Great Plains Gardening

By Edith Koeller

March 26, 2004

Have you been considering putting in a hedge on your property? Early spring is the ideal time to do this in the Rocky Mountain area according to CSU fact sheet #7.208, written by J.R. Fuecht.

"Hedges are often desirable on residential property to help delineate property lines, provide a screen or windbreak or to create design for a landscaping effect. Common types of hedges include privet, forsythia, barberry, cotoneaster and Russian-olive, although almost any type of woody plant can with care, be trained into a hedge."

Choice of the planting stock should be based on the health (free from pests and disease) and thriftiness of the plants. Mr. Feucht recommends using only normal, well-grown plants that are similar in size, shape, root development and foliage color to insure a more uniform hedge. "Some dealers may offer special hedge materials at bargain prices, but such plants often are stunted and culled from regular nursery stock. Though they may be inexpensive, they are a poor investment. Planting young trees or shrubs usually is preferable to using older stock. In planting a deciduous hedge, select one-year old seedlings or cuttings. These are available as dormant, bare-root material in early spring. For an evergreen hedge, it is best to use container-grown or balled and burlapped stock."

"The average hedge 3 to5 feet high will be 3 to5 feet wide. This means the plants for such a hedge should be set 18 to 24 inches from a property line, wall, driveway or walk. After deciding the proper location of the hedge, prepare a trench deep enough to accept the root system for the plants and long enough to place them all at the same time. Spacing of the plants will depend on the species used. Dwarf artic willow should be set 6 inches apart, privet or forsythia – 12 inches apart and tree species such as Russian olive are spaced 18 to 30 inches apart. After digging the entire trench, line out the young plants at the proper spacing and quickly backfill the trench with soil so that the roots will not dry out. Then water the plants well and prune. Prune very small, unbranched stock to within 3 or 4 inches of the ground. Prune moderately branched, larger material 10 to 12 inches from the ground, and well-branched stock 18 to 24 inches from the ground."

"Pruning to train the hedge during early development is important to its future shape and density. After planting and pruning back, allow plants to develop new growth until about the end of June. Then cut back the growth again by removing approximately two thirds of it in order to force plants to develop more side branches. Depending on the vigor and species of the plants used, a third and even a fourth pruning can be done before frost."

"When the plants begin to form a dense hedge, shape the hedge so that it is narrower at the top than at the bottom. This treatment allows more light to penetrate the lower branches, thus reducing the amount of "legginess" that can result when lower bran ches are shaded by upper ones."

"Periodic pruning needed by the hedge plants, once they’ll have been trained into a hedge, will depend upon the type of hedge, whether it is to be formal or informal and its ultimate size."

"Attacks by insects or disease can be severe and result in open places in the hedge, so immediately treat insect pests, particularly aphids and infestations of spider mites, with appropriate pesticides. Foliage diseases, such as mildew or leaf spot, generally are not serious if preventive fungicides are applied during the growing season. Diseases of the main trunk in hedges, such as the numerous types of canker diseases, usually are more difficult to control. They often necessitate removing portions of a hedge and replanting with healthy material."

A properly maintained hedge can be a valuable asset to your property.

Until next time…