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Hardly any garden plant is as popular and useful as evergreen hedge plants. Evergreen hedge plants fulfill their purpose excellently as on the one hand inexpensive and on the other hand long-lasting privacy screens. However, there is also a disadvantage, the hedge must be brought into shape regularly. In addition, depending on the type of plant, a lot of patience is required until the privacy screen is completely sealed.

The following ten evergreen hedge plants are particularly easy to care for and are ideal for the garden:

  • yew
  • tree of life
  • false cypress
  • cherry laurel
  • evergreen holly
  • liguster
  • boxwood
  • European beech
  • hornbeam
  • field maple

The evergreen yew

The yew is one of the longest-lived hedge plants. It can reach a proud age of up to 1000 years. Their height is between one and four meters, their location should not be excessively dry. The hedge plant is evergreen and feels at home in the shade as well as in the sun.

Even a rooted soil does not harm the yew, it is very undemanding in terms of location. Their growth is quite small, so pruning is only necessary once a year. The fruits that develop on the yew can be eaten, but otherwise the yew is poisonous. The hedge plant is hardy and tolerates the first winter after planting without any problems.

Advantages of the yew:

  • very durable
  • frost hardy and winter hardy
  • very well tolerated by cuts
  • very undemanding in terms of location

Disadvantages of the yew:

  • very slow growth, it takes a long time before privacy is granted
  • Plant parts are highly toxic except for the fruit

The evergreen tree of life

With a height of two to four meters, the tree of life is a good choice for any garden. The plant is very frost hardy and defies wind and weather. A moderately moist, very humus-rich soil is required as a location. The hedge plants are cheap to buy and can be planted out at any time in the spring.

The tree of life grows quickly, so it only takes a few years to erect a dense privacy screen. Due to the rapid growth, however, it is necessary to cut twice a year.

Benefits of the Tree of Life:

  • inexpensive to purchase
  • fast growth and quick privacy protection
  • Extremely hardy, also copes well with wind

Disadvantages of the tree of life:

  • considered a cemetery plant
  • is relatively sensitive to drought and waterlogging
  • susceptible to fungal diseases
  • does not tolerate severe pruning

The false cypress

Optically, the false cypress and the tree of life differ only slightly. The cypress species is also evergreen and extremely frost hardy. It is suitable for hedges up to four meters high and needs sufficiently moist soil. There are numerous subspecies of the false cypress.

One pruning per year is required, but severe pruning is rarely tolerated.

Advantages of the false cypress:

  • upright growth up to four meters high
  • can stand in the sun or in partial shade
  • numerous, different varieties in different shades of color
  • only one pruning required per year

Disadvantages of the false cypress:

  • does not tolerate wind as well as the tree of life
  • does not like a position in full sun

The cherry laurel

The cherry laurel, which is an evergreen shrub and is suitable as a hedge plant, comes from the genus of cherries and plums. The growth height is a maximum of two meters. Cherry laurel has no problems with drought, it can be planted in almost any soil. Both a spot in full sun and a spot in the shade are acceptable for this plant.

Due to the wide growth of these hedge plants, annual trimming with hand hedge trimmers is required.

Benefits of Cherry Laurel:

  • uncomplicated when choosing the location
  • can also grow in root systems of other trees
  • offers a Mediterranean look
    Disadvantages of cherry laurel:
  • needs a cut with hand scissors every year
  • is sensitive to frost on sunny winter days
  • Not all types are suitable as privacy screens

The evergreen holly

One of the more flat hedging plants is the evergreen holly. It is suitable for hedges up to two meters high and needs semi-shady, humus-rich soil. The hedge plants are not particularly hardy and should therefore not be used in cold regions. The variegated species in particular are hardly frost hardy and can be damaged in cold winters.

The evergreen holly grows relatively slowly and it takes a few years to develop a reliable privacy screen. The advantage of this is that the cutting work is limited.

Evergreen Holly Benefits:

  • only need one cut a year
  • have a very decorative effect with colorful leaves and fruits
  • tolerate penumbra without problems

Disadvantages of Evergreen Holly:

  • slow growth, long time until privacy protection is established
  • often falls victim to the leaf miner fly, which can hardly be fought
  • is not sufficiently frost hardy and can suffer damage in winter

The privet

One of the very robust types of hedges is the privet, which is nicknamed Rainweide. Both in summer and in winter, this plant is extremely easy to care for and adapts to its environment. The privet is suitable for hedges up to three meters high. It grows fast, so pruning is needed twice a year.

With their black fruits, privet hedges provide food for birds, so they are often used as nesting sites.

Advantages of the privet:

  • serves as a nesting site for many bird species
  • is adaptable to the ground
  • quickly grows into a dense hedge
  • tolerates a radical cut without problems

Disadvantages of the privet:

  • grows very sprawling and can weaken other species
  • in the cold winter, privet sheds its leaves and loses privacy
  • often forms unwanted offshoots

The box tree

The boxwood is one of the most popular species, and hedge plants are welcome in many palace gardens. This type of hedge is best suited for low hedges, as the maximum growth height is one meter. A location with nutrient-rich, moist and permeable soil is perfect for the boxwood.

Only one pruning is required for the boxwood per year, unless it is attacked by a fungal disease. The flowering of the hedge is very popular with bee colonies.

Benefits of boxwood:

  • drives out again even with strong cuts
  • is perennial and evergreen
  • can be shady or in full sun

Disadvantages of boxwood:

  • rarely grows more than a meter tall
  • is occasionally afflicted by fungal diseases

The red beech

European beeches are among the long-lived species that can stand in the shady garden as well as in the sun. They are ideal for high hedges of four meters and more. Beech trees grow very quickly and are therefore well suited for a quick construction of a privacy screen. A shape cut is necessary twice a year, even a radical cut is well tolerated by the common beech.

Even in winter, the common beech offers reliable privacy protection, which makes it one of the most popular types of hedges.

Advantages of the red beech:

  • fast growth, tolerate any location
  • large hedges of more than four meters are possible
  • Privacy protection is maintained even in winter

Disadvantages of the red beech:

  • does not tolerate waterlogging due to sensitive roots
  • need regular topiary (twice a year)

The hornbeam

Hornbeams actually belong to the birch family and are therefore misleading with their name. These are extremely robust hedge plants that can grow up to four meters high. Shade, sun, moisture or drought - the hornbeam thrives in almost any location and reliably serves as a privacy screen.

In winter, the hornbeam sheds its leaves, which reduces privacy. The fallen leaves create a very valuable humus for other plant species.

Advantages of the hornbeam:

  • tolerates almost all types of weather and is frost hardy
  • very robust hedge plant that quickly grows into a hedge
  • also tolerates radical cuts without problems

Disadvantages of the hornbeam:

  • is often attacked by powdery mildew
  • becomes transparent in winter
  • needs a topiary twice a year

The field maple

The evergreen field maple is one of the most attractive hedge plants that can be used particularly well in natural gardens. A slightly shady location is required, and the evergreen hedge plant has hardly any demands on the soil. It is only sensitive to acidic, overly moist soils.

A cut is necessary twice a year, this can even be radical. The plant is perennial and tolerates the winter without problems. However, the leaves are shed in winter, so that there is no longer any privacy protection.

Advantages of field maple:

  • easily tolerates heavy pruning
  • is hardy
  • has no problem with strong sunlight
  • is perennial and serves as a nesting place for birds

Disadvantages of field maple:

  • is often attacked by powdery mildew
  • looks unkempt, despite regular cut
  • is not suitable as year-round protection due to leaf loss

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Garden design