The content of the article:
The traditional fence of their fence or mesh reliably protects the site from extraneous views and, most importantly, from uninvited guests. But the maximum harmonious fit in the landscape can only a hedge, from which it is better to make such a fence?
Types of hedges in landscape design
The world of plants is incredibly extensive, but not everyone will be able to solve the task facing the trucker. The choice of plants depends on the intended appearance of the future fence and its purpose.
Live hedges are used:
- for external fencing of the site;
- for dividing the territory inside by functional purpose;
- for framing flower beds and garden paths, lawns and mixborders.
In this case, planting can be of different heights and densities, evergreen and retaining foliage only in the warm season. Shrubs for hedges are given strict shape with the help of haircuts, or plants retain their natural shape throughout their life. Particularly decorative look fences from intertwined living shoots of bushes or trees.
To give the fence its proper density or originality, the plants are planted in one, two or three rows.
When planting a living wall, sometimes not one species is used, but several ornamental plants, the main thing is that they have a similar growth rate, frost resistance, as well as requirements for the composition of the soil and care. An excellent example of this approach will be a fence of different currant species:
- golden or fragrant;
- Alpine;
- blood-red.
Evergreen plants for hedges
Fences and curbs, grown on the basis of evergreen crops, are very popular for a number of reasons. Among them:
- high density of the green fence;
- decorative, which persists even in the cold season;
- easy tolerability of haircuts, without which you can not do, if the fence has to betray a clear form;
- a slow growth of shoots, helping long to maintain a neat appearance of the bush.
In addition, evergreen plants for hedges do not require complex care and are universal. Unfortunately, not so many similar cultures are adapted to Russian conditions. Almost all of them are conifers. Leaders in popularity are:
- thuya;
- spruce of different subspecies;
- juniper common;
- mountain pine dwarfish.
With the help of plants of modern varieties with pine needles in green, silvery and golden colors, one of the weakest sides of coniferous plants can be circumvented: the monotonous coloring of hedges.
Evergreen shrubs, for example, juniper, are used when planting hedges from deciduous plants. Gradually weaving crowns strengthen each other. Ephedra all year round colors the fence in green tones, and deciduous culture makes its appearance vivid and changeable.
Hardwood cultures for hedges in the country
Coniferous hedges are almost classics. But from what it is better to make a hedge, if you want to decorate the site with something original?
To help the villager will come numerous deciduous crops, which:
- are well adapted to the climate of the middle belt;
- Do not require time-consuming care and special conditions
- painlessly transfer pruning;
- form a dense enough for the fence crown;
- Change their appearance during the year, determining the seasonal appearance of the site.
When choosing species for hedges in the country, it is better to give preference to plants that have proved their unpretentiousness and winter hardiness. Best of all as a fence has proved to be small-leaved varieties with strongly branching shoots. The list of such bushes and small plants is large enough:
- blackthorn;
- yellow acacia or caragana;
- elder;
- small-leaved elm;
- snowberry;
- viburnum;
- spirea;
- laurel cherry;
- chubushnik;
- chokeberry aronia;
- honeysuckle fruitless varieties;
- spindle;
- willow;
- barberry;
- hawthorn;
- vesicle;
- deren white;
- currant;
- irga.
At the disposal of the summer resident are dozens of worthy deciduous plants, which not only form a reliable and durable hedge, but also attract attention variegated foliage, like barberry or turf, luxuriant flowering, characteristic for spirits, chubushnik, lilac, mountain ash, bubbleburn, viburnum or hydrangeas. Many plants with decorative or edible fruits. To such bushes should be attributed barberry and spindle grass, chokeberry, golden currant, Irgu and thorn. Special charm of the site is attached to the species with a changing from season to season appearance, like the white turf.
Selection of plants for a molded hedge
Unbelievably beautiful look green fences of geometric shapes, achieved thanks to regular haircut. However, not all of the above deciduous crops can withstand such a procedure. What kind of bush is suitable for a hedge in a simple style?
