Yew fence. The best plants for strict hedges. Hedge crops: photos and names of fast-growing plants

Hello! What evergreens are suitable for hedges in the shade (north side southern fence, the shadow from the fence at noon is about 5 meters ... the sun is 1-2 hours after 18)?

In the conditions described, it is not easy to create a beautiful hedge. Most plants are demanding on lighting, not all of them tolerate regular molding well, and not everyone can survive frosty winters.

The main problem of frost-resistant evergreens is the lack of snow cover during winter withering winds. Planting in the shade is even more preferable than in the sun, because. for them, a difficult time is the period of alternating thaws and frosts. At the first spring sunshine, the aerial part of these plants wakes up, and the roots are still sleeping (do not function, are at rest), the leaves and shoots lack moisture and nutrition, and they dry out. In a shady place, there is no such problem, especially in the presence of snow cover.

Frost-resistant, shade-tolerant, resistant to pruning, and, therefore, suitable for creating hedges include:

Boxwood evergreen (lat. Vuxus sempervirens) or buxus, belonging to the boxwood family. Its shoots are not peculiar to bending, they are straight, sticking up. The leaves are small, leathery, dark green, short-leaved, densely covering the shoots, poisonous. The flowers are unattractive: greenish, small. Boxwood practically does not get sick, pests do not favor it.

Boxwood flowers unattractive (small, greenish)

It can grow on any soil, but it develops better on nutritious, air-permeable soils with an alkaline reaction (with the addition of lime). It is desirable to plant in the spring, if necessary - it is possible in the fall, but a month before the frost.

boxwood hedge

Yew berry (lat. taxus baccata) or yew berry, belonging to the yew family. Its lignified shoots are covered with exfoliating bark. Needles with a short spine at the end, arranged spirally. The flowers are dioecious (male in inflorescences, female solitary), formed in the axils of the needles. Attractive bright red seedlings associated with berries.

Yew berry with bright seedlings, similar to berries

It develops well on nutritious moist calcareous soils, although it can also grow on swampy and clayey soils. The most shade-tolerant of their conifers, wind-, smoke-, gas-resistant. It grows slowly, but long-lived. It tolerates well both a haircut and even a transplant as an adult.

Fence from a yew berry

Laurel cherry officinalis (lat. Laurocerasus officinalis) belonging to the Rosaceae family. Grows fast. The leaves are leathery, deep green, petiolate. The flowers are small, white, in inflorescences. The fruits are juicy drupes, edible. Seeds are poisonous, contain hydrocyanic acid.

Laurel cherry with inflorescences of small white flowers

Laurel cherry is demanding on soil moisture, grows well on limed, humus-filled soils. From fresh leaves, despite the content of amygdalin (poisonous substance) in them, it is possible to prepare an analgesic.

Laurel cherry hedge

planting material

If you want to create a hedge right away, then you can purchase adult plants with a closed root system. The purchase will cost a lot. Not the fact that all plants will take root. After all, where and under what conditions they were grown is unknown.

Boxwood with a closed root system (in tubs)

It is much cheaper to buy one plant, plant it in the place of the planned fence, watch it. In the spring of next year (or later, depending on size and age), take cuttings. Rooted cuttings in early autumn to land on permanent place. Given that they grow slowly, a hedge will appear in 5 years.

Subtleties of cuttings

The best time for cuttings is late spring. Semi-woody (not completely brown) shoots take root relatively easily. It is advisable to tear them off (not cut off) with a heel (a piece of bark). All lower leaves should be removed, leaving only a few leaves at the top. Prepared cuttings for several hours should be put in a solution of a root formation stimulator.

Prepare a place for planting cuttings in partial shade, dig up the soil, break up clods, spill with a solution of an antifungal drug, for example, phytosporin. Rooting cuttings require high humidity, i.e. they need to create an impromptu greenhouse (install arcs and cover with foil, install glass jars, etc.). The optimum temperature for rooting is 25-28 °C.

Rooting cuttings can be done in a separate container, covered with a film

Prepared cuttings should not be pressed into the soil. It is necessary to dig a hole, place the cutting, sprinkle with soil, squeeze it around the cutting. After about 1.5 months, subject to maintaining high humidity, roots should form on the cuttings. In early autumn, young plants can be transplanted to a permanent place. They will have time to take root and successfully winter, covered with a snow blanket. Otherwise, they should be covered, for example, with fallen leaves with healthy trees.

We hope that we were able to answer the question posed, and sooner or later a hedge will appear on your shady area.

