What is the best way to choose plants for hedges?

Susan Martin

A landscaped garden bed with a variety of green shrubs, tall conifer trees, and some purple foliage, bordering a paved road under a pale sky.
Photo Courtesy of Susan Martin

Rather than creating a single hedge, this homeowner layered this shrub border with a mix of small to medium sized flowering shrubs in front of tall evergreens. This creates a more interesting landscape that has something to offer in every season.

So, you want to grow a hedge! Let’s take a look at a few important details you will want to consider before you begin, then we’ll look at 15 types of plants that make ideal short, medium and tall hedges.

What is the purpose of your hedge?

First, ask yourself what type of hedge you’d like to have. Are you looking to add a more formal border around your outdoor seating area? Perhaps you are needing to create a backdrop for a perennial border or to plant a line of shrubs up against your fence. Hedges can also be used to create wind screens in more open areas to help diffuse strong North or West winds. And of course, hedges are used for screening to create privacy. Determining the purpose of your hedge is the first step in growing one.


What are your growing conditions?

Take note of how many hours of sun your hedge will receive each day. If it is more than six hours, you’ll want to look for plants that prefer full sun. If it is 4 to 6 hours, use plants that grow in part shade. If your hedge will receive fewer than four hours of sun per day, you’ll need full shade plants. Also, take note of your soil. Does it stay soggy for several hours after it rains or does the soil drain easily? Have you prepared the area by removing any sod or weeds so you can be ready to plant?


Does your hedge need to be evergreen?

If creating privacy is your goal, an evergreen hedge might be the best fit for your space. Check out this article where we share seven of our best evergreens for making privacy hedges. Smaller evergreens are useful for creating short hedges that help define a space and give it structure, for example along the perimeter of your porch or patio. We’ll share some of those ideas below. If your hedge doesn’t need to be evergreen, your list of plant options greatly expands to include some gorgeous flowering perennials, shrubs and grasses. We’ll share some of them with you below too.


How fast does your hedge need to grow?

If you are looking for a fast-growing hedge, perennials and deciduous shrubs (meaning those that lose their leaves in the winter) will be your best option. They generally grow more quickly than evergreen shrubs and are widely available for a reasonable cost. You can expect most deciduous shrubs to mature in 3 to 5 years. If you need a tall evergreen hedge quickly, you’ll need to start with the largest plants you can find and prepare to pay top dollar. Evergreen hedges take quite a bit longer to mature than deciduous ones.

Let’s take a look at five options each for short, medium and tall hedges.


PLANTS FOR SHORT HEDGES

A garden border featuring Anna's Magic Ball® Arborvitae (Thuja) with its golden, round mounds; behind them are low purple-leaved plants and taller green bushes beside a house with white siding and dappled sunlight - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.
  

Anna’s Magic Ball® Globe Arborvitae

10-15” tall, hardy in zones 3-7, grows in sun or part shade
Top-down view of Yuki Snowflake® Deutzia shrub with clusters of small white flowers and green leaves, grows by a paved path in bright sunlight, with mulch at its base. - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC

Yuki Snowflake® Deutzia

1-2’ tall, hardy in zones 5-8, grows in sun or part shade
A lush Colorblaze® Royale Apple Brandy® Coleus with vibrant red and yellow-edged leaves grows in soil before a white fence, surrounded by burgundy and green foliage from other plants in the background - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC

ColorBlaze® Royale Apple Brandy® Coleus

20-30” tall, annual, grows in sun and shade
A neatly trimmed hedge of lush green shrubs borders a garden area with taller, leafy bushes and trees in the background, alongside a grassy lawn.

Strongbox® Inkberry Holly

2-3’ tall, hardy in zones 5-9, grows in sun or part shade


PLANTS FOR MEDIUM HEDGES

A garden with blooming red roses in front of a beige house with sliding glass doors. Two red chairs sit on the patio near the flowers.

Oso Easy Double Red® Landscape Rose

3-4’ tall, hardy in zones 4-9, grows in sun
Compact ornamental 'Little Zebra' Maiden Grass (Miscanthus) with long, thin yellow-green striped leaves forms a dense clump, surrounded by blooming pink and red flowers in the garden - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.

‘Little Zebra’ Dwarf Zebra Grass

3-4’ tall, hardy in zones 5-9, grows in sun to part shade
Bright pink hibiscus flowers bloom in a well-maintained garden bed alongside green shrubs and a tree, next to a grassy lawn and a house with a brown roof in the background.


Summerific® ‘Evening Rose’ Rose Mallow

4’ tall, hardy in zones 4-9, grows in sun to light shade
A lush garden with a curved, neatly mowed grass path bordered by dense clusters of white hydrangeas and various green shrubs, surrounded by tall trees and greenery.

Incrediball® Smooth Hydrangea

4-5’ tall, hardy in zones 3-8, grows in sun or part shade
A hedge of Wine & Roses® Weigela shrub, bursting with bright pink blooms, lines a sidewalk. In the background are trees, buildings, and a flagpole beneath a clear blue sky. - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Wine & Roses® Weigela

4-5’ tall, hardy in zones 4-8, grows in sun



PLANTS FOR TALL HEDGES

A large Show Off® Forsythia bush, covered in bright yellow flowers, stands in a garden with green grass and trees - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Show Off® Forsythia

5-6’ tall, hardy in zones 5-8, grows in sun or part shade
Fine Line® Rhamnus shrubs are planted in a row beside a white brick wall, bordered by vivid green grass and mulch under a clear blue sky - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Fine Line® Buckthorn

5-7’ tall, hardy in zones 2-7, grows in sun or part shade
A 'Limelight' Panicle Hydrangea, a large shrub with clusters of pale pink and white blooms, stands before green trees on a cloudy day. Lush green grass surrounds the bush - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

‘Limelight’ Panicle Hydrangea

6-8’ tall, hardy in zones 3-9, grows in sun or part shade
Clusters of bright red berries grow densely on Red Balloon® Lantanaphyllum (Viburnum) with green, veined, textured leaves. - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Red Balloon® Viburnum

6-8’ tall, hardy in zones 4-8, grows in sun or part shade
A dense green garden hedge with small white flowers growing along the base of a white building, with a concrete path in the foreground.

White Pillar® Rose of Sharon

10-16’ tall, hardy in zones 5-9, grows in sun

 

*Find tall evergreens for creating privacy hedges in this article.

Want to explore more shrub possibilities for hedges? Here’s a link to all of the shrubs we offer.


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