Hedge design with hedge spruce and hedge myrtle

There are some properties where the usual hedge is not the best edging. There are plots of land that are simply large enough to be bordered with specimens of the usual hedge plants would immediately lead to impoverishment.

There are plots of land that should look as natural as possible, perhaps the selected wood should also simply grow freely in some locations and endure a topiary in other areas can. There are properties where the hedge-like border has to fulfill an additional task, e.g. B. to fix a slope. In all these cases, a hedge design with hedge spruce or hedge myrtle is possible:

The spruce for the hedge

Spruces are among the conifers, which doesn't actually qualify it very much as a hedge plant. This is because conifers grow differently than other shrubs, they usually branch out from a main stem and allow new plant tissue to develop in part through meristems. Meristems grow through cell division, partly genetically linked to it, only in the upper or outer areas to form new cells. What is below and close to the trunk loses the ability to sprout again after a cut. That is why many conifers form cones that are only green on the outside. That is why most conifers cannot be pruned very well, any cut that is too deep goes in the area that is no longer programmed for growth and leaves a hole in it forever Plant. If the conifer has a top meristem that is clipped too decisively, the top will never grow back either.

Of course, not every type of conifer is equally hesitant to grow after being cut. B. very large, other conifers at least sprout willingly if you don't cut too deep. This also includes the spruces, which reliably sprout again if they are only pruned at the ends of the branches and are stimulated to branch out by pruning. Only if you cut too deep do they no longer sprout, once cut holes remain.

spruces have other properties that make them recommendable as hedge plants. They do not make any special demands on their location, grow on moist and nutrient-poor soils and are very tolerant of shade. They serve as food and habitat for some small animals, e.g. B. the pine hawkmoth, a species of butterfly whose caterpillars feed on spruce needles.

Spruces can be planted on any frost-free day from the beginning of autumn to the beginning of spring and must be trimmed regularly from then on if they are to assume the shape of a hedge. It is best to cut the spruce hedge after the second shoot in autumn, as it will then not grow much anymore, so you can do with one cut a year. However, if the shape of the hedge requires it, it can also be cut after the first sprouting in the spring. You should only cut off so much that the remaining shoot is still green.

The Norway spruce, Picea abies, is native to Central Europe and is a fast-growing species evergreen conifer, which can be planted individually or in groups. It is also called red spruce (or botanically incorrect red fir) because it develops a red-brown bark. The young spruce has grass-green needles, which later become deep green and shiny. Red spruces thrive in almost any location, the shallow roots can grow by more than 50 cm per year.

If the Norway spruce is to be planted as a hedge, 3 to 4 plants are planted per meter. Also popular with us is the blue spruce, Picea pungens glauca, which comes from North America. It is also a robust coniferous tree with bluish shimmering needles, but prefers nutrient-rich soil. The blue spruce grows about 30 cm per year and can also be used as a hedge, planting 3 to 4 plants per meter. Or the Serbian spruce, Picea omorika, which grows well on well-drained soil and, with its straight growth habit, can easily be used as a privacy hedge.

These were just a few examples from the large selection of spruce, the diverse world of spruce has growth forms for every location and for every design wish.

The hedge of myrtle

If an edging should not grow so high, the hedge design with the hedge myrtle is a good idea. Here you can use the bank myrtle, Lonicera pileata, a small evergreen shrub, which is hardy and frost hardy. The embankment myrtle is a fast-growing area greener that feels comfortable in normal to dry soil, tolerates sunny and shady locations and is very well suited to slope stabilization. The embankment myrtle grows up to 1 meter high, can be cut back sharply and always sprout vigorously, so it can also be used to design small hedges. You should place 3 to 4 plants per meter of the embankment myrtle.

Hedge myrtle is even better for designing small hedges, Lonicera nitida Elegant, an evergreen, many-stemmed shrub that grows upright and develops profuse branching. Hedge myrtle can be planted in sunny to very shady locations, tolerates drought and Urban climate, any normal, cultivated garden soil from acidic to alkaline, 3 to 5 plants are planted per meter. She is a very good one ground cover, but can grow up to 1.5 meters tall. In winter it can sometimes freeze back to the ground, but then regenerates quickly.

If you want to create a hedge with hedge myrtle or hedge myrtle, the most important thing is regular trimming. In this case, you have to prevent the plant from developing its own growth forms from the outset.

A hedge consists of many small branches growing close together, not just one strong, long shoots with small side branches, like those of a completely free-growing myrtle would. In addition, it would develop powerfully in width, while in the case of the hedge, the shoots that develop the growth upwards are preferred. Any branch longer than approx. 10 cm should therefore be cut off, so a neat little border hedge will soon develop. Incidentally, cutting it off will provide you with thousands of cuttings that can be used e.g. B. the hedge could continue further and further (simply stick it into the ground in the desired extension direction).

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