In this combination, a not very dense hedge looks more beautiful - vines such as climbing hydrangea, ivy, as well as flowering shrubs - lilac, rose hips, spirea, rose.

If you need to grow a living wall in a short time, then fast-growing perennials will become indispensable.

Hedges made of evergreens and larches

These trees are often chosen by adherents of the classic style of living fencing. They do not grow as quickly as shrubs, but once they have formed, they decorate any area with their greenery all year round. Evergreen plants can be used to create both a high fence and a border. Representatives of deciduous plants, purple pyrocanthus and boxwood, will endure severe winters in our country. Frost-resistant coniferous trees that grow for many years are suitable for external fencing: Canadian and common spruce, yew, thuja, juniper, and black pine. These types are easy to create, do not require careful care, and also purify the air and fill it with a pine aroma. One disadvantage of evergreen hedges is that they do not change their appearance throughout the year.

You can experiment with beautiful flowering and fruit-bearing plants - purple pyrocantha, shrubby cinquefoil, snowberry, quince, forsythia, jasmine. A hedge will look especially impressive when it contains alternately flowering plants, and if you dream a little more, then closer to autumn your hedge will also be decorated with appetizing fruits that look very beautiful in the overall “bouquet”.

Shrub hedge

The leader among shrubs for living fences has always been and remains boxwood. It grows up to two meters high, is easy to trim, and can take on a variety of shapes. Round or wide fences are formed from it.

Lilac is also great for a living fence, but it is better to plant it in spacious areas.

In addition to boxwood and lilac, fences made of barberry, forsythia, honey locust, and cotoneaster look pretty.

How to plant a hedge in a country house?

Proper planting of a hedge consists of several stages:

At the first stage, it is necessary to clear the area under the living fence from weeds. This can be done manually: dig up the soil, then loosen it, thus removing the outer and underground parts of the weeds. You can use special herbicides, such as Roundup or Hurricane. Clay soil must be mixed with sand, and sandy loam soil with loam. If you need to reduce acidity, use lime, and if you need to reduce alkalinity, use peat. If you don’t think about the financial side of the issue, then you can take a simpler route - buy already prepared and fertilized soil in the store.

The second stage is marking the area for planting. If you plan to use a hedge to protect yourself from the wind, then plant it perpendicular to the prevailing direction. Dig a trench (manually or using special equipment) or the required number of holes for each plant. The trench width for a single-row fence is 500 mm, for a double-row fence - 900 mm, depth - up to 600 mm.

When choosing planting material, remember that the appearance of the future living fence depends on its quality, so purchase it in special stores or garden centers.

Plants should be planted in the spring before the leaves bloom (in the northern regions) or in the fall (in the south). If you bought a plant in a container, then you can plant it in the ground at any time suitable for the growing season, and if it has an open root system, try to replant it as soon as possible to avoid the roots drying out and, consequently, the death of the plant. If it is impossible to plant a plant with bare roots, then place it in a plastic bag with wet sawdust.

To improve survival rate, experts recommend adding a mash of clay and a solution of cow manure to the root.

Plants with a narrow crown that love shade and grow slowly should be planted more densely than fast-growing, light-loving shrubs and trees with a wide crown. The optimal width between trimmed plants of average height is 40-60 cm, and for free-growing ones - 80-100 cm. The distance between rows should be 60-80 cm and 100-150 cm, respectively. For low borders and high living walls, the indicators decrease accordingly or doubles in size.

After planting the plants, the soil must be watered, compacted, and mulched with peat or crushed bark. By properly caring for a living fence, you will receive not only a functional, but also an aesthetic decoration of your garden area. You can appreciate the beauty of hedges by watching the video:

Living willow fence

Willow twigs make a very elegant and beautiful hedge, although you will have to put a lot of effort and time into getting it.

Plant young willow trees crosswise and intertwine them. After a year, repeat your steps - weave it again. Repeat these steps until the willow fence is the desired height. When you are satisfied with the height achieved, cut off the tops.

Types of hedges are rich in size, shape and number of tiers and, of course, evergreen options are not excluded. The practicality of this type is excellent - in addition to constant protection from prying eyes, the evergreen cordon protects your territory from street dust and persistent wind all year round.

