Plants such as cherry laurel, thuja or boxwood are popular hedge plants in this country. However, they have one disadvantage for households with young children: they are toxic. Anyone looking for non-toxic hedge plants that are also evergreen and fast-growing will soon notice that solving this task is not as easy as expected. Still, you don't have to despair, because these plants exist.
bamboo
Bamboo is a subfamily of the sweet grasses (Poacae). There are approximately 116 genera within the subfamily. The fast-growing, evergreen species include the genera with the following species:
Fargesia
Around 90 species belonged to the Fargesia bamboo genus. The individual varieties do not form runners. Another characteristic is that these bamboos die off after they bloom. But don't worry, they only bloom every 80 to 100 years.
Fargesia murielae (garden bamboo)
- Types: "Jumbo", "Simba", "Superjumbo", "Standing Stone", "Emerald", "Maasai"
- Location: Sun to shade (depending on the variety)
- Soil: depending on the variety
- Height: 200 to 350 centimeters (depending on the variety)
- Spread: 75 to 250 centimeters (depending on the variety)
- Growth rate: 20 to 50 centimeters per year (depending on the variety)
- Growth: bushy, overhanging, umbrella-shaped or upright (depending on the variety)
- Leaves: pale green to medium green (depending on the variety), elongated, lanceolate, pointed (depending on the variety)
- Special features: very good winter hardiness
Fargesia nitida "Jiuzhaigo 1"
- botanical name: Fargesia nitida "Jiuzhaigo 1"
- Synonyms: red bamboo, red culm bamboo
- Location: sun to shade
- Soil: nutrient-rich, well-drained, no waterlogging
- Height: 300 to 400 centimeters
- Spread: 250 to 400 centimeters
- Growth rate: 40 to 80 centimeters per year
- Growth: upright, dense, well branched
- Leaves: narrow, delicate
- Winter hardiness: minus 18 to 28 degrees Celsius
- Special features: 2005 "Bamboo of the Year", red straw sheaths
Umbrella bamboo "Campbell"
- botanical name: Fargesia robusta "Campbell"
- Location: partial shade
- Soil: rich in humus, moist, sandy, well permeable to water
- Height: 350 to 500 centimeters
- Spread: 80 to 150 centimeters
- Growth rate: 20 to 45 centimeters per year
- Habit: upright, older plants overhanging
- Leaves: dark green with a bluish underside, elongated
- Winter hardiness: down to minus 18 Celsius
- Special features: young shoots need frost protection, light fragrance
Umbrella bamboo
- botanical name: Fargesia rufa
- Synonyms: Sun-resistant garden bamboo
- Location: sun to partial shade
- Soil: rich in humus
- Height: 200 to 300 centimeters
- Spread: 150 to 250 centimeters
- Growth rate: 40 to 50 centimeters per year
- Habit: upright to cascading overhanging, dense
- Leaves: elongated, intense green
- Winter hardiness: minus 24 degrees Celsius; protect from winter winds
- Special features: very well tolerated by pruning, therefore ideal for low and medium-high hedges
Bamboo "Asian Wonder"
- botanical name: Fargesia scabrida "Asian Wonder"
- Location: sun to partial shade
- Soil: normal garden soil, slightly acidic
- Height: 300 to 400 centimeters
- Spread: 40 to 100 centimeters
- Growth rate: 10 to 50 centimeters per year
- Growth: upright, well branched
- Leaves: bluish-green, lanceolate, shiny narrow
- Winter hardiness: down to minus 26 degrees Celsius
- Special features: purple-colored stalks, play of colors, robust, undemanding
Phyllostachys
In contrast to the Fargesia species, the representatives of this genus do not die after flowering. However, they form runners, so that a root barrier is absolutely necessary for some varieties.
Black bamboo
- botanical name: Phyllostachys nigra
- Location: sun to partial shade
- Soil: deep, permeable
- Height: 300 to 500 centimeters
- Spread: 200 to 350 centimeters
- Growth rate: 20 to 50 centimeters per year
- Growth: loosely upright
- Leaves: lanceolate, very thin (paper-like); Upper side dark green, lower side gray-green
- Winter hardiness: well hardy
- Root barrier: recommended
- Special features: black stalks; forms comparatively few runners
Pseudosasa
The genus Pseudosasa includes around 36 species. Since all representatives of this type form runners, a root barrier is recommended.
Japanese arrow bamboo
- botanical name: Pseudosasa japonicus, Arundinaria japonica
- Synonyms: Bambusa Metake, Medake Arundinaria
- Location: partial shade to sun
- Soil: humic, permeable, also acidic
- Height: 300 to 500 centimeters
- Spread: 100 to 200 centimeters
- Growth rate: 20 to 40 centimeters per year
- Growth: upright and overhanging
- Leaves: large, green; yellow when budding
- Winter hardiness: minus 18 to minus 20 degrees Celsius
- Root barrier: necessary
- Special features: protect from cold easterly winds, drifts out again after forest damage has occurred above ground
Canadian hemlock
- botanical name: Tsuga canadensis
- Location: sun to partial shade
- Soil: rich in nutrients, otherwise no further requirements
- Height: 1,500 to 2,000 centimeters
- Spread: 600 to 1,200 centimeters
- Growth rate: 15 to 30 centimeters per year
- Habit: overhanging, umbrella-shaped or upright
- Leaves: green, needle-like
- Special features: frost hardy, well tolerated by pruning
Tip: The pillow hemlock, bot. Tsuga canadensis "Nana" is the small relative of the Canadian hemlock, but it only grows three to five centimeters per year.
