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Hedges can be an attractive and functional part of home landscaping. They can provide delineation, design, privacy, contrast, color, and a means to create anticipation within an area.
TYPES
An INFORMAL hedge allows the plants to grow almost naturally. They are clipped infrequently, if at all, and then only to keep tidy. This type is basically a line of tall shrubs or trees to create a screen. If you are interested in low maintenance landscaping, the informal hedge should be the choice.
The FORMAL hedge contains plants with dense twiggy growth cut into a regular shape by constant clipping, which usually suppresses most of the flowers and fruits. This type is used for borders, or an alternative for a wall or fence. A formal hedge requires a maintenance program of shearing at least once, if not several times a year.
A SEMI-FORMAL hedge consists of plants that are allowed to develop some flowering and fruiting wood. It is not subjected to clipping as meticulously as the formal hedge and is also used as an alternative for a wall or fence.
SELECTION
Reduce pruning maintenance by choosing plants that will grow to the desired height when the plant is fully matured. For example, if you need a 4-foot formal hedge, select plant material that grows 5 to 6 feet at mature height. Evergreens provide good screening all year while deciduous hedges generally provide full screening only during the growing season. Purchase plant material from a reliable garden center or mail order nursery. When buying deciduous plants, select well rooted bare rootstock that are free from insects and diseases. Buy plants that are similar in age, size, form and fibrous root development.
Container-grown and balled and burlapped material are the best choices for narrow and broadleaved evergreen hedges.
PLANTING
Plant hedges close together to form a dense mass of foliage and stems to ground level. A hedge with the plants too far apart may take years to grow together, so spacing is most important. Plant spacing depends on mature plant size, formal or informal pruning, and whether it's flowering or non-flowering. Space small size plants (at maturity) 18 inches apart and larger ones 2 to 3 feet apart for sheared hedges. Plants for informal hedges can be separated another 1 1/2 to 2 times the above distance if they spread. Flowering plants should be grown with slightly more room than non-flowering types.
Plants in a sheared, formal hedge are generally planted 1 to 2 1/2 feet apart. Shrubs in an unsheared, natural hedge should be spaced further apart. A spacing of 2 to 4 feet is appropriate for medium-sized (6 to 8 feet tall) shrubs. Large shrubs (8 to 12 feet tall) can be spaced 4 to 6 feet apart.
To achieve a dense, full hedge, deciduous plants should be pruned back severely at planting time. Cut the plants back to within 6 to 8 inches of the ground when planting both formal and natural hedges to induce vigorous growth close to the ground. Remember that the important phase of making a successful hedge making comes in the early stages of the plant's development. While a variety of hedge shapes or forms are possible, the base should always be wider than the top to allow the lower portion of the hedge to receive light. Inadequate light reduces photosynthesis, and leads to death of the basal branches.
CLIPPING
Clipping should commence during the first year. Shears must only be used lightly until the hedge has developed a bushy side growth. The general aim should be to make a short bushy hedge first then allow the height and width to increase as required. This method usually takes a little longer, but the dense well-leafed result will be worth the effort.
BASIC PRUNING CUTS
Proper cutting can help develop the desired form and density. Every time the branches grow 12 inches, cut new growth back to 6 inches. Prune to an outside facing bud. Continue with this method until the hedge reaches the desired height. This is a slow process and can take five to six years, but a properly trained hedge is a striking addition to a landscape. After the planting is established, most formal hedges require two shearings a year. Rapidly growing plants like privet require four to six shearings a season. Each time six inches of new growth occurs, remove two-thirds of this growth.
In addition to regular shearing, mature hedges can be kept vigorous for years by annually thinning out some of the oldest branches with hand pruners and saws (renovating). To maintain a good cover of foliage, shearing should allow for an inch or so of growth. If in time the hedge grows out of bounds, prune the hedge framework back to desired size (rejuvenating) in early spring.