Of course, any business has its own nuances, and beautiful evergreen hedges are no exception. As a rule, evergreen conifers grow for a long time, and deciduous specimens with non-falling foliage will require special care as a price for their beauty and all-season use: shelter in severe frosts, protection from the spring sun... But it’s worth it - in early spring they will be the first to please the eye with fresh leaves and attract butterflies and bees with spring scents.

Experts still recommend not stopping at just one type of plant for. The problem is that along with evergreen representatives of the flora, you will also get an eternally identical garden, which you will get tired of very quickly. After all, this is the beauty of watching how bushes and trees wake up from sleep, how they bloom, bear fruit, finally decorate our site with foliage of the brightest colors and fall asleep, so that in the spring they can start all over again. As a way out of this situation, you can make a two-tier fence - the higher level will go to evergreens, and the lower level will be planted with deciduous plants.

Installation of a hedge of evergreens

Before choosing plants for your hedge, think about what you would like it to look like. If setting up a hedge seems like a process that you would like to leave to yourself, then in this case, plant junipers and thuja - although they take a long time to grow, with them the living cordon will look great without any formations and haircuts. Just don’t make a mistake with the height - among the numerous varieties of conifers there are dwarf, medium-sized, and tall-growing ones.

If you want to immediately get a tall hedge, it is best to buy container seedlings - they, as a rule, are already quite large, and they can be planted almost at any time of the year, if you do not disturb the root ball of the earth.

For warm regions, you can also add evergreen barberries, hawthorns, and an evergreen variety of honeysuckle to this list - alas, in cold regions they can also lose their foliage after severe frost. They may only need light pruning (not a haircut!), which will give the bushes a more regular shape, open all areas to the sun and stimulate the bushes to grow a denser crown.

Bushes in a hedge are planted every 35-50 cm, if we are talking about low plants. In the case of tall ones, they will need more space - at least half a meter, and preferably all 75 cm. There is a trick on how to grow a hedge of greater density in less time - plant seedlings in a checkerboard pattern, which will reduce the distance between them and will not cause any damage to the seedlings themselves.

How to grow a hedge - plant care

If you live in a cold region, then for hedges, of course, it is better to purchase those plants that can survive the winter without shelter. Among deciduous trees, these include many varieties of rhododendron, mahonia, various varieties of heather and heather. With conifers, everything is much more complicated - almost every plant has both winter-hardy and non-winter-hardy species. For example, among junipers, Chinese, common, Cossack, Siberian, scaly and horizontal junipers are distinguished by good frost resistance. Berry and Canadian yew also tolerate winter well.

Evergreen hedge shrubs that need cover include boxwood, cherry laurel, holly and erica. True, given a snowy winter, all plants, except cherry laurel, are able to overwinter under the snow without any shelter. Actually, boxwood is not particularly afraid of frost, but in winter this plant with a huge number of leaves continues to evaporate moisture, while it cannot compensate for it from the frozen soil. To make the plant less weathered, it is insulated by first watering it abundantly and mulching the soil around it.

Most plants do not require special care. But still, do not forget to periodically water young seedlings, and a small amount of potassium phosphate fertilizers will not hurt them to stimulate growth. Adult plants should be watered regularly - just make sure that the water is not cold, otherwise the plants may get burned. Carry out regular inspections of the branches - if you find yellowed or spotted branches, the plant is most likely diseased. Such branches should be cut off and burned.

It would seem that it would be as easy as shelling pears to isolate yourself from the outside world with a hedge: plant bushes, trees or liana-like plants around the perimeter of the plot - that’s all the wisdom. But each hedge, created with your own hands, is a real work of art, which not everyone can make. It requires knowledge, hard work and even design taste. They plant hedges even inside the site.

Types of hedges and plants for them

Creating a living fence begins with choosing the type, shape, size of plants and the type of fence, because green fences are:

different in height: low, medium, high;
multi-row or single-row;
coniferous, deciduous, mixed;
soft, prickly;
evergreen or deciduous;
formed or freely growing.

Only specific plants are suitable for each item. The length of the hedge and the number of plants required to create it directly depend on the shape of the green fence: the fancier it is, the more seedlings you will have to buy and the longer it will turn out.

