Hedging your bets
Selecting a hedging species that
is known to perform well in your local climate
and soil conditions is most important.
The ultimate shape and height will determine
the spacing of plants, Severe root competition
and possible mortality will occur if too close,
and longer to join up and form a hedge if too
widely spaced.
However the more vigorous
and quick growing the plant is, the more often
it will need trimming.
Successful training
of a hedge starts by clipping lightly at the end
of the first growing season and clipping each year,
never allowing growth of more than 45 centimetres.
This allows a dense framework of branches to develop.
The most popular hedging
plants include:
- Buxus - Buxus
sempervirens is ideal for edging paths,
gardens and driveways planted at 10-15cm apart
- Hornbeam - Carpinus
betulus.
Deciduous hedging which is adaptable to difficult
conditions, able to tolerate summer heat and
wind, still retaining the brown leaves through
the winter.
- European
beech - Fagus
sylvatica. Light green spring growth,
rich brown autumn coloured leaves held within
the hedge through winter.
- Copper
beech - Fagus
sylvatica purpurea. The copper beech
produces rich purple and red leaves in spring,
purple bronze through summer and retained brown
leaves in winter.
- Portuguese
laurel - Prunus
lusitanica. Glossy green leaves with
red stems trims very well to any shape and
size.
- Cherry
laurel - Prunus
laurocerasus. A vigorous glossy leafed
evergreen, able to tolerate shade.
- White cedar - Thuya occidentalis
fastigiata. Evergreen conifer with a very tight
upright habit, requires very little trimming.
- Leyland’s
cypress - Cupressus
x leylandii.
A very vigorous growing dark green conifer, suitable
for exposed dry conditions, requires regular
trimming.
- NZ broadleaf - Griselinia
littoralis. Glossy leafed NZ evergreen,
tolerates salt winds.
- NZ tarata
or lemonwood - Pittosporum
eugenoides. Quick growing glossy
NZ evergreen, trims well without dieback.
- Bay
tree - Laurus
nobilis. Dark green leaves, which
clip well into a screen or hedge and suitable
for coastal areas
Email appletons@ts.co.nz, Web www.appletons.co.nz
