For those who do not want to put a fence in the garden, privacy hedges give protection and privacy. We explain which hedge is best suited as a privacy screen.
A fully developed hedge is a beautiful natural privacy screen. In addition, hedges provide a home for many animals. Besides insects, birds also find shelter in hedges.
Unfortunately, it takes some time for a freshly planted hedge to become truly spreading and opaque. Faster it develops its protective effect, if you buy large planting qualities. However, these are much more expensive.
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Finding the right privacy hedge
For a hedge to grow faster, they put two or three staggered rows of plants. Of course, this is much more expensive and takes up valuable space – especially in small gardens.
Hedges, which should protect the garden from prying eyes, must be at least 1.80 meters high
You can get a narrow and dense hedge if you arrange the plants in a row with less spacing, and then interweave the branches. This works especially well with beech (Fagus) and hornbeam (Carpinus).
If you want to avoid high maintenance, choose slow-growing species such as yew (Taxus) or other conifers for the privacy hedge.
Deciduous shrubs such as ornamental pear, dogwood (Cornus mas) and the olive willow (Eleagnus) are somewhat looser.
- The tree of life (Thuja), as an evergreen plant, also remains dense throughout the year.
- The willow (Eleagnus ebbingei) has very dense, evergreen foliage.
- Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) can be used to good effect even in confined spaces, for example, with braided branches.
Keep in mind when choosing the privacy hedge: it is tempting to choose fast-growing plant species, because they are usually cheaper and become dense faster. But the hedge continues to grow even after the desired height and width have long been reached.
Trimming privacy hedges
To maintain a dense hedge, it must be pruned at least once, preferably twice a year. For winter rejuvenation pruning, the months from October to the end of February are suitable. This way, the hedge will grow all the more lush in the spring.
Cut the hedge on a frost-free day. The temperature should be about 5 degrees. Important: Always cut the hedge before the first shoots form!
Also note that because of breeding birds, you should not cut hedges between1. March and 30 September because of breeding birds.
Tips for trimming privacy hedges
Whether it’s for sculpting or for neat edges: If you want to trim hedges like a pro, even simple tools will do. A piece of string, for example, makes an excellent cutting aid.
In addition to straight edges, a cone-shaped hedge cut is no longer a difficulty with it. For more complex shapes, such as spheres, a template will help you.