Low

A low hedge is used to highlight, highlight or focus attention on any element of the site. The height of low fences is from 0.2 to 1.0 m. Fences measuring 0.2 - 0.5 m are also called borders. Such fences are used to zoning plantings. A low hedge has a unique function - it increases the decorative appearance of the area.

By planting slow-growing, densely branched, small-leaved shrubs from free-growing or formed species, we get borders. Deciduous low living fences are made from brilliant cotoneaster, weigela, and Japanese spirea. They are made from barberry, Fortune's euonymus, and deutzia. Low-growing shrubs - Cossack juniper, boxwood, black spruce, microbiota - these are plants that are used as evergreen low green fences.

Formed borders are made from rosemary, low sarococcus, varifolia tarsum, evergreen boxwood, and cap honeysuckle. Free-growing borders - from Japanese spirea, Russian broom, and shrubby cinquefoil. Suitable for them are heather, Erica, Japanese chaenomeles, and holly mahonia. Borders are created from low-growing or dwarf plant species, such as the globular or heather-shaped western arborvitae or the common nesting spruce. They are planted along paths, paths, in front of the house or outbuildings.

Boxwood is best suited for creating low fences of bizarre shapes - it tolerates any metamorphosis with its branches.

Average

A hedge with a height of 1.0 - 2.0 m is considered medium. This species includes the largest number of trees and shrubs. Medium hedges are often used as fences, and they also serve as a separator on a site or provide its zoning. For such a fence, plants are selected that have been tested by the climatic conditions of the area. These are unpretentious, winter-hardy, fast-growing crops that quickly recover from damage or shearing, as well as plants with increased immunity to diseases and pests. They are divided into 2 categories:

deciduous non-thorny - black cotoneaster, brilliant cotoneaster, common privet, white and blood-red turf, meadowsweet;
prickly - common barberry, scarlet pyracantha, narrow-leaved sucker.

Especially for creating medium-sized fences, landscape designers recommend planting hornbeam, thuja, juniper, and hawthorn. These species tolerate shaping well with pruning.

High

These include fences more than two meters high. The main function is to fence the site, protecting the territory from noise, dust, and wind. A tall living fence is often called a wall. Tatarian maple, golden honeysuckle, western thuja, and small-leaved bush linden are suitable for them. Small-leaved elm, Berlin poplar, and Siberian hawthorn are good.

For unformed fences, Hungarian or common lilac, Tatar honeysuckle, common mock orange, spike-flowered serviceberry, and Siberian apple are suitable. For coniferous fences: spruce - Canadian, prickly, common; juniper - medium, Chinese columnar; cypress - pea-bearing, Lawson.

A wall made of coniferous trees is considered unpretentious in maintenance and good for health (coniferous crops emit more phytoncides than deciduous species). The disadvantage of conifers is the accumulation of dust and dirt on the needles, so they need to be cleaned.

Common spruce, hornbeam, white willow, linden, and thuja are suitable for creating emerging living walls. Living high hedges make complex: wooden, stone or metal fences with climbing plants on them. For example, vines (ivy, hydrangea), or beautiful flowering shrubs (rose hips, roses, spirea, lilacs).

If the plot is small, the area can be fenced with fruit or berry crops: cherry plum, shadberry, apple tree, viburnum, buckthorn.

Such a hedge at the dacha will perform two functions: it will produce a harvest and also protect the area from winds and unwanted guests.

Fast growing plants

To create fast-growing hedges, plants are used that, 1–3 years after planting, will fully correspond to the desired effect. Such crops are called fast-growing. Shrubs and trees have such species. These include annual liana-like plants.

Annual fast-growing plants

They have the fastest growth rate - they add up to 3 m in length per season. Disadvantages of annuals:

they will have to be planted every year;
without support they will not become a fence.

Positive sides:

support serves as a growth limiter for them;
most of them are beautiful flowering herbs;
do not require pruning or garter.

Annual vines that have reached the top of the support will grow further, but in a different direction.

The best annual fast-growing plants: sweet peas, morning glory (morning glory), decorative beans, dolichos. Another advantage of flowering annuals is that the fence looks like it was created from flowers.