For more information refer to Fact Sheet #7.208 - Hedges.
Suggested Hedge Plant Material:
Acer ginnala and cultivars Amur Maple and cultivars
Berberis koreana Korean Barberry
Berberis thunbergii 'Erecta' Erect Japanese Barberry
Berberis thunbergii atropurpurea 'Gold Ring' Gold Ring Redleaf
Japanese Barberry
Berberis thunbergii atropurpurea 'Marshall' Marshall Redleaf
Japanese Barberry
Berberis thunbergii atropurpurea 'Rose Glow' Rose Glow Redleaf
Japanese Barberry
Caragana arborescens Siberian Peashrub
Caragana frutex 'Globosa' Globe Russian Peashrub
Caragana maximowicziana Maximowic Peashrub
Cercocarpus ledifolius Curl-leaf Mountain Mahogany
Cotoneaster ignavus Cotoneaster
Cotoneaster moupinensis Cotoneaster
Deutzia gracilis Slender Deutzia
Deutzia x lemoinei 'Compacta' Compact Lemoine Deutzia
Elaeagnus angustifolia Russian-olive
Elaeagnus umbellata Autumn-olive
Euonymus europaea and cultivars European Euonymus and
cultivars
Forestiera neomexicana New Mexican Privet
Forsythia ovata 'Nakoi' Nakoi Early Forsythia
Forsythia x intermedia cultivars Border Forsythia cultivars
Juniperus chinensis 'Ames' Ames Juniper
Juniperus chinensis 'Armstrong' Armstrong Juniper
Juniperus chinensis 'Monlep' Mint Julep Juniper
Juniperus chinensis 'Old Gold' Old Gold Juniper
Juniperus chinensis 'Pfitzerana' Pfitzer Juniper
Lonicera tatarica 'Sibirica' Siberian Honeysuckle
Ligustrum amurense 'Amur' Privet
Ligustrum vulgare 'Lodense' and 'Cheyenne' Privet
Malus 'Coralburst' Coralburst Crabapple
Physocarpus malvaceus Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius 'Dart's Golden' Dart's Golden Ninebark
Potentilla fruticosa 'Abbotswood' Abbotswood Potentilla
Potentilla fruticosa 'Buttercup' Buttercup Potentilla
Potentilla fruticosa 'Coronation Triumph' Coronation Triumph
Potentilla
Potentilla fruticosa 'Goldfinger' Goldfinger Potentilla
Potentilla fruticosa 'Jackmanii' Jackman Potentilla
Potentilla fruticosa 'Katherine Dykes' Katherine Dykes Potentilla
Potentilla fruticosa 'Longacre' Longacre Potentilla
Potentilla fruticosa 'Purdoni' Purdoni Potentilla
Prinsepia sinensis Cherry Prinsepia
Prunus tomentosa Nanking Cherry
Prunus x cistena Purpleleaf Sand Cherry
Rhamnus frangula 'Columnaris' Columnar Glossy Buckthorn
Ribes alpinum Alpine Currant
Ribes odoratum Clove Currant
Spiraea nipponica cultivars Nippon Spirea cultivars
Spiraea wilsonii Wilson Spirea
Spiraea x vanhouttei Vanhoutte Spirea
Syringa patula 'Miss Kim' Miss Kim Manchurian Lilac
Syringa vulgaris 'President Lincoln' President Lincoln Lilac
Syringa x chinensis Chinese Lilac
Syringa x prestoniae 'James MacFarlane' James MacFarlane Preston
Lilac
Viburnum lantana and cultivars Wayfaringtree Viburnum and cultivars
Viburnum lentago Nannyberry Viburnum
Viburnum opulus and cultivar European Cranberrybush Viburnum
and cultivar
Viburnum rafinesquianum Downy-leaved Viburnum
Viburnum sargentii 'Flavum' Flavum Sargent Viburnum
Viburnum trilobum and cultivars American Cranberrybush Viburnum
and cultivars
Viburnum x rhytidophylloides 'Alleghany' Alleghany Viburnum
Q: I have a row of junipers in my backyard that are all dying and the ones in my neighbor's yard look the same way. What is the problem and what can I do?