Tiss (Taxus listen)) is a genus of evergreen trees and shrubs native to the Northern Hemisphere. In nature, yews are extremely rare, but in culture there are many varieties and varieties. The yew needles are dense, very dark, shiny, hard, but not prickly. Species plants have, as a rule, a bushy form, varietal ones - the most diverse: candles, a ball, an inverted cone or creeping. Some cultivars have yellow or even variegated needles.

The genus includes 8 species of dioecious or monoecious evergreen trees or shrubs. The most commonly used European yew berry(T.baccata ) and its cultivars. Yew berry, which originally occupied a very large area, was almost completely exterminated by man because of its strong and almost "eternal" wood, which has strong bactericidal properties - it kills even those microorganisms that are in the air. A house in which at least ceiling beams made of yew, reliably protected from pathogenic infection, which was extremely appreciated in the era of mass epidemics.

When the yew was no longer enough for construction, they began to make furniture from it. It was so rare and expensive that it was even mentioned in chronicles and fairy tales. The tables and beds often found in Russian fairy tales were made of yew. In The Tale of Igor's Campaign, Prince Svyatoslav dies on a plank (yew) bed, which the chronicler considered it his duty to mention as a rare and very expensive thing, testifying to the power of the prince. In the future, yew was used to make such sacred items as crosses, tabernacles, shrines for relics - in all cases when the contents needed to be protected from damage.

It is very shade-tolerant, surpasses all tree species in this indicator, grows in places where other types of conifers die. Requires nutritious, moist soil, preferring calcareous, can also develop on clay. Gas and smoke resistant, wind resistant. It grows exceptionally slowly, living under favorable conditions up to 4000 years. It tolerates not only a haircut, but also a transplant in adulthood.

It is of exceptional interest for green building as a classic plant for sheared hedges, borders, curly compositions, group and single plantings. From the Renaissance to the present day, yew berry continues to be the best material for topiary art. Has a lot garden forms, among which the following are often found:

Location: the most shade-tolerant breed. With the onset of warm days, the generative buds of yews quickly swell and already at the end of April the yews bloom. Despite the high shade tolerance, plants grown in sufficient light give a greater increase, but are less protected from the influence of low temperatures. Plants planted in sheltered places after severe winters better retain their appearance (needle color, give abundant fruiting) than plants in open places. All this testifies in favor of planting yew in protected places.

The soil: sod land, peat, sand (3:2:2). Yew berry can grow on both alkaline and slightly acidic soils. Drainage is desirable, broken brick and sand with a layer of 20 cm. It does not tolerate excessive soil moisture and the presence of heavy metals and other toxic substances in it, therefore it is unsuitable for landscaping large cities. It tolerates drought well, has very deep roots and is able to extract water from the lowest aquifers. If these waters contain salt, which happens quite often, the yew begins to turn yellow in drought, while the needles located closer to the trunk suffer first.

Landing: distance between plants from 0.6 to 2.5 m. Root neck at ground level. Planting depth 60-70 cm. Soil: turf, peat, sand (3:2:2). In a hedge - trenches measuring 0.5x0.5 m are single-row, 0.7x0.7 m - double-row. Grows slowly.

Care: when landing, "Kemira Universal" is added at the rate of 100 g / m 2. A year later in the spring they give a complete mineral fertilizer 50 - 70 g/m 2 nitroammofoski. During the season, watered once a month, 10 - 12 liters per plant, sprinkling once every 2 weeks. Loosening of young plantings is recommended for the first 2-3 years to a depth of 10-15 cm, when weeds are removed and the soil is compacted. Mulching with 8 cm wood chips. It tolerates shearing and heavy pruning during crown formation. Remove dry shoots completely, pruning by 1/3 of the length of the shoot. Cover young plantings for the winter with peat with a layer of 5-7 cm, protect plants from burns with spruce branches or kraft paper. Mature plants are winter-hardy. Young yews also become very brittle in winter and break easily from snow, so for the winter they are tied with a rope in one bundle to prevent snow from accumulating on individual branches.

reproduction: seeds and cuttings. Most often they bloom and bear fruit two years in a row, there is no fruiting in the third year. Seeds ripen in autumn. After collection, the seeds are stored in a cool room with a temperature of 5-6 ° C, with low air humidity. Gives good results autumn sowing seeds. When spring sowing, 7-month stratification is necessary at a temperature of 3-5 ° C, after which they germinate in 2 months (unstratified - in 1-3 years).

Yews are perfectly cut, and not only one-year-old shoots take root, but also two-year-old ones taken "with a heel". Interestingly, cuttings taken from branches pointing upwards produce bushes with compact upright growth. And cuttings from horizontal branches, rooting, form sprawling low plants. Propagated well by layering and grafting.