For planting, which for many years to maintain the strict, pruned shape, it is most important to choose plants with frequent branching of shoots and small, quickly renewed foliage. This will help create a semblance of a dense living wall, curb, arch over the wicket and other structures.
Not only does trimming a hedge do not harm such crops, the crown of shrubs is getting denser every year and better coping with the protective function of the fence.
Another feature of suitable for planting strict forms of shrubs - a small annual increase. The choice of plants in this case is considerable. It:
- numerous species and varieties of barberry, distinguishing not only the height, but also the color of dense foliage.
- hawthorn and vesicleberry with green or purple foliage;
- cotoneaster;
- currant alpine and golden;
- privet;
- thu western;
- spindle;
- japonica.
No matter how resistant the plants are, it is necessary to subject them to this procedure very carefully, having a certain skill in this kind of work.
Deciding to grow on your site a rectangular fence, and then a more rounded shape, you have to stock up and patience, and special scissors for a hedgerow.
Free-growing hedges in landscape design
If painstaking work on the formation of shrubs does not like, but closer natural beauty, plants planted at a short distance from each other so that the crowns intersect, but a single shape is not attached. On the sides such a hedge seems airy, but inside it weaving branches create a strong, impenetrable frame.
What is the best way to make a hedge of a free type? As the plants do not specifically cut, their crowns are actively growing and can occupy a lot of space on the site. Decorative shrubs in adulthood can have a crown diameter from 50 cm to 3 meters. This is taken into account when selecting crops for planting.
It is difficult to realize such a project in cottages of a small area, but you can, having planted a short curb, for example, from Japanese quince, spindle grass, some types of thuja and juniper. If the summer resident is not constrained in the area, the list of shrubs and even small trees considerably expands, including beautifully flowering, ornamental foliage and fruit.
What to put in a hedge? For an unpretentious green fence, which almost does not require care and perfectly wintering in the middle zone of Russia, it is suitable:
- hawthorn;
- Tatar honeysuckle;
- vesicle;
- ryabinnik;
- Barberry, which creates a dense prickly protection for the site;
- elder;
- chubushnik;
- spiroea almost all cultural varieties;
- Hungarian and ordinary lilac;
- Park roses of different types and heights.
To the hedge in landscape design was not only an ornament, but also a real defense, it is strengthened with the second tier. It can be higher than the first or lower.
Often, the second row of pruning is shaped like a wall or curb to support and limit plants of hydrangeas, lilacs, park roses and other species. In winter, thanks to this support, the hedge retains its density, and when using conifers and opacity.
How to make a hedge?
Work on the laying of planting trenches and planting of plants begins only after the creation of an accurate and well-planned hedge plan. For the outer boundaries of the site, green walls up to 2 meters in height are more suitable, and in some cases, for example, near a busy highway and higher. Inside the site for zoning space and fringing fit borders from 50 cm to a meter in height.
Before making a hedge, based on the average height of the plants and the width of their crown, calculate the necessary number of shrubs. Each landing line is planted:
- 1-2 large specimens, for example, hawthorn, common lilac, irgi, aronia, vesicle;
- 3-5 plants of medium size, which can include Kalina, Deren, snow leopard, barberry, honeysuckle;
- 5-7 shrubs with a low crown, for example, Japanese quince, spiraea, individual varieties of spindle and thuja.
For a single-row planting along the line of the future hedge, a trench 40-50 wide and 50-60 cm deep is being dug. The more rows of plants, the greater the volume of land works. With each row of bushes the planting trench is wider by 30 or 40 cm.
Planting is carried out in the middle of spring, using 3-year-old coniferous or 2-year-old deciduous seedlings. Such a planting material quickly and painlessly takes root. In multi-row hedges, planting is carried out in a staggered manner, adhering to the intervals described above between bushes. In molded fences plants are closer to each other, and in free plantings - a little further.