A: Junipers seem to have been hit extremely hard this year across the county. Symptoms that we have been seeing in the Larimer County Cooperative Extension office include tip browning that seems to "spread" down the branch resulting in the death of entire branches. In some cases entire plantings have been affected.
There are a number of problems that cause browning in junipers including winter dieback, salt damage, stem girdling by voles and a fungus called Kabatina tip blight. Symptoms of winter dieback caused by environmental conditions can be widespread and is most likely causing a lot of the juniper damage that we are seeing in Larimer County. Environmental damage can be caused by cold temperatures, warm temperatures followed by cold temperatures, dry conditions over time, under and over watering etc. They are often very difficult to pinpoint. All of the samples that we have seen in our office are most likely from an environmental cause as no disease causing fungus was found on any of the samples.
We are also seeing a fair amount of juniper damage next to roads and driveways. In these cases the damage is found only on the side of the plant that is next to the street. This is most likely caused by the use of salt products on the roads during winter storms. These salts are sprayed up onto the plant by vehicles and cause the browning and dieback.
Small animals called voles gnawing around the base of branches can also cause branch dieback. This can be diagnosed by tracing the affected branch back down to the ground line. If voles are the culprits you should be able to see teeth marks in the branches that have been chewed. The snow cover this winter provided ideal conditions for protecting voles while they chewed on low, dense juniper branches.
Finally, the symptoms for the Kabatina fungus include tips of branches that turn brown in early spring with the lower portion of the branch remaining green. In this case, pruning dead portions of the branch is needed to keep the fungus from spreading to other branches. When pruning, disinfect your pruning shears between each cut by dipping them in a 10 % bleach to water solution. This will keep you from spreading the fungus from branch to branch.. We have not positively identified this fungus on any juniper samples from our office.
Try these short season vegetables at higher elevations: spinach, lettuce, leeks, potatoes, peas, carrots, beets, Swiss chard, broccoli, cabbage and kohlrabi. They will thrive in the cooler temperatures and intense sunlight.
Pine needle scale and striped-pine scale are insects that can cause severe damage by feeding on the bark and needles of most species of pine, spruce and fir. Usually, crawler emergence occurs in mid-May, about the time of peak lilac bloom. You can determine if the scale is in the crawler stage by shaking a branch over a white piece of paper and checking for rosy-colored crawlers. Spray the affected areas with horticultural oils, insecticidal soaps or garden insecticides labeled for scale. Spray only when the scale is in the crawler stage to avoid killing its natural enemies - a tiny lady beetle and a parasitic wasp. Always follow label directions when applying any pesticides.
It's time to fertilize! Roses need an all-purpose fertilizer like 8-10-8 or 15-15-15. Fertilize now and again in mid July during or after the second bloom. All species of turf also need feeding. Use 1 pound of nitrogen per 1000 square feet for bluegrass and 1/2 to 1 pound of nitrogen per 1000 square feet for buffalo grass, blue gramma and turf -type tall fescue. Don't forget the daffodil and tulip bulbs. Apply 1/4 pound of nitrogen per 100 square feet before the foliage withers.
Prepare transplants and newly purchased plants for the outdoors by "hardening them off" before planting them in the garden. Gradually expose them to more sunshine and cooler nighttime temperatures outside. They should be ready in about a week for transplanting into the garden.
The authors have received training through Colorado State University Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener program and is a Master Gardener volunteer for Larimer County.
Fact Sheets are available at the Larimer County Extension Office, 1525 Blue Spruce Drive, Fort Collins, Colorado, telephone (970) 498-6000, or contact us by e-mail at larimer@coop.ext.colostate.edu
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