	Usage: Yews have been used for shearing and topiary art for many centuries, as they grow slowly and branch well, creating a very dense texture. However, for most regions of Russia, yews are suitable only for a low curb that will winter under the snow, and high impenetrable walls, which are formed from yew in more southern regions, will not come out of it.
	Pictured on the left: yew maze

Yew is the most common ornamental tree in the classic English garden. Sheared yews are used to create hedges and various decorative figures - balls, cubes and sculptures.

In most of Russia, the climatic conditions for gardening are not the best. Nature brings many unexpected surprises.

Therefore, gardeners who decide to make a hedge with their own hands should carefully select plants. They must be unpretentious, cold-resistant.

There are many such plants. it different varieties trees, shrubs and climbing plants. You just need to competently approach their choice, considering which one green hedge to be done.

If you live in central Russia, you should not rely on plants such as thuja orientalis and cypresses, Korean and balsam fir. In this region, they do not take root well: they can winter only under a thick snow cushion. It is better to use evergreens adapted to the local climate for hedges. They not only decorate the site, purify the air, but also hold back snow and wind.

Spruce

It could be a dwarf Canadian spruce or gray spruce, tall or dwarf species ate prickly. As well as spruce of different heights or one and a half meter Serbian spruce, the needles of which are distinguished by shiny dark green needles with two bluish stripes.

Juniper

This is one of the most popular and numerous representatives of conifers. Will look very good in hedges most unpretentious species juniper: virgin, horizontal, Chinese, Cossack and ordinary.

Fir

Fir is not a city dweller; smoke harms its development. Only outside the city, it takes root well and pleases with its noble beauty. For middle lane suitable species such as whole-leaved, monochrome, balsamic.

Pine

In horticulture, cold-resistant and unpretentious species of this plant are most often used. Truly decorative ordinary, mountain and Weymouth pine.

Cypress pea

An evergreen plant that comes in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Handles winter hardships well. From the genus of cypress stands out unpretentiousness.

Yew

Champion among evergreens in frost resistance and endurance. It will feel good in a living fence located in a shady corner. Such species as berry and Canadian yew have proven themselves especially well in central Russia.

thuja

From the numerous family of this culture, it is worth paying attention to the thuja western. Will withstand any whims of the Russian winter. This species is rich in forms and varieties. You can choose a dwarf western thuja, which will grow to only 60 cm (variety Danica) or its opposite - a 15 meter giantess with a spiral crown (Spiralis).

Plants for deciduous hedges

They differ from evergreens in that their decorative effect is not year-round, but only while the foliage is alive. Many deciduous plants bloom beautifully, are honey plants, are used in traditional medicine are bearing fruit.

These are the most famous shrubs and trees: acacias, chokeberry, euonymus, elderberry, hawthorn, cherry, elm, hydrangea, deren, honeysuckle, willow, viburnum, cotoneaster, maple, lilac, currant, mock orange jasmine.

fast growing shrubs

Of these crops, the most impatient create hedges. Although it cannot be said that they are losing in some way, because many plants grow quickly - both evergreen and deciduous. In addition, each of them is beautiful in its own way and can withstand negative atmospheric effects.

1. Thunberg's deciduous barberry is a plant whose shoots - purple-red, yellow - stand out in bright spots against a green background. One of the most favorite plants for garden construction in the country.
2. Euonymus. Both in summer and autumn, it amazes with the multicolored foliage: from white to purple. The leaves will fly around - the bush, hung with bright berries, is still beautiful.
3. Privet. Cutting this bush is a real pleasure, any fantasy can be realized, you can get either a smooth green wall, or any figure. The only drawback: it is afraid of frost, so shelter is required in the middle lane for the winter.
4. Cotoneaster. Flowers have a modest appearance, but they are not its main decoration. Decorative shrub gives a lush crown of shiny dark leaves, which gradually acquire a crimson color by autumn. Red spots of berries are added to this splendor, which stay on the branches until severe frosts. It is easy to cut the cotoneaster into any shape that does not lose its shape for a long time.
5. Hawthorn. It attracts attention even during spring flowering, and in the summer, when the ripening fruits become yellow, orange, red. In autumn, bright foliage shows itself in all its glory. An indispensable plant for a fast-growing hedge in the Moscow region and other regions of the middle lane.
6. Forsythia. Also very decorative. Usually it is planted when creating dense green fences. Its flowers look beautiful against the background of dense juicy foliage.
7. Boxwood. Not afraid of moderate frosts, but may die from winter wind or spring sun rays. With a caring attitude towards him, it grows quite quickly, a bright green outfit - all year round. Can also be used in sheared hedges.
8. Yew. This evergreen shrub has dense, but not prickly needles. Depending on the species or variety, it can grow in the form of a regular bush or ball, candle, cone or be creeping. Very handy for cutting.
9. Thuya. Evergreen fast growing shrub. Gardeners love it for its dense crown, clear forms and pleasant aroma. For hedges, you should choose the western one, which does not need special care and endures cold weather.

