Live fence - a range of plants and features of creation

Photos of coniferous live fence

Hedge in the country is most often used as a decorative fence to visually delimit the space, cover the unsightly area, restrict access to unwanted visitors, emphasize or fence a certain part of the territory.

Fences can be in the form of low borders of perennial climbers for fence or high living walls, such as spruce. When creating and further servicing, it is important to take into account the style in which the fence will be decorated - a freely growing landscape or a strict geometric shape achieved by regular haircuts.

In landscape design there is a different purpose of living obstacles:

• protection against dust and noise from the street;

• use as a screen or for privacy;
• to determine the boundaries of the site;
• as a garden boundary;
• as a decorative landscape element.

The hedges of unusual geometric shape, planted around the contour of a square, round or oval lawn, look very beautiful and spectacular.

Plant selection

Trimmed hedge

To create an unusual fence-living wall is better to choose plants that can give the desired shape with a haircut. It can be:

• вечнозеленые,
• variegated,
• flowering
• prickly
• лиственные или conifers растения,
• like any combination of them.

Depending on the area of ​​the site and the place allotted to the fence, you can create one, two or three-row live fences. You also need to take into account the shape of the crown of plants, growth rate and maximum height, as well as the need for additional support, in the case of vines.

A tall bush fence provides for the planting of the following species:

• lilac;
• yellow acacia;
• kizil;
• honeysuckle;
• брючучина;
• western and eastern thuja;
• juniper ordinary and verginsky, etc.

For lower fences or in combination with high fences, plants up to a meter tall can be used, such as:

• barberry;
• spirits;
• svida;
• hydrangea, etc.

Plant fencing

You can also combine high and low hedge, as well as evergreen and blooming.

What factors are important for the device of a live fence

To answer the question of which shrubs to plant along the fence, you first need to consider and evaluate the following conditions:

1. It is better to choose plants adapted to the specific climatic conditions of your area, such as:

• the presence of frost;
• rainy or dry climate;
• high and low temperatures;
• prevailing winds, snow cover, etc.

1. The location of the living fence on the cardinal points. That is, whether the hedge will be in the open sun, in the shade or on the shade. Depending on this, light-loving or shade-tolerant plants will be selected.

Fir green fence

1. Of great importance is the height of the plants. It should be consistent with the general concept of landscaping the site. In a small area, the fence from the trees will be completely inappropriate. It will obscure all the space and will not allow other plants to develop normally. On the territory of a large area of ​​over five thousand square meters, on the contrary, such a fence will create a feeling of privacy and security.
2. From the area of ​​the site will depend on the trees or shrubs will create a green fence. It is also important that the distance that you can take to create plantings. If you can occupy a site along a fence up to one and a half to two meters wide, then choose better shrubs or lianas, since a wall of trees in the future will take at least three to four meters.
3. Pay attention to the norms of planting trees from the fence. This distance depends on the height and shape of the crown of plants. Low shrubs should be planted at a distance of one and a half meters from the fence, tall shrubs and columnar forms of trees at a distance of one and a half to two meters, trees no closer than two and a half to three meters.
4. Soil type is another important factor when choosing a range of plants. It is important to identify sandy, clay, wet or dry soils on your site. What are the nutrient reserves in the upper layer. Is there a need to change the land in the planting pits or will it be enough to fertilize.

The range of plants for hedges

Spirea blooming wall

Privet primrose (Ligustrum vulgare) is a very popular deciduous plant for medium-high hedges, unpretentious, but prefers fertile soil, drought-resistant, withstands air pollution.

Note! Privet grows fast enough and is well restored after pruning. Blossoms fragrant white panicles at the ends of the shoots. Fruits are black, can persist throughout the winter.

Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) is in the form of a tall shrub or small trees. It has small beautifully shaped dark green shiny leaves and thorny branches. Not exacting to soil conditions and gas resistant. In the first years after planting, it grows slowly to twenty centimeters per year. In the fall, the crown becomes bright red, and the scarlet fruits are preserved almost all winter.

Grab (Carpinus betulus) медленнорастущее, но устойчивое к болезням и вредителям дерево или куст. Высоко ценится темно-зеленая блестящая крона, которая осенью становится ярко-желтой. Grab прекрасно переносит стрижку и образует густую зеленую стену.