Fast growing shrubs

This option is suitable for those who want to get at least a low green fence in a couple of years. Fast-growing perennial hedges made of shrubs require a lot of time and labor, because they need constant pruning. Regular pruning helps to increase the density of branches and the growth of green mass. Names of crops for fast-growing fence:

Barberry. The main difference is the high decorativeness of the hedge during flowering and fruiting. Types of barberry are used that attract attention with foliage. The aroma of the flowers of the plant is pleasant and delicate.

Hawthorn. A tall deciduous shrub with a rounded dense crown and prickly shoots of a red hue, often used for hedges. The white or pink flowers of the shrub are large and beautiful.

Rose hip. It has beautiful scarlet or pale scarlet flowers, original, and also medicinal fruits. Suitable for external living fences because the plant has thorns.

Turn. A highly branched bush growing up to four meters in height. As it grows, the fence becomes impassable. It bears fruit 2–3 years after planting. Suitable for external hedges - it is prickly.

cotoneaster. Shade-tolerant and unpretentious, up to 5 m tall, with a lush crown and dark shiny leaves. The fruits of cotoneaster are edible.

Spirea. Two-meter deciduous bushes suitable for emerging fences. Some types of spirea have unusual foliage that changes color depending on the time of year. Spiraea leaves are purple-red, bright orange or yellow. The flowers of the bush are white.

Fast growing trees

Fast-growing trees and shrubs require constant pruning and shaping, otherwise the hedge becomes unattractive, neglected, even ugly. There are coniferous and deciduous fast-growing varieties. Conifers include:

thuja - distinguished by species diversity, shapes, and can be trimmed;
fir - tolerates drought, low temperatures, has many varieties;
juniper is a medicinal plant, multi-varietal.

To deciduous:

sea buckthorn - creates an impassable, six-meter barrier that requires pruning;
maple is a forty-meter winter-hardy deciduous tree that requires pruning;
poplar - decorative deciduous, very tall (up to 60 m) tree;
rowan - unpretentious, winter-hardy, drought-resistant, flowering, fruit-bearing;
birch - frost-resistant, does not require pruning;
willow is unpretentious in care, multi-species, requires constant formation of the crown, and is moisture-loving.

Deciduous and coniferous fast-growing trees have their own advantages and disadvantages, which must be taken into account based on specific climatic conditions, soil composition, and the desired effect.

Shade-tolerant bushes

There is no garden or area that does not have shaded areas. Even grass does not want to grow in these places, and ornamental crops, not receiving enough heat and light, often suffer from insects, snails, and diseases. In such places, only shade-tolerant or shade-loving bushes are planted under a living fence. The difference between them is obvious: shade-loving bushes prefer to grow away from the sun; Shade-tolerant shrubs love light, but also grow well in the shade.

Bushes that prefer shade include:

Honeysuckle. This is a tall shrub to match a tree (about 2.5 m), easily tolerating frost, and also with edible fruits. Advantages of the crop: it is little damaged by pests and diseases, quickly grows in height and width, and is not pruned until the age of seven.

Mexican jasmine. Beautifully flowering, several times during the growing season, shrub with a maximum height of 3 meters. Jasmine flowers exude a citrus scent. Disadvantages: requires protection from frost, does not like to be cut, grows slowly.

Hazel. A shrub that needs constant sanitary pruning and fertilizing with phosphorus-nitrogen fertilizers. When the bush grows in a hedge, the crown is formed from 4–8 thick branches. This is a fruit-bearing shrub, but the abundance of the harvest depends on the degree of illumination - the more light that falls on the bush, the higher the harvest will be.

Only young branches bear fruit, so annual pruning (rejuvenation) is recommended, after which three old trunks are left. In dense shady areas, such unpretentious hedge shrubs as glossy honeysuckle, common privet, holly mahonia, snowberry, and St. John's wort do not lose their decorative qualities. They have a simple appearance, characteristic leaves, and fruits.