Plants for a living fence of different heights

The single-tiered height of a hedge is usually dictated by space savings on the site. This means that it will require trees in which branches grow from the very base of the trunk. These are poplars, lindens, maples.

If the gardener does not have such a problem, it is better to create a multi-tiered green fence that will cover the site well from the windy side. It will turn out that, selected in height, trees and shrubs will not close each other, but will be beautifully combined in color and alternately bloom and bear fruit.

1. The highest row can be occupied by linden, elm, poplar, ash, maple, buckthorn, willow, mountain ash.

Trees such as white or blood-red turf, common and Amur barberry, buckthorn-shaped sea buckthorn, narrow-leaved and silver sucker, spiked and smooth shadberry, chokeberry, hazel, Tatar honeysuckle, mock orange, chokeberry, Hungarian and common lilac, maple will grow up to three meters Ginnala and Tatar.

2. For hedges with a height of 1.2 to 2 meters, gray and wrinkled roses, brilliant cotoneaster, Russian broom, willow spirea, Thunberg barberry, alpine and golden currants, coverlet and alpine honeysuckle are well suited.

Plants of this height, well adapted to the local climate, can mark the border with neighbors and divide your site into separate zones.

3. Even lower fences - from one meter to 1.2 m, will create such shrubs: undersized species of Thunberg barberry and mock orange, Bessey's cherry and glandular, steppe almond, Japanese and three-lobed spirea.

4. If a half-meter-high fence-curb is planned, you need to plant a dwarf caragana (Pygmaea and Nana varieties), Thunberg barberry (Aurea, Atropurpurea Nana, Green Carpet), Japanese spirea (Golden Princess and Little Princess), mock orange (Gnome and Dwarf) , as well as lingonberries.

Formed stands

Sheared landings look especially impressive. They differ in compactness, accuracy, long keep the given form. And after a few years, an impenetrable hedge is formed. To get this result, you need to choose the right landings that will retain their shape and easily recover after a haircut.

Linden, brilliant cotoneaster, hawthorn have all these qualities,

honeysuckle varieties Alberta, alpine, Tatar, covering. They are also possessed by honeysuckle, white sod, alpine and golden currant, barberry, maple - Tatar and Ginnala, poplar - Canadian and Berlin, purple-leaved willow.

can be formed and coniferous trees. For a sheared hedge there will be good choice common spruce, European larch and thuja of two types - Smaragd and Brabant. Larch is especially effective after shearing - it is good both in a green state and after the needles fall off.

plants for thorny hedges

A hedge of plants with thorns is a real "border on the castle." Dense thickets are difficult to overcome not only for humans, but even for domestic animals.

mixed hedges

It is preferable to arrange such types of combined green fences in spacious areas. Plants with different periods of flowering, fruiting, with different leaf colors will coexist here.

It looks interesting hedge, composed of two species having different height. A low-growing shrub in this case will cover the bare branches of tall plants with its foliage.

AT mixed landings such varieties of lilacs as Amur, Hungarian and drooping are successfully combined with tall species of jasmine-mock orange, viburnum (Gordovina and Boule de Nezhe), forsythia.

Weaving (climbing) plants

Perhaps the most decorative. "Bindweeds" have long shoots, beautiful leaves and luxurious flowers. The tendrils and hooks help them to rise quite high, while forming a continuous carpet of greenery and flowers. The flowering of many climbing plants is long and abundant.

Of particular value is the fact that decorative effect achieved much faster than other horticultural crops. In addition, they facilitate the gardener's work without the need for special preparation for winter.

perennial climbing plants

They are the most best material for a living fence.

1. Climbing rose. For a green fence, you should choose only winter-hardy varieties that do not need shelter, otherwise the owners will have to deal with the annual chores of preparing the bushes for winter.

These plants are good because they bloom for a long time, and some varieties - repeatedly. The color is white, red, yellow, pink and maroon.

2. Honeysuckle honeysuckle. A plant famous for its wonderful aroma. Able to endure severe cold without shelter, so that for the winter it can not be removed from the supports. It grows well in elevated places, on moderately moist soil.

3. Clematis. Belongs to the buttercup family. The most popular purple clematis. Its creepers reach two meters in length, the flowers are large, up to 6 cm in diameter.

