Hedges conjure up images of beautiful palaces, but you don’t need to be royalty to spruce up your yard with an evergreen privacy hedge of your own.
Well kept shrubs are a fantastic looking way to add a little privacy to your yard. They provide a barrier to sound and nosy neighbors, block harsh winds, and are a beautiful choice to define a walkway.
Best of all, shrubbery is easy to maintain and needs very little looking after.
Choosing Your Shrubs
Be sure to know how tall and wide a shrub will grow before planting it. That way you won’t need to worry about pruning or replanting them later. You can usually find this information on product descriptions and labels.
Height
For large privacy barriers, you want to choose an evergreen shrub, like cypress, broadleaf holly, columnar junipers, or emerald green arborvitae.
Shrubs for a more mid-sized barrier are camellias, yews, or dwarf cryptomeria.
To define walkways or gardens look for short shrubs like Japanese Holly or Korean Boxwoods.
Width
Once you have an idea of how high you want your privacy hedge to be, consider how much planting space you have.
A wider planting area will let you plant in two or even three rows. Planting in rows will get you a tighter spread of close plants creating a fuller and more effective barrier.
If you have a more narrow planting area then it would be a good idea to consider shrubs that are suited for tighter spaces. Emerald Arborvitae and Korean Boxwood are two such choices.
Once you know what kind of evergreens you’ll be planting, it’s time to prepare for planting.
How to Plant A Privacy Hedge
Preparing the Planting Area
To start off you’ll want to measure the perimeter you want to enclose to get an idea of how many plants you’ll need.
- First, you’re going to want to Hammer a stake into each end of the planting area. Then, tie a string between them in order to make sure you have a straight line.
If you have any angles along your planting area use more stakes as needed. For curved lines, a rubber hose or garden hose will work just as well.
- Using the information you have on how far apart to plant your seeds mark the distance along the string (or hose) to show where you will plant. Use a reliable method of marking the space such as using sprinkler flags or landscaping paint.
- Repeat the previous steps for any additional rows, making sure to keep the rows the right distance apart as well.
Planting the Shrubs
- Before planting your shrubs water them to saturate their root balls.
- For each plant, you want to dig a hole deep enough to fit the root ball and twice that width.
- After digging the hole water it allowing the water to seep into the soil.
- Place the root ball into the hole making sure to face the better-looking side in the direction you want.
- Start filling the soil back into the hole while being sure to keep the shrub straight. It helps to have a second person hold the plant while filling the hole.
- Fill the hole to the point where the soil is level with the top of the root ball.
Congratulations, You’ve Just Finished Planting Your Own Privacy Hedge
Now that your new shrubs are planted you’ll want to water them once a week for a few months to support healthy growth and make sure their roots expand.
Feeding your shrubs once per year with a shrub fertilizer will help keep them healthy and strong.
Laying out an organic mulch is another way to promote healthy growth for your shrubs. Additionally, mulch can also prevent weeds and the right color mulch can really bring the look of your back yard together.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this guide, and if you have any comments or feedback please be sure to leave them in the comments section!