Kapuka
- botanical name: Griselinia littoralis
- Synonym: New Zealand leaf, papauma
- Location: sun
- Soil: well drained, rich in nutrients
- Height: 150 to 500 centimeters (depending on the variety)
- Spread: 75 to 250 centimeters (depending on the variety)
- Growth rate: 30 centimeters per year (depending on the variety)
- Growth: upright
- Leaves: green, shiny
- Flower: small, green-yellow
- Special features: only partially winter hardy (minus 5 to minus 10 degrees Celsius), windproof, ideal for coastal regions
Loquat
Pink Crispy Loquat
- botanical name: Photinia fraseri "Pink Crispy"
- Location: sun to partial shade
- Soil: well-drained, fresh, moist, humic
- Height: 150 to 200 centimeters
- Spread: 80 to 100 centimeters
- Growth rate: 15 to 20 centimeters per year
- Habit: bushy, upright, dense, well branched
- Flowers: medium-sized, simple, panicle-shaped, red bud, white-pink flowers from April to May
- Leaves: variegated green and white
- Special features: hardy, pink leaf shoots
Red loquat "Red Robin"
- botanical name: Photinia fraseri "Red Robin"
- Location: sun to shade
- Soil: lime-free, warm, humic, clammy, deep
- Height: 150 to 300 centimeters
- Spread: 120 to 200 centimeters
- Growth rate: 20 to 50 centimeters per year (depending on the variety)
- Growth: upright to broadly bushy
- Flowers: medium-sized, white flowers from May to June
- Leaves: red when budding, later green
- Special features: conditionally hardy, fruits not suitable for consumption
Sack flower "Victoria"
- botanical name: Ceanothus impressus "Victoria"
- Location: sun to partial shade
- Soil: normal garden soil
- Height: 80 to 100 centimeters
- Spread: 50 to 70 centimeters
- Growth rate: 10 to 40 centimeters per year (depending on the variety)
- Habit: bushy branched
- Flowers: small, deep blue, panicle-shaped flowers from late May to July
- Leaves: dark green, elliptical
- Special features: robust, hardy
Spruce trees
Alcocks spruce
- botanical name: Picea bicolor
- Location: sun to partial shade
- Soil: well-drained, fresh to moist
- Height: 1,000 to 1,500 centimeters
- Spread: 300 to 700 centimeters
- Growth rate: 10 to 30 centimeters per year
- Growth: upright, narrow
- Leaves: two-colored needles, upper side dark green, lower side blue silver,
- Special features: decorative cones
Blue spruce
- botanical name: Picea pungens var. glauca
- Synonym: blue spruce
- Location: sun
- Floor: no special requirements
- Height: 1,500 to 2,000 centimeters
- Spread: 600 to 800 centimeters
- Growth rate: 15 to 30 centimeters per year
- Growth: upright, straight
- Leaves: blue needles two to three centimeters long
- Special features: can be used as a Christmas tree
Blue spruce "Blue Mountain"
- botanical name: Picea pungens
- Location: sun to partial shade
- Soil: nutrient-rich, fresh, sandy, loamy
- Height: 1,500 to 2,000 centimeters
- Spread: 600 to 800 centimeters
- Growth rate: 20 to 40 centimeters per year
- Habit: upright, conical crown
- Leaves: blue, pungent needles
- Special features: cones only from the age of 30
Chinese spruce
- botanical name: Picea likiangensis var. rubescens
- Location: sun to partial shade
- Soil: prefers moist, fresh, sandy soils, otherwise undemanding
- Height: 1,000 to 1,500 centimeters
- Spread: 300 to 600 centimeters
- Growth rate: 10 to 30 centimeters per year
- Habit: upright, pyramidal, well branched
- Leaves: dark green-blue, short, pointed needles
- Special features: cones, decorative needles
Serbian spruce
- botanical name: Picea omorika
- Location: sun
- Soil: permeable, not compacted, bot-tolerant
- Height: 1,500 to 3,000 centimeters
- Spread: 250 to 400 centimeters
- Growth rate: 20 to 35 centimeters per year
- Growth: compact, dense, narrow
- Leaves: dark green, pungent needles; 8 to 18 millimeters long
- Special features: frost hardy, hanging cones, insensitive to diseases, easy to care for
Weeping spruce "Inversa"
- botanical name: Picea abies "Inversa"
- Location: sun to partial shade
- Soil: sandy-loamy, fresh to moist
- Height: 600 to 800 centimeters
- Spread: 200 to 250 centimeters
- Growth rate: 10 to 15 centimeters per year
- Growth: narrow, columnar
- Leaves: needle-like, green
- Special features: good leaf health
Orange flower "Aztec Pearl"
- botanical name: Choisya ternata "Aztec Pearl"
- Location: sun to partial shade
- Soil: well drained, acidic, rich in nutrients
- Height: 100 to 150 centimeters (depending on the variety)
- Spread: 60 to 100 centimeters
- Growth rate: 10 to 20 centimeters per year
- Growth: compact, well branched
- Flower: small, simple, pink buds; strongly fragrant, white flowers from May to June
- Leaves: medium green, long, narrow
- Special features: conditionally hardy, fragrant foliage, re-blooming