4. Campsis. A beautiful deciduous vine with aerial sucker roots and bright scarlet or orange flowers tubular shape.

5. Wisteria. Pretty moody climbing plant originally from the southern regions. White, pink or blue flowers collected in hanging bunches.

6. Calistegia. It looks like a wild bindweed Birch, but her flowers are larger.

7. Common ivy. The plant, although it belongs to the evergreen, but in the middle lane does not always survive the winter safely, it needs shelter or a thick snow cushion.

8. Maiden (wild) grapes. Excellent climbing plant for building hedges. Grows wherever planted, on any soil. It is especially beautiful in autumn, when the leaves turn purple, and inedible fruits turn dark blue. Does not require shelter for the winter.

flowering plants

The spectacle of a flowering hedge is a charm itself. Tall shrubs, showered with flowers, emitting a fragrance - is this not the dream of any amateur gardener.

For the formation of a picturesque fence, such plants are suitable:

• Syrian hibiscus. A two-meter shrub that blooms from July to September. Flowers come in a variety of colors.
• Hydrangea. Shrub up to one and a half meters high, continuous flowering lasts for several months. Basically, the flowers are white, but if planted large-leaved hydrangea, she will give flowers of amazing colors - pink, blue, red or lilac.
• Japanese spirea. Reaches a height of one and a half meters. It is in bloom all summer. Looks great framed in pink or purple flowers.
• Fragrant chubushnik. Three-meter bushes bloom from late spring to early summer. Flowers are white, with a strong spicy aroma.
• Multi-flowered rose. Can grow up to 4 meters. It blooms in early June and blooms until mid-summer. Interesting property: flowers change color: at first they are white-pink, then pure white.
• Action. The height of the shrub is from two to five meters. Blooms with the onset of summer heat. The flowers are white, do not exude a smell.
• Honeysuckle Tatar. Also blooms in early summer. Flower color - white or pink. Forms inedible orange or red fruits.
• Common rosehip. Height - up to one and a half meters. Flowering continues all summer. The fruits ripen by mid-autumn.
• Barberry Juliana. Height - up to 2.5 meters, covered with yellow flowers in the first summer month. Forms black or red fruits.

We hope that our article helped to deal with popular plants for creating hedges.

AT recent times under the influence of Western garden culture, many summer residents and land owners began to use hedges from ornamental shrubs. A hedge is aesthetically pleasing and environmentally friendly. And very beautiful. About which shrubs for hedges are more suitable than others, what perennial hedges look like, when and how a hedge is cut, we will tell in our article.

coniferous shrubs

Yew berry

This coniferous plant is extremely popular in the middle lane. Yew grows best in loose, well-drained soil. In height, a yew fence can reach four meters. The plant develops equally well in the sun and in the shade. Yew grows slowly, and a full-fledged hedge will have to be grown for several years, but this drawback has a plus: you have to cut yew bushes no more than once a year, and this is not necessary. Fertilizers under the yew are applied once a year in the spring. Of the garden forms of yew berry, Nana, Hixie, Ripendens and Fastgiata Aurea are more popular than others.

yew berry hedge

Thuja western

This is also a coniferous plant, which is often used for decorative purposes, including for enclosing the site. Thuja is sun-loving, hardy, prefers moist soil and is not afraid of strong winds. In height, a wall of thuja can reach 4 m. Thuja grows much faster than yew, which is why they cut it twice a season - in spring and autumn. Try not to root the plant too much, otherwise the color of its needles may lose its brightness and saturation. In hedges, western thuja varieties such as Golden Globe, Columna and Spiralis are more often grown.

Lawson's cypress

This frost-resistant, wind-resistant shrub is very similar to thuja, but its scaly needles are thinner. Cypress trees come with yellow, green or blue foliage, and you can create a multi-colored hedge by planting plants with different needle colors in a row. Cypress grows best in moist soils. As for lighting, it is not suitable for the plant only deep shadow. Cut the hedge once a year, but you should know that after a strong haircut, the needles grow back for a very long time.

evergreen shrubs

boxwood

The ideal hedge plant is the perennial evergreen boxwood. Green-leaved plant varieties hibernate without shelter, and forms with leaves of other shades are best grown where there is no frost in winter. Boxwood bushes can be pruned into any shape. The shrub has dwarf varieties for borders, and there are plants reaching a height of 3 m. However, in order for the boxwood hedge to look well-groomed, it needs to be cut once every one and a half months. Boxwood grows slowly, so for hedges it is better to purchase adult seedlings. A haircut is very important for a shrub, which is carried out in the very first season after planting: the bush is shortened by almost half, the plant receives a strong shake, after which it grows much faster.