Chinese elm the shape of the sheet resembles a hornbeam Fast-growing, not demanding to soil conditions, drought-resistant species. Suitable for building high fences. Perfectly transfers a hairstyle, it is possible to give a tree various forms.

Freely growing Tui fence

One of the most popular are conifers live fences from Tui. Thuja (Thuja) is of two types - western and eastern, which is also called biota. This is a culture with high decorative qualities. The throne of Tui is thick, pyramidal or conical. Under adverse conditions, the active growth of these plants is suspended.

Eastern thuja, thanks to a more spreading crown, with a regular haircut and optimal conditions for several years forms a thick light green wall. If you need to create a narrower hedge, it is better to choose western columnar tui, however, the price of such planting material can be much higher.

If you are wondering how to plant a thuja along the fence, we can recommend the following. Depending on the size of the coma planting material, a trench is dug. Plants are placed evenly at the rate of two or three pieces per meter, they are buried, the ground is compacted and well watered. Landing is best done in early spring.

Another representative of evergreen coniferous crops used to create high living fences are Verginsky and ordinary juniper, and Cossack for low curbs.

Free-form wall of several plant species

Very popular hedges of flowering shrubs, such as:

• sirens
• viburnum,
• spirits,
• weigels
• hortense,
• honeysuckle
• budlei,
• shrub roses and others.

Such hedges are usually left free to grow in order to preserve the bulk of the flowers. Cut only dry, broken branches and flowering inflorescences.

The video on this page will illustrate various options for live fences.

Device live fence

The instructions below will tell you how to make a living fence and maintain it in proper condition.

1. Landing. The smaller the planting material, and the slower this species grows, the denser should be the landing pattern. Choose the best plants of the same size. If you are doing a mixed landing, you need to select species with approximately the same growth rate and requirements.

1. The first trimming is carried out immediately after landing. If you plant shrubs with a bare root system, it is recommended to prune existing shoots by half. It may seem that this operation is too abrupt, but in this way, the growth of young shoots is ensured and enhanced, and rooting occurs better.

1. In plantations consisting of coniferous bushes or trees with a closed root system, pruning of branches to the same level is simply carried out.

Cutting a green fence with a brush cutter

1. During the period of active growing season, regular haircuts to the desired height are carried out, dry and protruding branches, and withered shoots are removed. These operations are carried out with a sharp shears or brush cutter. The cord stretched along the branches will help maintain the level of the cut.

1. For normal development of plants, especially in the early years, regular watering is necessary in the hot season, and fertilizing with organic fertilizers.

Trimming and shaping green fences

For free-growing living fences, only sanitary and crown-trimming supports typical of the species are conducted. Fences of a certain geometric shape are cut regularly to maintain the desired appearance in a perfectly flat state. Such haircuts start from the second year after planting, in the first year only dried shoots are cut out and the height of the plantations is leveled.

Maintain a young thuya hedge in proper condition

Deciduous species such as: privet, hawthorn, barberry, hornbeam, euonymus are pruned before the start of the growing season. In hedges of thuja, cypress, juniper, etc., only the tops of the shoots are pruned. In the first three to four years, only height growth is regulated so that the fence becomes thick. After it acquires the desired shape and height, preserving shearing is carried out.

Anti-aging trimming is carried out in aging and bare living enclosures. You can also replace dead plants in early spring. To get a smooth line and shape when pruning, it is desirable to have access to the plants on both sides.

Note! It is necessary to tighten the cord, according to which the fence will be trimmed in width and height. Over time, having gained experience, you will easily cope with these operations with your own hands.

Mixed live wall of coniferous and decorative leafy shrubs

Conclusion

As you managed to make sure the question that it is better to plant at the hedge, only the owner of the estate or cottage can answer. After all, the choice of the type of hedge and plants depends on many factors, such as the size of the site, the purpose of the fence, etc. Creating hedges on the site is a very effective and practical technique that will make your garden not only more beautiful, but also create additional protection from external stimuli ( read also the article "The chess fence - a reliable fence and an elegant addition to landscape design").