How to take care of your garden hedges

Thick-growing hedges are a good substitute for a garden fence, especially if you choose evergreen plants, providing privacy, wind protection and a habitat for birds and other useful creatures. Here's how to care for them.

The first task is to dig a planting trench for your hedge that is the proper length and width. The exact dimensions will depend on the purpose of the hedge, where it will be located and the type of foliage you've chosen. A general rule of thumb: the trench should be at least 30 centimetres (one foot) wider than the plant's root ball and of equal depth.Planning the hedge layout

• Position one to two plants every one metre (three feet) for a less dense hedge; for a dense hedge, place two to five plants in the same space.
• Stagger individual plants in a double-row hedge so they can spread out better.
• Plant mixed hedges with different coloured leaves or needles for a very attractive effect. You might combine a few varieties of yews or arborvitae with copper beech.
• Choose yew, basswood or elm if the hedge is to serve as a windbreak; cherry laurel is a particularly good choice for noise protection.
• Plant barberry, holly, hawthorn or firethorn to preserve privacy and keep out intruders.

• Hedge plants grow in a very narrow space, so it's essential that the soil be loose and enhanced with compost. For heavy soil, mix in some sand or clay granulate for maximum effect.
• Put plastic sheeting over the bed and slit a hole for each of the plants; the plastic will help keep the weeds down, reduce evaporation in the summer and protect the roots from frost in the winter. You can also spread mulch between the plants.
• Distribute the plants so that the side shoots just touch one another. If you put them too close together, you'll restrict their growth.
• Avoid hollow spaces by jiggling the plants thoroughly while planting so that dirt gets between the roots.

Hedges are relatively easy to maintain.

• Fertilize evergreen hedges in the spring with hoof and horn meal to keep the soil loose.
• Keep the hedge watered, especially during dry periods — both winter and summer. Evergreen hedges need less water than deciduous or flowering hedges.
• In late fall, remove dead wood and weeds and, if necessary, restore the mulch layer around your hedge.
• Cover up bald spots in a hedge by planting a flowering climber. Train the shoots over the empty spots.

Your hedge's first "haircut" should take place shortly after planting: cut back deciduous bushes by half, since they grow very quickly. Trim plants with needles to a consistent height.

• Once a deciduous hedge is well-established, always prune back the new wood in the summer to encourage branching. In the winter, on the other hand, cut back into the old wood to encourage the formation of new, strong shoots.
• Trim evergreen hedges regularly, but avoid cutting into the old wood as the branches may remain bald.
• Shaped hedges should be trimmed three times in the course of the spring and summer.
• Trim the sides of hedges at an angle (e.g., less on the bottom than the top) to make them especially bushy and thick.
• Spread a sheet of plastic or a tarp at the foot of the hedge to make it easier to pick up the trimmings.