Raspberry bushes grow well in damp, shady places. The advantage of the bushes is beautiful, abundant flowering, tasty fruits. The downside of the bush is that it grows very quickly. Hydrangeas with willows are suitable for fencing in such places, although varietal hydrangeas bloom poorly in such places. In densely shady areas, apical pasihandra (borders) is planted - a slow-growing subshrub of the boxwood family. It is not damaged by pests and diseases, does not require shelter, but grows only on dry soil. In semi-shaded areas with heavy soils, derain, flowering weigela, spirea, and barberry (Ottawa, thunberg) are planted. Potentilla with forsythia looks interesting. Shade-tolerant bushes include: winged euonymus, paniculate or tree hydrangea, red viburnum, Tatarian honeysuckle, black elderberry.

A general disadvantage of green fence plants planted in shady places is a decrease in decorative qualities, a decrease in the yield of bushes, and an increase in the likelihood of diseases or pests.

Decorative bushes

Almost all bushes that are used as hedges are decorative. They are divided into flowering, decorative deciduous, and coniferous. Breeders have created a huge number of varieties, from which choosing the right plant is not easy. To achieve a constantly blooming hedge, crops are selected that bloom alternately. And if they still bear fruit, then such a fence will decorate the area even in late autumn. Flowering bushes for hedges:

Syrian hibiscus;
Japanese spirea;
hydrangea;
fragrant mock orange;
multi-flowered rose;
action;
Juliana barberry;
Tatarian honeysuckle;
common rosehip.

Decorative deciduous plants for hedges, whose main advantage is beautiful foliage:

yellow-edged, white, silver turf;
Japanese quince;
holly mahonia;
viburnum-leaved bladderwort;
mountain ash;
black (variegated) elderberry;
Japanese spirea goldflame;
purple willow.

Conifers: cypress, cryptomeria, pyracantha, microbiota.

Spiny species

Plants with thorns are used in landscape design to form external living fences. With their help, impenetrable fences are created along the entire perimeter of the site.

The most impenetrable fences are made from thorns, yellow acacia, hawthorn, and the tallest ones are made from yew, thuja, juniper, and spruce.

The barbed fence is formed by:

hawthorns - large-thorned, Siberian, blood-red, round-leaved, common, single-pistillate;
barberries - Amur, ordinary, thunberga;
roses - prickly, cinnamon, wrinkled (rugosa), dog rose;
rose hip;
thorn;
Eleutherococcus senticosus;
Manchurian Aralia;
Princepia chinensis.

Unpretentious plants

All plants require care. This is especially true for the crops from which green living fences are created, since they must keep their shape. This takes a lot of time, and a lot of skill and dexterity is required.

But there are plants whose care (trimming) is kept to a minimum. Plants for high hedges: yellow acacia, almost all types of barberries and hawthorns. For medium-sized living fences - brilliant cotoneaster, spirea - gray, van gutta, oak leaf, arguta. Suitable for borders or low ones: Kuril tea (cinquefoil), Japanese spirea, thunberg barberry, spirea bumald, boxwood.

Spiraea is an ideal option for unpretentious plants for hedges. They are compact and bloom late (second half of summer). There are varieties with decorative leaves (“golden princess”). But a willow hedge is unpretentious to environmental conditions and soil, but requires constant pruning, as it sprouts a lot of shoots.

Coniferous hedge

Coniferous living fences have many advantages, although there are also many disadvantages. Their main advantage is that they look equally good and green throughout the year. A hedge made of coniferous plants is an evergreen living fence for a summer house.

In addition, conifers are thorny, so they are suitable for creating external fences. Due to the high density of plantings, such crops are better than others in protecting the area from dust, noise, and winds, and will also become an excellent backdrop for crops growing inside the area. To create hedges from coniferous crops with your own hands, it is recommended to plant:

Thuja smaragd, western or varietal: Columna, Reingold, Fastigiata, Brabant;
juniper, Cossack, Virginia, common or its columnar or pyramidal varieties: suetsica, hibernica, buffalo, tamariskifolia;
spruce - common, gray, prickly, Echinoformis, Gregoriana;
yew berry, its decorative varieties: robusta, aurea;
decorative forms of cypress: ellvodi, alumi, columnaris, goldenvonder;
Siberian fir;
Scots pine, mountain.

