Hedges and Screens

Hedges and Screens serve a variety of purposes in the landscape. Hedges are generally grouping of plants grown together in a line or pattern. Screens can be single plants or a group of plants. Both serve to provide physical and visual barriers. They can be used to soften and separate foundations and fences from the garden, control traffic, separate gardens or divide property lines. They can draw the eye to a view, feature or particular plant. Screen can be used for privacy, to hide undesirable views, or to provide shelter from the sun and wind. Screens control movement through the garden and provide a place for shade loving plants. Screens often incorporate a physical structure like a fence or a berm.
Landscapes that use evergreens for hedges and screens tend to be formal in appearance. Evergreens provide interest and screening year round, an advantage over deciduous shrubs. Deciduous shrubs offer flowers (some fragrant), fruit, and most offer wonderful fall color before their leaves drop.

PRUNING

Hedges are usually pruned on a routine basis to maintain their shape, size and density. Careful selection of hedge plants can save you from frequent pruning to keep the hedge within bounds. Try to choose plants that mature at the size you desire the hedge to reach. Following are a few pointers on correct pruning of your hedge.
Pruning at the wrong time can eliminate flowers or lead to profuse blooming. In general, spring blooming plants such as Forsythia, Pyracantha and Viburnum should be pruned soon after flowering. Pruning these spring blooming shrubs in late winter or early spring does not injury the plant, but does remove their flower buds.

Summer flowering shrubs such as Crape Myrtle and Butterfly Bush should be pruned in late winter or early spring, just before growth begins. Pruning these plants will encourage more growth and more flowering.

Many hedge plants including Boxwood, Holly and Juniper are grown for their evergreen foliage. Prune these plants in early spring and throughout the summer as needed to control their growth. Pruning in August and September can make the plants susceptible to winter injury. If possible, avoid late summer pruning.

METHODS

A formal, sheared, hedge will require periodic pruning throughout the growing season, sometimes as often as every 4-6 weeks. Let plant growth guide your pruning, not the calendar. Keep the bottom of the hedge wider than the top. Otherwise, the wider top will shade the narrow base from the sun, slowing growth. The leaves will begin to drop, leaving your hedge leggy and bare at the bottom. The same principle applies to shaping your hedge.
Pruning a hedge to the exact same dimensions each time will cause the outer growth to become so thick and dense that all sunlight is blocked from the interior of the plant. This becomes unsightly and unhealthy for your hedge. Deprived of adequate sun and with insufficient foliage your hedge becomes weakened and is more vulnerable to stress and disease. Try to vary the height and width of your hedge by a few inches when you prune.

Hedges do not have to be sheared into formal shapes. Several favorite hedge plants such as Boxwood, Forsythia and English Laurel look better when they are allowed to develop their natural form. These shrubs can be selectively thinned with hand pruners to maintain their size and shape while preserving their natural form. Pruning out any long or misguided twigs or branches while leaving the rest of the hedge untouched.

If you are uncertain about when and how to prune your hedges, bring samples into the information desk at Merrifield Garden Center. We will identify your plant and explain the correct pruning for your hedge.