Screen Out your Neighbors with the Perfect Hedge

Articles on Hedges | Topics: hedges, hedge, bushes, bush

by Pepa Underwood

Unless you live in the country, you likely have at least one neighbor close to your home. When you live in the city or suburbs, you will likely have at least two to five neighbors that can see directly into your yard from various homes near yours. Although living in a populated area has its perks, privacy is not usually one of them. New homes are being built so close together that you can barely fit something as wide as a lawnmower between homes. Builders are enjoying more profits and homeowners love the fact that they can mow their lawn in fifteen minutes or less. Homeowners do crave extra privacy however. Many homeowners are adding fences to their property in order to create more privacy for their yard.

While fences are lovely, they can cost a great deal in materials and labor. Even if you install a fence yourself, you are looking at massive costs and incredible amounts of labor. A great alternative if you are looking for a little more privacy is to use hedges as barriers. You can add the perfect hedge to your property and no longer need to worry about that costly and difficult fence. There are many different varieties to hedges you can use for this task. By definition, a hedge is a row of trees or shrubs that are planted in a row. They are easy to use, care for, and offering great protection and privacy.

If you do want to screen out your neighbors, you should know that hedges could do the same job a fence can do for this task. If you choose a tall and dense hedge, you can even get more privacy. Hedges are great noise barriers as well as vision barriers. Much like a fence, a neighbor would need to get directly upon the hedge in order to get even a peek at your yard. Of course, as mentioned, they could do the same to peer through a fence's cracks.

One of the best things about hedges however, is that they rarely need repairing. A fence will likely get broken and cracked from time to time and require a little maintenance. However, when you choose to use a hedge instead of a fence, you will not need to worry with repair. Very rarely does a hedge become diseased and require replacement. So, in addition to providing privacy, it is also much more durable than other options.

Historical Quote

Devil: I’ll tell you what. You want to hedge your bet with me? Make eternity a little less ... hellish?
Amanda: What did you have in mind?
Devil: Did you see Rosemary’s Baby?

—Blake Edwards (b. 1922)

If you are interested in using a hedge as a barrier between your neighbors and yourself, you will be glad to know that they are extremely easy to use and to care for. Basically, you choose the variety of hedge and the location in which you would like it to be planted. Then you plant the hedge a few inches deep in the soil. You should leave enough room on the sides for the root system to expand; however the hedge should not be planted very deep. After planting, you should water the hedge.

When the hedge is in place, it will require very little maintenance. You will not need to water it like you might do for other plants and flowers. Rainwater will be sufficient enough for your hedge. You may want to prune your hedge from time to time however. Certain hedges will need to be pruned in the late winter, while others can be pruned in spring or early winter. You can use pruning times to shape your hedges in the manner in which you prefer.

When you properly place and prune your hedges, they can add great beauty to your home. You may find that they add a more natural look to your home than a fence might. You can place them to act as a barrier around the entire perimeter of your home or you can just add them to one side. The first thing you should do however is to develop a plan for placement. Visit your local nursery in order to get an idea of what native types are offered in your area. Once you can envision the type of hedge you will be using, you can draw out a rough sketch of your yard and where the hedges might work best.

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Please note: All personal opinions expressed in the "Screen Out your Neighbors with the Perfect Hedge" article belong to the contributing author and are not necessarily shared by FlowersPlantsGardening.com.

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