When purchasing seedlings, pay attention to the correct spelling of the variety. If the name is misspelled or incorrect, then it is likely that this planting material was not grown in a nursery. As a result, you may end up purchasing something completely different from the plant you wanted.

The positive qualities of coniferous hedges are uniformity, consistency, severity, and the ability to withstand cutting. A green hedge has its drawbacks - it grows slowly. If at least one plant falls out of the row, then another in its place will not grow to the required height soon.

climbing plants

Almost all climbing plants that can be planted in hedges are fast-growing. The basic rule, without which fences will not work, is that they need support. The height of the support will determine the height of the hedge.

Maiden grapes. This is a perennial climbing crop. It is frost-resistant, so it does not require shelter for the winter. Maiden grapes are not attacked by pests, do not get sick, do not require special soil, and grow well in the shade. Positive qualities - decorative foliage (dark crimson), rapid growth. Negative - annual pruning of overgrown, broken, old vines. A dense hedge is formed 3–4 years after planting.

Honeysuckle Honeysuckle. This is a shade-tolerant, beautifully flowering, fast-growing vine. To make the fence original, several varieties of honeysuckle are used at once. Due to different flowering times, the fence will bloom throughout the growing season. Moreover, with timely pruning of wilted buds, honeysuckle blooms again. Honeysuckle is not a capricious crop; it only requires shaping and watering.

Ivy. The liana grows best in areas with a mild, temperate climate. The disadvantage of the plant is that it does not tolerate hot sunlight and sultry air. Prefers moist soil and cool conditions.

Hop. This is an aggressive vine. She loves the sun, is unpretentious, and quickly covers the support. The culture is valued for its decorative qualities: beautiful leaves, fragrant flowers. Hop cones are used for medicinal purposes.

Kampsis. The vine has large tubular flowers that are yellow, orange or red. The decorative nature of the culture is emphasized by its unpretentiousness to care and growth site. Campsis needs sun, mild winters, and support. The plant tolerates drought and is frost-resistant, although it needs shelter for the winter. This vine is a fast-growing plant that requires annual pruning.

For all climbing crops there is one prerequisite - regular pruning.

Which plants are best not to plant?

There are plants that, although they grow well, are not suitable for hedges. For example, varietal types of lilac, having a compact crown, expose the lower part with age. But wild lilacs: drooping, gray, Amur, Hungarian are suitable for creating a wall. Wild plants grow quickly, form a voluminous, dense fence, are resistant to pests and diseases, and are unpretentious in care. Red viburnum is also not a suitable plant for hedges, although it has a decorative appearance. Viburnum is susceptible to attacks by pests that can eat the entire bush.

There are plants on which intermediate phases of diseases “live.” Rust spores develop well on juniper, so it is better not to fence an area with garden trees with this plant.

Rose hips, fieldfare, serviceberry, raspberry - all these are fruit bushes that you won't have any trouble with. These crops spread very quickly by root shoots, so they can “absorb” the entire area. Lilac also belongs to the “scattering” crops. Although the rate of growth of such plants can be easily controlled, they should be planted in areas where they will not interfere with other crops.

You should not plant crops that are frost or frost sensitive, because they will freeze, so you will have to plant new bushes in the hedge. For example, weigela, a varietal crop, is afraid of frost and frost, but its wild variety is frost-resistant.

If the hedge has been severely damaged by frost, disease or pests, you can carry out a radical rejuvenation - cut down all the plants, leaving 20 cm of hemp. New growth will come from them, which will eventually turn into a new green fence. Plants that quickly lose their decorative appearance are not suitable. So, mock orange jasmine becomes unsightly after flowering.

It is better not to use these shrubs for a uniform type of hedge, although they will look decent in mixed plantings.

Landing rules

When planning to make a living fence at the dacha, they study the rules for planting the plants from which it will be created.

The main rule is to adhere to technologies and crop planting dates. To make their survival rate higher and the hedge denser and more decorative, young plants are planted. For deciduous shrubs and trees, the optimal age of seedlings is 2-3 years, for coniferous trees - 3-5.

Large planting material is used only with a closed root system in special containers. It is suitable for creating free-growing hedges, but it is not suitable for a hedge that is trimmed, since it must be formed by yourself from the first year of life.