Privet

This plant is readily and often used in landscape design. It has glossy, like boxwood, leaves, but not rounded, but elongated. In spring, privet bushes are decorated with white flowers, which turn into small dark blue berries in autumn. There are evergreen varieties of privet, and there are deciduous ones. The shrub grows slowly, so the formation of the hedge will take some time. Most often, Aureum, Glaucum and Atrovirens are grown as hedges, which, due to the brightness of the color of the leaves, are preferably planted in a sunny place.

Privet hedge

laurel cherry

The bush of laurel cherry grows up to 2 m. The main advantage of this plant is adaptability to any conditions - heat, lack of water, poor or, conversely, too bright lighting. Laurel cherry has dense, glossy leathery leaves. In autumn, red, gradually blackening fruits appear on the bushes. Some plant species are edible. Cherry laurel grows quite quickly, so you will have to cut the hedge twice a year. The plant is very plastic: it can be given any shape.

Holly holly

Shrub up to 2 m high, preferring areas with medium lighting and not winter hardy. Holly blooms with fragrant white flowers, and by autumn, bright red spherical fruits collected in brushes ripen on it, which do not fall all winter. Holly grows slowly, so it is sheared once a year.

Holly holly hedge

Deciduous shrubs

European beech

This is one of the most popular shrubs for creating hedges, reaching a height of four or more meters. The plant prefers moist fertile soil. Beech grows quickly, so it has to be cut twice a year. Beech leaves, green in spring and summer, turn yellow or redden by autumn and do not fall off until frost. However, the plant is susceptible to root rot, so it is important to monitor the degree of soil moisture.

common hornbeam

Because of the silvery-gray bark, the hornbeam is sometimes called the white beech. The common hornbeam can grow both in the sun and in the shade. This plant of the Birch family blooms with earrings, which gives it additional attractiveness. The hornbeam tolerates shading, drought and waterlogging of the soil well, has winter hardiness and is almost not damaged by diseases and pests. It grows quickly, so the hornbeam hedge is cut twice a season.

Cotoneaster brilliant

Cotoneaster grows to a height of 2 m. small leaves arranged very densely on the branches. The plant is relatively drought-resistant, frost-resistant, shade-tolerant, branches well and tolerates urban gas pollution, the bushes in the lower part do not grow bald, the shrub is undemanding to the composition of the soil. It has only one drawback: it needs to be trimmed often.

Vesicle viburnum

The vesicle reaches a height of 3 m. It is resistant to diseases, frost-resistant and grows very quickly, and in all directions at once. The shape of its leaves resemble currant, viburnum and even maple. At the end of June, the vesicle begins to bloom, and it is covered with umbrellas of many white flowers. The natural shape of the bush is spherical, but with pruning it can be given any shape. It is best to engage in shaping in early spring, and during the period of leaf fall, you need to do a sanitary cleaning of the hedge. The plant is represented by varieties with leaves different color: Diablo, Little Devil, Coppertina - plants with purple foliage that turns red in autumn; Center Glow - a variety with burgundy-gold leaves; Luteus and Darts Gold - varieties with golden leaves; Nana is a vesicle with bright green leaves and white flowers.

Turn

Inexpensive fast growing plant with tart edible berries. Introduced turn in culture large quantity varieties and garden forms, and all of them are winter hardy and rapid growth, however, require serious care. The turn is cut in November. Of the varieties, Plena, Purpurea and Krasnolistny are the most popular.

Blackthorn hedge

Hawthorn

Another ideal hedge plant that lives up to 300 years, requires little maintenance and can adapt to any environment. The exceptions are some varieties that do not tolerate cold winter. A hedge is planted from three-year-old seedlings in a checkerboard pattern, and two years after planting, at the end of April, all bushes should be cut to a height of 20 cm. After such a radical pruning, the hedge will be much thicker. A year later, you can start adjusting the shape of the bushes, and this can be done from spring to autumn. Most often, Arnold's hawthorn, fan-shaped, soft and ordinary are planted to create a hedge.

forsythia

Forsythia, or forsythia - amazing beauty plant: your garden will be girded within a month in early spring gold ring flowering bushes, and only after flowering is completed, leaves will begin to appear on the shrub. Forsythia loves the sun, does not tolerate drafts and does not tolerate frost well. A haircut in June serves to shape the bushes, but heavy pruning harms the plant. A hedge is created from species such as European forsythia (Giralda), oval-leaved, drooping and medium.

