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Hedge Planting Basics
from: Lawn and Garden MagicBefore you set off to plant hedges in your yard you must get yourself acquainted with some basics. There are a number of questions you should ask yourself about what you want your hedge to do, how much maintenance you expect put in and what hedge is suitable for your planting zone. You should also know the type of soil you have and what grows best in your area. Figure out which shrubs grow best with the amount of sun they'll get because some shrubs are better suited for full sun and others do fine in partial shade. Analyze where your hedge will be located, what you want the hedge to do and make sure you carefully choose the right hedge for your situation. It's nice to know that hedges are long-lasting and some last for decades or more.
Before you begin to plant your hedge, the soil for your hedgerow should be well prepared and marked. This will be a long-term investment in time, money and energy, so planning is critically important. Your soil should be well drained and, if not, drainage coils or tiles should be installed to let the moisture drain around your hedge.
Start by planting in double rows that are staggered to give you better coverage and quicker growth. Please don't overcrowd your plants because they'll produce the same amount of top growth between them. You can plant more thinly with fewer plants giving the same amount of coverage. Overcrowding can also causes a build-up of deadwood in and around the bottom of your shrubs.
Use a garden line to set up your hedges, since "eyeballing" probably won't result in good hedge lines. It's better to dig a trench rather than individual holes ince it's easier to keep the plants at the same depth. Once the trench is dug, lay out your plants where they need to go so you're sure they'll be equally spaced. Plant spacing will vary with the hedge you want and it's purpose, but this is very important to get right. Small, formal hedges will require the plants to be spaced between 6-8 inches apart. Larger free-flowing shrubs need to be planted between 18-30 inches apart and larger trees used for windscreens should be spaced approximately 6 feet apart.
Once everything is planted, use a good fertilizer with natural compost. Water your hedge plants well and keep them watered, especially through an dry spells, for at least the first year. You can keep the moisture around the plants by placing wood bark mulch around them. As they grow, and the mulch begins to rot, there won't be a need to replace it since the mulch is mainly used to keep the moisture around the plants when they're young and tender.
The time to plant is the late autumn and winter. Remember that small plants establish quickly. Since you're going to have to live with these plants for a long time, make sure a stark green hedge is really what you want, since, in the long run, you may have preferred a hedge with constantly changing colors. That's why it's important to do your research and make the right choices before you buy the plants for your hedge.
One more thing to consider is whether you want a formal or informal look to your landscape. Various shrubs are better suited for hedges that are more formal and need to be trimmed more often to keep them looking neat. Doing regular weeding helps to encourage good growth in the first few years and will also decrease competition for moisture and nutrients in the soil. Your hedge is greedy when it comes to nutrients, so consult with your local nursery to recommend a general all-purpose fertilizer. Don't overfeed either, or scorch the stem or roots of your shrubs. Read the labels on the fertilizer containers carefully before using them.
You'll very quickly discover that with proper care and pruning, your hedge is a wonderful asset to your landscape. They shouldn't be allowed to get too tall before trimming. If this should happen, you'll have to trim in stages in order to keep your hedges healthy. Also, when plants grow too tall, it causes the bottom to be shaded out and it will become weak with leggy sprigs growing in complete disorder. Therefore, you should probably prune back six inches every time the hedge has grown 12 inches.
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