The advantage is that you get a live fence in one day. But by quickly creating a green fence, get ready to deal with its disadvantages - the slow adaptation of plants to new growth conditions and a large waste of money, because adult plants are expensive.

When transporting seedlings, make sure that their roots do not dry out: the root system is placed in plastic bags with wet sawdust.

Step-by-step instructions for planting a hedge are as follows.

Preparation of the land strip

First, determine the place where the fence will go. To protect neighbors and prevent the roots of plants from the hedge from penetrating into neighboring areas, a barrier is dug along the border of the future trench - slate or plastic shields. Using a stretched rope, a landing site is marked, where a trench is subsequently dug. Take into account the distance from the fence to the nearest objects:

from a tree living fence to a path - 70 cm or more;
from the bush fence to the path - 50 cm or more;
from the fence to the hedge - from 40 to 100 cm.

Trench preparation

The width of the trench depends on the row of the fence:

with single row - 0.4 - 0.5 m;
with a double row - 0.7 - 1.0 m;
with multi-row - 0.4 - 0.5 m plus 0.3 - 0.4 m for each subsequent row.

The depth of the trench is 0.4 – 0.6 m. The distance between the rows and in the row depends on:

from culture;
type of root system;
fence heights;
rows;
crown density of the planted crop;
plant growth characteristics;
the growth rate of each crop if a living fence of different varieties or species is planted;
fencing type: formative or free-growing.

The top (fertile, turfy) layer of soil is placed at the bottom of the dug trench and compacted. Mix rotted manure, peat or compost with soil, fill the trench halfway with the resulting mixture, water it, and sprinkle soil on top.

Manure, peat or compost are not added when planting fir or spruce.

Selection of crop type, planting size

For low-growing, medium-growing, tall fences, the clearance between crops in the rows and the distance between the rows are significantly different:

for tall, free-growing species, the distance between crops is 100-200 cm, between rows - up to 200-300 cm;
for tall, formed species, the distance between crops is 80-120 cm, between rows - up to 100 cm;
for medium free-growing species, the distance between crops is 80-100 cm, between rows - 100-150 cm;
for medium-sized ones, the distance between crops is 20-30 cm, in rows - 30-40 cm;
for low single-row plants, the distance between crops is 20-25 cm (4-5 plants per 1 running meter);
for low double-row, multi-row, the distance between crops is 30-35 cm, rows - 30-60 cm (the second row is shifted by half a step relative to the first, adhering to the checkerboard order).

Single-row hedges are created from densely branching crops or those that form a lot of shoots, two-row hedges are created from plants that have loose branching. A mixed hedge is planted according to the same rules, but taking into account the characteristics of the species.

Preparation of seedlings

The seedlings are culled - their roots, stems, and crown are examined. Roots - look for damaged, dried out, diseased roots. If any are found, they are carefully trimmed. The stem should be even, smooth, without damage, the crown should be uniform in density, not one-sided.

Immediately before planting, the root system of the seedlings is dipped in “chatter” (soft clay mixed with mullein). It will increase the survival rate of plants and accelerate their acclimatization. If deciduous seedlings are used for a hedge, then before planting they are first kept in water for 2-4 hours, and then dipped in “chatter”.

When buying a seedling, pay attention to the roots. If they are pruned or short, then it was either dug up in the forest or in a nursery, and the technology for growing planting material was not followed.

Planting a hedge

The roots of each seedling are carefully straightened at the bottom of the trench, covered with earth, lightly compacting the soil above them. There should be no air pockets at the roots.

The root collar of seedlings is left at the level of the soil surface or buried 10-20 mm into it. After compacting, the soil is watered in two stages - this will allow the soil to lie tightly to the roots. If after the first watering the soil has subsided significantly, add soil and then water again. It is necessary to provide air access to the roots, so the top layer of soil is slightly loosened and mulched.

If required, then supports are made at a height of 30–40 cm from the soil surface to support the stems that have not yet become strong. Hedges of bare-rooted plants should be planted in April–May. Crops with a lump or from containers are planted before the second decade of June. Autumn planting: coniferous crops - in August, deciduous crops - from August to October.