Forsythia hedge

Barberry Thunberg

beautiful, showy plant, which is perfect both in single and in group planting. This type of barberry has a huge number of varieties, the foliage of which can be painted in dark red, brown with a golden tint, green or purple. The height of the Thunberg barberry hedge can reach 2.5 m. The shrub is unpretentious in care, but the bright sun harms it. But in moderation low temperatures he is not afraid. The barberry blooms in May, and in August or September, glossy, red, very attractive, but, unfortunately, poisonous fruits ripen on it. Cut the shrub twice a season - in spring and autumn. For growing high hedges, it is better to purchase varieties of Pink Queen, Erekta and Maria, and for growing borders, dwarf varieties of Kobold, Admiration, Green Carpet, Speshil Gold, Bagatelle and Atropurpurea Nana are more suitable.

Thuja: dense wall

The qualities of the western thuja (Thuja occidentalis) as hedge plants are undeniable. Although in winter the needles of this evergreen sometimes turn brown and it somewhat loses its decorative effect, it is believed that this tree (there are also shrub forms) is quite winter-hardy and resistant to strong winds. Unfortunately, thuja grows slowly and only after 10 years forms a dense, absolutely impermeable to the eyes. living wall. The plant is very undemanding to the soil, on the only condition that it is not too dry. A thuja hedge should be trimmed regularly, but little by little, as this plant does not tolerate radical pruning. Some of the best varieties are considered: ‘Smaragd’ with delicate, year-round green scaly needles and well-branched ‘Sunkist’ with golden yellow needle-leaves.

Cypress: a colorful variety

Lawson's cypress (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) is another evergreen coniferous hedge plant comparable to arborvitae. The cypress grows straight up and is not as powerful as the thuja, it has more filigree branches with delicate scaly needles. It feels great also in shady corners on any normal, but not too dry garden soil. For hedges available big choice varieties with blue or blue-gray needles ('Alumii', 'Columnaris', Ellwoodii'), with yellow or yellow-green ('Alumigold', 'Golden Wonder', 'Stewartii'), as well as green needles cream-tipped ('White Spot'). Unfortunately, this type of cypress is not very cold-resistant, therefore it can be recommended only for the southern regions of Russia, and for the middle zone, no less beautiful pea-bearing cypress (C. pisifera) with scaly pointed needles, dark green above and bluish white below, is more suitable. Like thuja, cypress does not tolerate heavy pruning and requires shading in late winter and early spring.

Tees: well tolerates shearing and long life

Yew berry (Taxus baccata) is a real relic plant: there are specimens that are already more than 1000 years old. The hedges grown from yew also live long, but in order to get such a hedge, it will also take a lot of time, since the yew grows very slowly. A well-maintained yew hedge is so dense that even immediately after cutting it looks like a solid green wall. Yew grows in the deepest shade, and under the canopy of large trees, not afraid of competition with their roots. The main thing is that the soil is not too acidic. And it is important to remember that all parts of the plant down to the pulp of the fruit (similar to the red berries of the cones surrounding the seeds) are very poisonous to both humans and animals. Varieties recommended for hedges: ‘Hicksii’ (upright, with bright green needles) and ‘Semperaurea’ (densely branched, with yellow needles). Yew hedges tolerate heavy pruning, but it will take a long time before it becomes thick again. Yew berry is quite cold-resistant and, in principle, can grow in central Russia, for the winter it must be covered with burlap, protecting not so much from the cold as from the sun's rays that cause burns.

Red beech: noble metallic luster

The red-leaved form of the forest beech, or European (Fagus sylvatica f. purpurea), contains especially a lot of red pigment in the leaves, due to which the hedge from this plant casts a dark metallic sheen and looks very noble. In autumn, beech foliage turns yellow-orange and partially remains on the tree until spring. Beech for hedges is propagated by seeds, so the color of the foliage, unlike grafted plants, may vary. Sometimes there are also green-leaved specimens that you will have to replace next year. Forest beech of both forms - both green and red-leaved - has the same properties: it can grow in the shade, makes radical pruning very low above the ground and is suitable for very narrow hedges. Beech soil requirements are quite high: they prefer fertile, loamy and will not grow on damp, acidic and alkaline. The creation of beech hedges is possible only in the southern regions of Russia.

