When the time has come to delimit one’s property, opting for a green fence is a solution that is attracting more and more people. This brings an aesthetic and natural touch to the garden while preserving biodiversity. The idea is also to protect yourself from the wind but also from prying eyes. The plant fence is all good. It remains to know which shrubs to choose to play the card of harmony. Let’s do a check in.
Screening plants for a natural fence
The country hedge has the wind in its sails. She grows quickly and the bucolic style she brings to the garden is lovely. It’s a free hedge that it is not necessary to prune often, at most once a year but very lightly, the aim being simply to preserve the natural shape of the shrubs which, in adulthood, reach a maximum height of 3 m . It can be the following plants.
- The rowan of the birdcatchers,
- The shrub honeysuckle,
- Hawthorn,
- serviceberry,
- European Charcoal.
The mountain ash deserves a special mention because it is very hardy. It withstands temperatures of around -20°C. But all of these shrubs are perfect for creating a maintenance free hedge. Those are easy-going plants which can be grown by inexperienced gardeners.
A plant fence that protects in all seasons
If we want be well at home et hidden from outside eyes even in the heart of winter, evergreen or semi-evergreen shrubs should be planted. No fear of seeing them strip bare during the fall since these plants do not lose their leaves or lose few. Some remain very green, others take on the colors of fire, or seem to be covered in gold. The effect is sumptuous. A windbreak and viewbreak hedge can be made up of the following shrubs.
- The Photinia,
- Common Hornbeam,
- The Laurel of Portugal,
- Eleagnus,
- The Privet,
- The Berber Juliana.
Combining these shrubs with each other makes it possible to create a harmonious hedge that takes on pretty colors from one season to the next.
Shrubs for a flowering hedge all year round
Do not hesitate to choose your shrubs to plant according to the period during which their flowers. Thus, we benefit all year round from a staggered flowering. It brings color and cheerfulness to the garden, whether small or large. Here are some leads.
- The flowering currant: flowering from April until mid-June,
- Seringat Natchez: for flowering from May to June,
- The Japanese Rose or Rough Rose: flowering from June to October or November,
- Shrubby St. John’s Wort: blooms from June until the first frosts,
- The Four Seasons Mimosa: as its name suggests, it blooms again abundantly at different times of the year.
All these shrubs are perfect for forming a flowering and fragrant plant hedge virtually maintenance free. In addition, they are not very susceptible to pests and diseases.
Shrubs for a fast-growing hedge
If one wishes create an intimate outdoor space without waiting for the number of years, it is better to opt for plants that grow quickly and, consequently, constitute a compact vegetable hedge in a minimum of time. In this case, you can plant in the ground:
- From Griselinia littoralis rather adapted to Mediterranean regions and the Atlantic coast.
- Elderberry, a bushy shrub with purple deciduous foliage. Birds are very fond of its black berries.
- Forsythia renowned for its hardiness and its great tolerance in terms of soil quality but also for its profusion of yellow flowers which bloom in spring.
- Cherry laurel with glossy and evergreen foliage. It is also called the laurel palm.
When we talk about rapid growth, it means that plants grow fromat least 50 cm per year, from the second year following planting, that is to say as soon as they are well rooted.
A plant fence for micro-gardens
In a very small garden, in town or in the country, it is quite possible to plant not shrubs but grasses de type Miscanthus. Aerial but sufficiently compact to create a protective plant fence, they grow quickly and do not need maintenance. These plants are ideal in an urban environment since they do not exceed 80 cm in width and 180 to 200 cm in height, which they reach in just 2 years!
They are perfect for people allergic to heavy gardening work or those who have very little free time because with the Miscanthus, size is superfluous. Note that some bamboos Fargesia non-tracing can be incorporated into this type of hedge.
Cultivation tips for a vegetable hedge
A shrub is planted every 180 to 200 cm to create a airy hedge or every 150 cm if you wish to benefit from a denser shrub line. These are criteria to take into account when buying plants.
Garden centers market each shrub in a container, in a root ball or in buckets. Here’s how to choose.
- container shrub (or in pot) of 3, 5, 10 liters or sometimes more, depending on the size of the subject: even if it is often advisable to plant it preferably in autumn, the container shrub tolerates planting at any time of the year. year because it is already well rooted and vigorous enough. The subjects sold in large containers, with a capacity of 10 liters and more, are very interesting to obtain a immediate vegetal effect. The appearance of the garden then changes radically in the space of a few hours, as if under the effect of a magic wand.
- Shrub with bare roots: it is highly preferable to plant in December. This type of shrub is chosen to make a plant fence of significant length in order to limit the cost of the operation since they are cheaper to buy than potted shrubs.
- Potted shrub: these are very young plants rather recommended for gardeners who have time to see them grow. If you want to make a plant fence, it is essential to be very patient because you can not be quickly hidden from the outside.
Whatever type of hedge shrub you choose, it is essential to plant it except on hot days and outside the frost period. It is simply a matter of common sense. In winter we choose a sunny day and a time when the temperatures are somewhat milder.
Concerning the spacing to respect between the different shrubs, they must be 120 cm for subjects in containers of 10 liters and more, 80 cm if the containers are 4 to 8 liters and 60 cm for shrubs sold in pots of 3 liters maximum. But of course you also have to take into account the dimensions what will each specimen achieve adulthood, especially in width. Many neophyte gardeners have regretted after a few years not having better informed themselves beforehand about the characteristics of the shrubs they planted. If they are too tight, they are more prone to disease and eventually dry out…
The least we can say is that nature is very generous. It offers us a multitude of solutions for very quickly build a plant fence thanks to shrubs that require very little maintenance for many of them. And so that the success either at the rendezvous, we of course take into account the particularities of its climate in order to plant only trees adapted to its region.