Subtleties of care

To grow a hedge, you need to know the intricacies of caring for it. Care consists of loosening, weeding, fertilizing, controlling diseases and pests, and pruning.

Loosening. It is necessary to carry it out, since the top layer of soil quickly hardens through the high density of plantings, preventing air with moisture from penetrating to the roots. Loosen the soil at a distance of 60 cm from the fence. If the root system of crops is taprooted, then this distance can be dug up with a bayonet shovel.

Weeding. This process is carried out continuously as the row becomes overgrown. Weeding is especially important in the first years after planting. As the plants mature, the need for this procedure will disappear on its own - few weeds can grow in the shade of bushes or dense plantings.

Mulching. It is carried out after planting the green fence. Mulch helps retain moisture in the soil and prevents weeds from sprouting. It is not necessary to mulch in subsequent years.

Watering. They are necessary in the first year of life, especially if the crops are planted in the spring. Autumn planting will receive enough moisture from melted snow. In especially dry times during the growing season of plants, up to 25 liters of water are poured per 1 running meter of fence.

Young plantings can be sprayed early in the morning or during sunset. Spraying is especially important for conifers and trees with “suede” leaves (catalpa) - a lot of dust and dirt accumulate on them. Older hedges are sprayed or watered as needed, taking into account the characteristics of the variety.

To prevent water from “running away” from the fence after watering, earthen ridges or grooves are made on the sides where it will linger.

Top dressing. Green hedges are dense plantings, so the soil loses nutrients at an accelerated rate. To improve the decorative appearance of crops, it is necessary to regularly, as needed, taking into account the needs of plants, apply mineral, organic or complex fertilizers. Poor soils are fertilized once every two years, rich soils - once every 3-4 years. Experts recommend the following fertilizer application rates for hedges, kg/m²:

rotted manure (2-4);
compost (2-4);
peat (4-6);
potassium salt (0.03 – 0.04);
ammonium sulfate (0.06 – 0.08);
superphosphate (0.06 - 0.08).

Fertilizers can be applied by spraying or as root feeding.

Trimming, haircut. The survival rate of seedlings increases if they are pruned immediately after planting. Pruning is carried out at the same height from the ground level and on the sides, removing ⅓ or ½ the length of the shoot. If the crops are dug out in the forest, they are cut at a level of 0.2 - 0.3 m from the ground level. The crown of living fence plants is formed during the first four years. But for some shrubs and climbing plants, pruning is not carried out in the first two years.

Coniferous crops need a pyramidal pruning - it will prevent the needles from falling from the lower branches. In the first two years, the plants grow intensively (bush), so they are cut three times during the growing season.

The first time is in early spring, before budding, or at the end of winter, the second cutting is carried out in the summer (July), the third - before wintering. First of all, damaged, diseased branches are removed, and then those that are out of shape.

In fast-growing varieties, pruning is also carried out inside the crown in order to maintain the overall neatness of the bush or the entire hedge. In the future, crops are cut as needed, this depends on the speed of plant growth, the speed of shoot formation, the type of hedge (free-growing or formed), and the desired effect.

Pruning is not carried out in winter, as this will lead to freezing of the branches and damage them to diseases and pests. Waste from the procedure is collected and burned. If large branches are removed, the cut is lubricated with garden varnish.

There are four types of pruning:

Formative. Used only for young plantings to form the correct crown and create the shape of the planting.
Rejuvenating. Old branches are cut back, sometimes all the way to the trunk, to form a new crown or shape.
Regulatory. Performs continuously during routine rounds. Old, damaged, dry branches that interfere with others in the crown and outside the crown are trimmed to provide the crop with the necessary density of branches and to give the plant the required parameters.
Sanitary. It is carried out as needed, in autumn or spring. This process can be called “treatment” of crops, since branches and leaves damaged by diseases or pests, as well as broken and even frozen specimens, are removed.

Advantages and disadvantages of hedges

Hedges have their pros and cons. Advantages:

they create a favorable microclimate on the site, comfortable conditions for relaxation;
retain moisture in the soil;
attract birds that eat pests;
disguise unsuccessful buildings or decorate unattractive areas;