Hornbeam: gold of autumn foliage

Hornbeam real, or ordinary (Carpinus betulus), outwardly very similar to beech, although it belongs to a completely different family. The most reliable hallmark- kidneys: in beech they are spindle-shaped, pointed, up to 2 cm long, and in hornbeam they are short, sessile. Hornbeam foliage has a fresh green color and looks more filigree than beech, since the leaves themselves are thinner, with clearly defined veins and do not shine so much. In autumn they turn golden yellow and do not fall until winter. In terms of shade tolerance and pruning tolerance, hornbeam is not inferior to beech, and it makes much less demands on the soil: it can be moderately dry or wet, and even purely sandy. But the survival rate of plants after planting is rather poor, so it is better to choose younger seedlings, by the way, they are easy to grow from seeds. The hornbeam is good for making very dense hedges. In central Russia, this tree often takes on a bushy shape.

Privet: fast growing and easy to propagate

In Western Europe, evergreen species of privet, such as brilliant privet (Ligustrum lucidum), are considered the best for creating hedges, but they are completely unsuitable for the conditions of central Russia due to their low winter hardiness. For us, deciduous privet (Ligustrum vulgare) is more suitable, which can withstand short-term frosts down to -30 ° C. In addition, it is drought-resistant, can grow on saline and alkaline soils, but prefers rich nutrients and well hydrated, as well as a sunny location. This privet grows very quickly and bushes well, it is easily restored even after a barely radical rejuvenating pruning. Regular formative pruning should be carried out immediately after flowering, in July. There are forms and varieties with gray, golden or variegated leaves. Common privet is easily propagated by seeds, root offspring, layering, woody and green cuttings. Therefore, having only one bush of this plant, you can grow very quickly a large number of hedge seedlings.

Barberry: prickly handsome

Barberry is the most prickly plant in the range of hedge crops. It is not very pleasant to cut it, but such unwanted guests as other people's dogs and cats are unlikely to risk getting over such an obstacle to your site. The plant is beautiful in itself: Thunberg's deciduous variegated barberry (Berberis thunbergii) ‘Atropurpurea’ convincingly proves this with its small foliage with a velvety sheen. No less attractive is the more cold-resistant common barberry (B. vulgaris), as well as other species valuable for landscaping: Siebold barberry (B. sieboldii), Amur barberry (B. amurensis), multi-horned barberry (B. heteropoda) and many others. But heat-loving evergreen species, such as, for example, Julian's barberry (V. julianae) with hard glossy leaves, are not suitable for the rather harsh conditions of central Russia. The common advantage of all barberries is graceful golden-yellow or reddish flowers and small red or bluish-black fruits. Barberries tolerate pruning well, so they are suitable for low hedges and borders. Plants of all kinds prefer sunny places, undemanding to soil conditions, drought-resistant and do not tolerate stagnant moisture.

Hawthorn: spring bloom

Hawthorn - classic plant for a hedge. For example, the single-petal hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) is great for a natural-type garden. This is a small tree or shrub 3-6 m high with a symmetrical light crown, dark green leaves that turn red in autumn and thorns up to 1.5 cm long. The fruits are round, red. This type of hawthorn is shade-tolerant and less demanding on heat and humidity than other types, so it can be used in areas with a more continental climate. Grows well in dry or moderately moist calcareous soil, in sun or partial shade. Hawthorn is pruned once or twice a year. If cut once, it should be done no later than mid-July. With double pruning, the first is carried out in early spring.

Field maple: beautiful and unpretentious

If you want to grow your hedge as quickly as possible, choose field maple (Acer campestre). This fast growing deciduous tree is winter hardy and highly wind resistant. Maple is especially beautiful during spring flowering and autumn. The optimal height for a hedge is 2-4 m. Young shoots appear in early spring; since they contain a large amount of milky juice, at this time of the year the hedge is not cut, but is transferred to the end of June. If necessary, a second pruning is carried out in August. Field maple is drought-resistant, loves fertile, lime-containing soil, grows in the sun and in partial shade. Many other species can be put on a par with it, primarily the Tatar maple (A. tataricum) and Ginnala maple, or riverine (A. ginnala). All of them perfectly tolerate any formation and are easily propagated by seeds.

Not only classic

For a hedge, it is not at all necessary to take the classic, well-tolerated plants listed above. Why not, for example, choose fruit crop like an apple tree. The hedge from it is no worse than hawthorn in decorativeness, and even with fruits. Apple plants can be planted almost close to each other, then over time they will turn out to be a dense, almost impenetrable wall that perfectly protects the site from the wind. A good high hedge can be formed from common spruce, linden, hazel (hazel), ornamental apple tree, shadberry, yellow acacia or other tree species, however, it will be a hedge, so to speak, “on props”. From below, it will have to be additionally compacted with sheared or freely growing shade-tolerant plants. And for a low green wall, low-growing shrubs such as cotoneaster, currant, shrubby cinquefoil (Kuril tea), spirea, vesicle, evergreen magonia holly, and many others.